With the rise in popularity in recent years, the survival genre is arguably becoming a little oversaturated, however there are some amazing examples of how to create a unique experience that is still familiar enough for new players to jump into and know what they need to do.
Survival games help simulate an answer to an age old question; “If you were stranded on an island, what would you do?”. Many of the games on this list begin with some variation of that scenario, however modern survival games often throw something else into the mix to make things really interesting (tameable Dinosaurs, anyone?).
Survival games are often by nature non-linear and rewarding experiences, allowing players to tackle objectives in a multitude of ways.
While the phrase, ‘no two playthroughs are the same’ has become somewhat of a cliche reserved for back of the box marketing buzzwords, for the survival genre that really does ring true.
Throw in some other real-world players via online multiplayer and you really do have an unpredictable game world.
Following the popularity of the 2013’s Don’t Starve, developers Klei Entertainment released standalone expansion Don’t Starve Together in 2016, which, you guessed it, focused on the same survival formula but with friends.
Supporting up to six players in a single session, you will need to work together in order to gather resources, build structures to keep enemies out and survive.
The game eschews any kind of story mode in favor of a sandbox survival mode that instead looks to bring players together in their attempts to, you guessed it, not starve.
Featuring a quirky and unique art style reminiscent of a Tim Burton movie, the game offers an incredible amount of depth as you navigate the world crafting items and taking down tough boss enemies that block your progress.
As well as the obvious needs in a survival game, Don’t Starve features a sanity meter that if not managed will result in the player being attacked by different kinds of enemies. The kicker here is that these enemies hold a valuable and unique resource so as the game progresses you will need to tank your sanity in order to defeat them and collect the resource.
