After the release of DayZ, the gaming industry was swept by a wave of games in the Survival genre. Many of them are forever stuck in early access, being unprincipled clones. But even among the sea of monotony, there are games that stand out from the rest with their style or game mechanics.
DayZ (2018)
Many managed to forget that DayZ was originally a mod for ArmA 2 - however, the little thing turned out to be so remarkable that it grew into an independent project. Developer Dean Hall (Dean Hall) told about the post-apocalyptic world, which fell under the onslaught of zombies. However, the main danger for the survivalist is not the walking dead, but other people who are ready to kill for a can of canned food.
It's interesting that the game is still full of problems, and at the start, their number was completely shocking. Gamers swore at the technical condition, balance problems, and unpolished mechanics - however, even behind a bunch of shortcomings, there was a huge potential.
In fact, we are talking about a typical survival game where you need to go forward, look for better equipment, take care of the character and heal injuries that can be received even when falling from a low ladder. However, there are so many threats everywhere that gamers trembled at every rustle and tried not to make a fuss. After all, it was worth dying, and everything started all over again - there were no saves and respawns in DayZ.
As a result, a few other games made me so nervous and immersed me so cool in the atmosphere of the post-apocalypse. It is for this that gamers fell in love with DayZ and turned a blind eye to its problems.
The score on Metacritic is 56/100.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.
Icarus (2021)
Icarus is another game by DayZ author Dean Hall. The plot tells about the distant future, where humanity tried to terraform the planet Icarus but failed. There is water, trees, and animals, but the air is poisoned and unsuitable for people. But on Icarus, there were valuable resources, for the extraction of which corporations send various daredevils. You are one of them.
In general, Icarus is an ordinary survival game. Gamers need to collect spears from sticks and stones, warm themselves by the fire, feed the hero with meat, kill wolves and bears and build buildings where they can survive the storm or relax until the morning. Of the chips, it is worth noting pumping, which gradually makes the hero stronger and more courageous, as well as the story campaign.
The corporation sends the hero to Icarus for important tasks. Bosses are ordered to explore a distant piece of the map, install reconnaissance equipment, extract valuable resources, and much more. After that, the most valuable good can be placed in a capsule and fly into orbit. At the same time, when you return to the planet for the next quest, you will have to equip yourself from scratch.
Icarus turned out to be a good survivor, but the game should be criticized for a small number of fresh ideas, poor optimization, and an undeveloped setting where people of the future run around the planet with a bow and clubs. However, connoisseurs of the genre are unlikely to be upset. Y
Metacritic score - Early Access, no score.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.
Valheim (2021)
Valheim was developed by a modest team of five people. Surprisingly, their efforts were enough to create one of the biggest hits of 2021. The game topped the Steam charts for many months gathered 500,000 gamers at its peak and earned 95 percent positive reviews.
It's nice to be in the world of Valheim. The environment is technically rustic, but the artists have done a great job with the design and biomes, making the visuals one of the main strengths of the game.
The situation is similar with other mechanics. There are not so many combat techniques, but chopping skeletons and other evil spirits is exciting. The construction mechanics are typical, but due to the cool physics, building houses is cool. Cutting down trees is a common thing, but when they realistically fall and crush the hero to death, you are surprised.
In addition, there is a plot in Valheim where a brave warrior must help Odin defeat powerful creatures. The story is simple but adds to the gameplay's meaningfulness.
Another advantage of the hit is co-op. You can fight in Valheim in the company of up to ten people - in this format, fulfilling the will of Odin is even more fun.
Metacritic score - Early Access, no score.
Platforms: PC.
Pathological 2 (2019)
Pathologic 2 is a remake of the cult game Pathologic. Utopia" from the Russian studio Ice-Pick Lodge. The authors call the project a "survival simulator in an epidemic." The situation in the infected City-on-Gorkhon is so sad that it will be extremely difficult to survive or at least preserve humanity.
Perhaps it was humanity that became the main theme of the game. The hero will constantly have to maneuver between saving the townspeople and taking care of his own skin. Sometimes theft or even murder will be the only way to survive another day. Still, you can’t die - in this case, the infection will definitely swallow the city.
In addition, the hero and other problems are enough. His father and another important citizen died mysteriously, and the inhabitants suspect that this is your fault. Plus, some kind of devilry is going on in the city, and the key characters clearly keep terrible secrets. Dealing with riddles will not be easy.
Pathologic 2 is hard to recommend to everyone. The game has a very specific atmosphere, the survival mechanics are very hardcore, and running around the city takes up an impressive part of the gameplay. However, if you feel the spirit of the game, it will give indescribable emotions.
The score on Metacritic is 74/100.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.
Stranded Deep (2015)
In Stranded Deep, the hero survives a plane crash and ends up on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is not worth waiting for help - it is better not to waste time and take up the arrangement of life. If you hesitate, the hero will be overtaken by hunger, thirst, or sunstroke.
The poor guy has a lot to do. Build a farm that can provide food. Set control over other islands where valuable resources are scattered. Create a chic raft on which it is comfortable to explore the ocean. Get weapons to fight sharks, snakes, and other fauna. In general, the amount of trouble tends to infinity.
In the creation of Beam Team Games, it's easy to get stuck for a long time. The game has powerful bosses, a map editor, countless islands, a cooperative mode, and so on. If you were looking for a decent survival game with an abundance of mechanics, pay attention to Stranded Deep.
The score on Metacritic is 65/100.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch.
Raft (2018)
Raft is another survival game about islands and the endless ocean. True, if Stranded Deep is at least trying to be realistic, then in Raft you can find an island with a butler robot. Every now and then he will shock the hero and demand to calm down.
However, the heroes also have enough traditional problems. A man-eating shark swims near the shore, resources for crafting are constantly in short supply, and food supplies are running out - you can replenish them, for example, by spearfishing.
There are a lot of activities in Raft, and the developers regularly add new content. Probably, gamers managed to forget that there was no full-fledged release. The game has been in early access for 4 years now, but this fact is unlikely to bother anyone.
Metacritic score - Early Access, no score.
Platforms: PC.
breath edge (2021)
Breathedge is a space survival game developed by the Russian studio RedRuins Softworks. The plot tells about the Man, who is carrying the mortal body of his grandfather to the funeral, but the plans are ruined by an accident. Now the Muzhik will have to survive in conditions of lack of oxygen and other resources.
The main feature of Breathedge is humor. For example, the hero will be helped by an immortal chicken, dead hamsters, Russian folk songs about a beard, and an AI that has gone. Of course, not all jokes turned out to be successful, but sometimes they hit the mark and make you laugh out loud.
Plus, the authors filled the game with a huge number of references. It is easy to meet an Alien at an abandoned station, you can navigate through space on the Normandy, and among the rubbish, there is a Tomb Raider cartridge, where the charming Lara was replaced by a bearded man.
Otherwise, gamers will have to deal with standard things for the genre. Keep track of resources and parameters like the scale of hunger and oxygen. Collect materials to equip the base. Craft equipment that will help you explore space more efficiently. Implemented mechanics worthy.
Alas, the developers did not have enough strength to make the whole game cool. By the end, the humor fades, the gameplay becomes boring, and the spirit of exploration and survival fades away. However, all this does not prevent Breathedge from leaving a pleasant impression.
The score on Metacritic is 71/100.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch.
Project Zomboid (2013)
The zombie apocalypse is about to unfold in the world of Project Zomboid. So far, humanity has not understood what happened, and the houses still have water and electricity. However, the walking dead have already captured one city and are preparing to wipe out all the people from the face of the earth. Alas, the hero was not lucky enough to be at the very epicenter of events - he will try to survive as much as he can, but in any case, he cannot avoid a sad fate.
The developers don't just call Project Zomboid "the story of your death." The trick is that the game is full of hardcore mechanics, and the complexity is constantly growing.
To open a tin can, you need a special knife. Products will quickly disappear if they are not stored in the refrigerator. If you plan to relax, do not forget to make curtains and cover the windows, otherwise, the zombies will notice the sleeping poor fellow and devour him. There are many such little things, and each is important to consider.
At the same time, if at first, you can quench your thirst simply by opening the tap, and it is convenient to store food in the refrigerator, then over time, the benefits of civilization will disappear. As a result, the hero will have to craft generators and look for sources of water.
A separate pleasure is to play Project Zomboid in co-op. On some servers, the survivors are divided into groups, fighting each other and generally having fun as best they can.
Metacritic score - Early Access, no score.
Platforms: PC.
Grounded (2021)
Obsidian is known for cool RPGs like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, and so on. However, in the case of Grounded, the creators have proven that they can do a good job even with survivors.
The plot tells about children who have shrunk to the size of insects. Now the grass seems huge to them, like a three-story house, and the ants reach to the waist. Will the guys manage to improve their life and learn how to survive in the world of any midges? After all, if you can still make friends with insects like ants, then evil spiders will smash the whole group without talking.
The setting has become the main advantage of the creation of Obsidian. Still, gamers are already accustomed to watering a character from bottles and rivers, but collecting a race from blades of grass is an original idea. In addition, Grounded has beautiful environments, high-quality textures, and diverse biomes - as a result, it is pleasant to be in a charming but dangerous world.
Alas, the project can be criticized for the abundance of bugs, but this does not change the essence: the thing came out great. If you are tired of survival in forests and deserts, pay attention to Grounded.
Metacritic score - Early Access, no score.
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.
SCUM (2018)
In SCUM, gamers will have to take control of notorious scoundrels who are trying to earn their freedom by participating in a bloody game. The fact is that in the future people are tired of watching football and TV shows - that is why a show appeared where criminals are thrown onto the island and offered to survive. At the same time, you should not hide in the bushes, because the audience does not like boring episodes.
The key resource to fight for in SCUM is the love of the audience. The higher the rating of the character, the more bonuses and sponsorship contracts he will receive. This will help you dominate other players.
The viewer craves spectacles, which means that the criminal will have to go hunting more often, set up ambushes, and shoot competitors. This concept refreshes the survival genre quite well.
There are also enough cons in SCUM. Bugs are waiting on every corner, running around the island takes too much time, and the need to relieve yourself seems unnecessary. However, the game has found its audience - maybe you will like it too.
Metacritic score - Early Access, no score.
Platforms: PC.
Rust (2018)
Rust has come a long way from being an alpha version of another DayZ clone in 2013 to being a survival sim in its own right. The basics of the game are standard for this genre. You come to your senses on a picturesque island without clothes (in the game it is possible to play a completely naked character), and from equipment, you have only a cobblestone and a torch. In order not to die from the clutches of predators or the hands of other players, you have to acquire food, clothing, and weapons. For a comfortable survival, you need to constantly develop your home. The game gives you the opportunity to build both a modest house and an incredible building with 506 floors.
At the same time, your actions are not limited in any way, you can become either a peaceful hunter or the head of your settlement, or join a clan of insane thugs who do not allow the entire server to live in peace. But before you start playing, you should know that Rust is a game with an incredibly toxic community, so get ready to go through a thousand and one unpleasant moments with other players in advance. But if you play with friends, or have managed to find reliable allies, then you are guaranteed to experience many unforgettable moments in the game that you are not ashamed to remember.
The score on Metacritic is 69/100.
Platforms: PC, Linux, macOS.
Conan Exiles (2018)
Funcom made its first attempt at a successful MMORPG set in the world of Robert Howard at the dawn of World of Warcraft back in 2008 with Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. But despite the initial surge of interest in the game, the developers were unable to keep players in the world of Conan, which in fact turned out to be a rather crude product. Later, the game was renamed to Age of Conan: Unchained, making it shareware, but by that time it was already of little interest to anyone. The next attempt to capitalize on the honest name of Conan the Barbarian was made only in 2017 when Conan Exiles entered early access.is a multiplayer survival simulator. To Funcom's credit, it's worth saying that the game did not spend years there, like many survivalists, and a full release took place a year later.
The plot of the game is traditionally simple. You start your journey as a nameless ragamuffin, nailed to a cross and doomed to certain death, if the same Conan did not pass by, who very nobly removes him from the cross, delivers a pathetic speech, and leaves, so you will have to comprehend the basics of survival on your own. As in most survival simulators, your character has indicators of hunger and thirst, which you need to monitor, periodically go hunting and get water, adapt to weather conditions, and also fight off enemies, and do not forget about building and crafting. At the same time, the game has its own unique features. For example, you can sacrifice an enemy to the gods or turn him into slavery. In addition, you can call on your side the avatar of one or another deity, which you can control for a minute. Well,
The score on Metacritic is 68/100.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.
ARK: Survival Evolved (2017)
Take a standard multiplayer survival game, add some sci-fi elements to it, drop it all on an island populated with dinosaurs of all kinds, and that's Ark: Survival Evolved. If in an ordinary survival simulator you get satisfaction already from the fact that you were able to survive the night and you were not eaten by animals or killed by other players, then here you have the opportunity to get your own tyrannosaurus rex, and not only.
Over time, you will be able to build a whole farm with many dinosaurs. By the way, giant lizards can greatly simplify the gameplay. For example, different types of dinosaurs are used for mining and resource creation, transportation, or in combat. In the game, you can build both a huge dinosaur farm and a futuristic base for your clan, where there is a place for any activity. But never forget about your physical condition. In ARK, it's very easy to die from thirst, hunger, or the weather.
The Metacritic score is 70/100.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, Linux, macOS.
Astroneer (2019)
Astroneer is a colorful space sandbox game with elements of a survival simulator that stands out for its presentation and gameplay mechanics. One of the main features of the game is the space theme. This time, you don't have to start your adventures on already boring locations like islands, forests, and cities. According to the plot of the game, you crash on an unknown planet. To survive, you will have to gradually turn your life support module into a full-fledged base with its own power source, vehicles, and laboratories.
Of course, for all this, you will inevitably need materials that you can find as you explore the planet. At your disposal, there is a device for collecting resources, with which you can safely terraform the planet, and get to its most inaccessible areas. And when you get tired of it - go to a neighboring planet, with its own characteristics and unique materials. Unlike other projects where survival is the main goal in itself, Astroneer is played much more calmly. The main thing is to monitor the level of oxygen, so you can safely immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the game. Also in the game, there is a cooperative mode on the network.
The score on Metacritic is 72/100.
Platforms: Xbox One, PC.
State of Decay Series (2013-2018)
State of Decay at first glance may seem like an ordinary zombie apocalypse sandbox, but the main role here is played not by the living dead, but by people. You play as the leader of a small group of survivors whose life you now need to improve, or at least maintain at an acceptable level. The survivors themselves are people with a set of characteristics such as hand-to-hand combat skills, weapon proficiency, or survival. In addition, each character has its own characteristics that give bonuses, and character traits that must be taken into account. You can also "possess" the body of any character, like a doll, if you complete his personal mission.
Your group can grow as you respond to calls for help from other victims. You can’t do without outings for supplies either, and then you have to consider which of the characters is better to use now, who will be more useful for you in battle, and who will be more useful at the base.
In 2015, a re-release of the game State of Decay - Year One Survival Edition was released.
2018 saw the release of State of Decay 2 which introduced a co-op mode. The game has developed some of the mechanics from the first part and got rid of many bugs.
Metacritic score: State of Decay - 79/100, State of Decay 2 - 69/100.
Platforms: Xbox One, PC.
Long Dark (2017)
The Long Dark is a great example of how you can make an atmospheric survival game without using zombies, mutants, cannibals, and other fantastical creatures.
In the story, you play as pilot William Mackenzie, who crashed over a snowy Canadian forest. It happened because of a strange geomagnetic storm. Once on the territory of winter Canada, where there is not a single person around for kilometers, Wil will have a difficult struggle with nature. Mackenzie needs to pick berries, escape from the cold at the fire, make weapons for hunting, butcher animal carcasses, sew clothes, and fight off predators.
At the same time, the game forces you to take into account many details: in wet clothes, you can easily freeze and catch a cold, water has to be boiled or disinfected, a fire cannot be made in the wind, and torches go out over time, matches run out, a heavy backpack or several layers of clothing seriously slow down movement. All these nuances make The Long Dark one of the most realistic survival games.
The game has several modes. Wintermute is an episodic story mode that fully reveals the story (2 episodes have been released so far). There is a survival mode, which is a full-fledged sandbox and test scenarios for those who want to once again test their strength.
The score on Metacritic is 77/100.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Linux, MacOS.
Don't starve
Despite its venerable age, Don't Starve compares favorably with the early survival games, which for the most part were faceless sandboxes. I got tired of playing them after 3-5 hours. So, for example, the game has a storyline: Wilson, a useless scientist, vegetated in his hut in the middle of the forest, until someone's voice from the radio tells him to build an invention with which Wil gets into Maxwell's world. This world he will have to explore.
There are many strange things in the game, such as killer bees, one-eyed birds, or aggressive pigmen, jealously guarding their settlements from strangers. All of them (and not only them) will gladly send you to the next world. The danger is not only strange creatures around but even a fragile mind that can leave Wilson at the most inopportune moment, which is why your character slowly dies. Resurrect in this case will not work, you have to start all over again. In order to somehow survive in an unfriendly world, you have to collect various branches, herbs, and pebbles, from which you can make the necessary tools and start equipping your life.
The night is a particularly dangerous time of day, because new monsters appear in the darkness, and you can escape from them with the help of a fire or a torch.
Three DLCs were released for the game: Reign of Giants, Shipwrecked, and Hamlet, adding new elements to the game, as well as a full-fledged cooperative game Don't Starve Together.
The score on Metacritic is 79/100.
Platforms: PC, MacOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Playstation Vita, iOS, Xbox one, Android.
Darkwood (2017)
Darkwood is another example of how you can combine survival with horror. The game does just that brilliantly. Perhaps someone can be scared off by an overly dark atmosphere in the game, not too modern graphics and a top view, but all this has a great effect on the atmosphere.
You will play as a certain doctor who has woken up in Dark Forest, a rural region of Poland affected by a strange epidemic. The rest of the plot details will have to be mined as the game progresses. Darkwood has taken the classic survival sim elements. Take, for example, the cycle of day and night, when during the day you need to explore the area, look for supplies, repair, improve the shelter and items using a workbench, and at night barricade the doors and pray that no monster or ghost gets into the house. Also, your character can unlock new skills, for this you will have to prepare special injections from the right ingredients.
The creators have tried both on the atmosphere and on the terrain, so the prefix "horror" to the game is by no means an empty phrase, and it's not just about the monsters. So, for example, you can stumble upon a church where whispering ghosts surround you or find a location littered with human bodies. And the further into the forest, the more often such episodes will occur, plunging you into an atmosphere of madness.
Metacritic score is 80/100.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Linux, MacOS, SteamOS.
Sunless Sea (2015)
A game with an atmosphere in the spirit of Lovecraft's stories. Sunless Sea is a whimsical combination of a survival game and an interactive book. There is really a lot of text in the game, but at the same time it is so well written that it will captivate even those who do not like to read a lot. The background of the game is also unusual. In the 19th century, the Queen of England gave London to the underworld, where it now resides with all its inhabitants.
As the captain of a ship, you can transport goods, collect valuable information, complete quests, or simply explore the gloomy expanses of the underworld, discovering new islands and getting into unusual situations. Most importantly, do not forget to deal with logistics, because without food your team will turn into cannibals, and if you bring them to madness, they can even start a riot.
The score on Metacritic is 81/100.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Linux, MacOS, SteamOS.
Starbound (2016)
Starbound is the second sandbox game from Terraria creator Finn Bryce. This time, the scene takes place in space, when the protagonist of the game, escaping from a great evil, leaves his home only to suffer a disaster on an alien planet. Of the supplies you, as usual, have nothing. And in order to repair the ship and just not to die of hunger, they will be needed oh how.
This means that you will have to deal with the gray everyday life of a survivalist researcher. Look for food, and materials, create the necessary things, and generally explore the planet up and down. Or you can follow only the plot (it's not so hot here, but it is). Or collect enough fuel, repair the ship, and set off to explore the galaxy, where every planet is open to exploration, but each one is unique in some way. The game provides many opportunities and activities.
The score on Metacritic is 81/100.
Platforms: PC, Linux, MacOS.
The Forest (2014)
What could be worse than a plane crash with your participation? Only to land in the forest, where cannibals live, reminiscent of distant relatives of the mutants from the movie The Hills Have Eyes! The Forest skillfully combines survival simulator and horror game elements. According to the plot of the game, you and your son get into a plane crash. Your plane crashes over the peninsula. You wake up in the middle of the forest and find out that a strange man has taken your son away in an unknown direction. Moreover, the forest is inhabited by a tribe of mutant cannibals who are thirsty for your blood. So before you save your son, you need to learn how to survive.
An important role in The Forest has a change of day and night. During the day you explore the forest, hunt, gather food, and build a shelter. Sometimes you will notice cannibals studying you. They are not very active during the day. But at night, the cannibals become bolder and start a bloody hunt. It is better to sit out at night at home, strengthening it and setting traps. At the same time, your enemies are by no means stupid dummies, and killing them is not so easy. The tie of the plot is present here not only for show. This is a full-fledged storyline with two endings, but if you find it boring to play alone, then the game has a cooperative mode.
The score on Metacritic is 83/100.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC.
This War of Mine (2018)
This War of Mine is one of those rare war games where all the attention is devoted not to the events on the front line, but to the daily life of the most ordinary people who are not lucky enough to live in a city affected by the war. This story is not so much about survival, but about the choice that you have to make every day and about its consequences. There is no plot as such in the game, but there is a semi-abandoned residential building and three heroes who live in it. From now on, their fates are in your hands.
Each hero has his own character, on which his strengths, fears, and desires depend. It’s impossible to give a damn about the needs of the heroes, because the more you ignore their needs, the more people sink into depression, and this directly affects their effectiveness. The game is divided into day and night. During the day, you are busy improving the house, patching holes in the walls, building the necessary things, stoves, rainwater collectors, and so on. Sometimes new people can join you, which means you need more supplies, which are not always easy to get.
The resources necessary for the normal life of your home must be collected at night. To do this, you will have to go to neighboring houses where people like you live or try to get to the hospital or warehouse, which are most often teeming with opponents. Moreover, from the next sortie, your hero (and you can send only one character to fish) may not return. In this case, the remaining group will fall into depression. If you are not careful, you will easily lose all your characters. But if your characters survive a certain number of days, then you will get an ending that reveals the fate of each character after the war.
The score on Metacritic is 83/100.
Platforms: Android, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Xbox One, PC, MacOS, Linux.
Rim World (2018)
Incredibly crafted sci-fi space survival game. According to the plot, you will have to lead a small group of colonists, whose liner crashed on an unknown planet. The main "trick" of the game is that the narrator here is artificial intelligence, which generates various events inside the game world. There are three AI options. One focuses on building and calmly developing your colony, the other is completely unpredictable, and the third is a golden mean and is ideal for beginners.
In RimWorld, you will have to think not only about how to get supplies, improve your base, repel the attacks of insidious pirates and survive the harsh winter but also carefully monitor your wards. Colonists in the game can not only die at the hands of the enemy, but also get sick, get poisoned, injured, and simply become sick and infirm. At the same time, each of them has its own background and character traits that can make the character both quite useful, and vice versa. For example, an ownerless pyromancer in sadness can easily freak out and start a fire at the base. If you can take this and many other little things into account, then in time you will be able to build a powerful civilization, subjugating the planet to your will.
The score on Metacritic is 86/100.
Platforms: PC, MacOS, Linux.
Frostpunk (2018)
Frostpunk is a harsh steampunk strategy about survival in the conditions of eternal winter from the creators of This War of Mine, who prepared a lot of moral dilemmas for the player here too. The game has several scenarios that affect the story, and not so long ago, a survival mode appeared for the most daring and hardcore players.
According to the story, in 19th century Britain, people discover the power of steam power, which leads to a boom in inventions that were not possible before, such as functional prostheses and robots. It was during this period that a cataclysm occurred in the world, which led to the icing of the planet. Survivors from all over the world equip expeditions to the Arctic, where there is a huge amount of minerals and generators that perfectly heat the premises. Here, in the conditions of eternal winter, you will have to build a shelter for your people.
Your settlement has a generator that produces life-saving heat. In fact, it is the heart of your settlement, its main value. For the generator to work, you need coal for the functioning of the shelter and a bunch of other supplies. One of the features of the game is that the temperature around is gradually decreasing, and if on the first day your settlers calmly collected resources scattered around, and from their needs they only had a desire to warm themselves near the generator, then on the 10-15th day of the game, when the temperature beats all records of anomaly, there are no longer enough resources, and people will begin to grumble. Playing Frostpunk solely as a city-building simulator will not work. The game regularly asks you difficult questions. Should child labor be used? Can the experimental treatment be used on sick workers?
Metacritic score is 84/100.
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4.
Subnautica (2018)
In many "survival games" there is an extremely gloomy, tense atmosphere, where the feeling of constant danger does not leave the player. Subnautica is one of those rare representatives of the genre, the creators of which were not afraid to replace gloomy tones with bright, rich colors, thus creating a world in which you want not only to survive but also just to live, exploring the depths of the sea. The action takes place in the 22nd century. Your employer sends you to build a phase gate. But your spaceship crashes on an alien planet and you barely make it to the escape pod. I must say that the plot does not end with a simple plot, it is quite good here. In addition, thanks to the unusual setting, the familiar elements of Survival games are played in a fresh and interesting way.
For example, in addition to hunger and thirst, the supply of oxygen is of great importance here, which you will have to take into account when diving into the underworld. At the same time, the crafting system is very developed in the game, so if your character cannot withstand a long dive into the depths of the sea, you can build both a scuba gear and a whole bathyscaphe or a separate full-fledged base. But be careful - there are many predators in the water who want to devour you, they are especially aggressive at night.
In order not to die of hunger, you will have to constantly catch and cook fish, or eat plants that can be grown both on land and underwater (or in an aquarium). The main thing is not to forget to scan everything around. This unlocks new item properties and access to blueprints.
The score on Metacritic is 87/100.
Platforms: PC, MacOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4.
Minecraft (2009)
The game, released 10 years ago, needs no introduction. Its popularity is so great that at the moment 176 million copies of Minecraft have been sold worldwide. In Hollywood, too, they are not averse to making money on a big name and are preparing to shoot a film based on the game.
First of all, Minecraft is known as the perfect building game, in which you can create almost anything. For those who do not feel like a creator, but love the thrill, there is a "Survival" mode. You have to do the usual chores of a survivalist: collecting materials, searching for food, crafting a shelter and necessary materials. At night, local zombies will come to you - creepers, with the best intentions.
At such moments, do not forget about the opportunities that Minecraft gives you. Nothing prevents you from building a real fortress, from the height of which it is so convenient to kill enemies or build a real minefield, where the horde of evil spirits will find eternal rest.
When your character is pumped enough and strong enough, you can explore the farthest corners of the world without fear, and even fight against especially dangerous opponents like the Elder Guardian. Well, if you feel that everything is tired - feel free to build a portal and go to conquer the lower world! In addition, Minecraft supports fan mods, with which you can arrange at least attacks of killer tomatoes, and even fly away to play The Martian. It all depends on your imagination.
The score on Metacritic is 93/100.
Platforms: PC, Linux, PlayStation 4, Android, Xbox 360, iOs, Java, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, MacOS, Playstation Vita, Windows Phone, Fire OS.
Terraria (2011)
Seeing screenshots of Terraria for the first time, many will call it a Minecraft clone with 2D graphics, and they will be completely wrong. This is exactly the case when a book cannot be judged by its cover in any case. The gameplay begins with the fact that your character appears in a randomly generated game world with only a few items that will help you survive at the very beginning of the journey.
In order not to spend the night away fighting off monsters, you will need a more or less reliable shelter, and for this, you need to look for materials and craft. In addition to home improvement, it makes sense to build houses specifically for NPCs that appear when certain conditions are met and will sell you various things. Crafting in the game is simplified compared to the same Minecraft, and this is not surprising. The fact is that Terraria does not focus more on building and crafting, but on combat and survival.
The most interesting part of the game begins when you open the cave systems deep underground. There you can both find treasures and meet new, interesting opponents. Thanks to random world generation, each new cave will be unique in its own way, so you can spend hours exploring the dungeons in search of adventures and materials that will be useful for creating new equipment. And finally, with the help of the materials found, you can collect almost anything.
The score on Metacritic is 83/100.
Platforms: PC, Linux, PlayStation 4, Android, Xbox 360, iOs, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, MacOS, Playstation Vita, Windows Phone, Playstation 3, Wii U, MacOS.
Dying Light (2015)
Games about the zombie apocalypse in one form or another have long become boring and do not cause former delight, and although Dying Light exploits the same theme with an infected city teeming with crowds of the walking dead, it does this much better than its predecessors. The developers of the game are Techland, who at one time showed the world the cooperative zombie action game Dead Island, in which killing zombies was more fun than ever. From him, the game got a melee system, in which you can shred the carrion in almost any way, watching the flying limbs. But the main feature of Dying Light is parkour. Here you can rush over rooftops and other surfaces like a real assassin, and doing it in co-op with friends is doubly interesting. Also, the game has a full story.
It all starts with the fact that operative Kyle Crane lands in a city infected with a zombie virus in order to obtain a virus research file from a local terrorist. But everything goes to hell, Kyle is ambushed and, in addition, he is bitten by one of the zombies. The operative is rescued by people from the local community of survivors. To win their trust and achieve the goal, he will have to complete a lot of assignments.
While completing tasks and getting supplies, you will often visit a city filled with zombies to the eyeballs. You should not be afraid of them during the day, one by one they are quite slow and are an easy target. They begin to pose a danger only when they gather in a crowd.
But at night it becomes really dangerous, because not only do all the zombies become faster and more aggressive, but there are also Jumpers - real monsters, from which it is better to stay away. From the supplies found on the street, you can collect various weapons and combine them, or exchange unnecessary junk for more useful things. Dying Light: The Following
was released in 2016 with a new storyline, challenge system, and vehicle.
The score on Metacritic is 75/100.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, Linux, MacOS.
No Man's Sky (2016)
No Man's Sky is one of the biggest flops of recent years. The game that promised to be the perfect space adventure exploded like a soap bubble, turning out to be a beautiful but stunningly empty product, unable to fulfill any of the pre-release promises to the players. The amount of hate that poured out on the developers from Hello Games and personally on Sean Murray (Sean Murray) no one could stand. Other developers would simply quietly disappear into nowhere, or, for example, would make themselves hara-kiri, unable to bear the shame. Instead, they decided to continue working on the game, which they have been doing all this time, releasing all new patches and updates. At the moment, the game still has room to grow, but even now you can see in it the game that it should have been after the release.
If you think that you will be allowed from the very beginning to get into a spaceship and start to surf the endless space, then no, it all starts in the best traditions of survivalists: you appear on a random planet, your equipment is out of order, the starship is also inoperative. You have to fix all this equipment, starting from the visor and multi-tool, and ending with the spaceship. After that, you can go to explore the universe. At the same time, there are typical moments for the simulator in the game.
For example, depending on the temperature on the surface of the planet, you will have to spend resources to operate the cooling or heating system. Landing on the next planet, you can get into an acid or sand storm, which can significantly reduce the durability of your suit. Well, if you get tired of constantly collecting resources, you can go to complete the main mission, or do quests, or even switch to the creation mode, in which you can be creative with great comfort.
No Man's Sky is no longer the game it was three years ago, the developers continue to work on improving the world, introducing major new updates. In general, there are still a number of problems in the game, but given the diligence of the developers, perhaps one day we will get the promised dream game.
Metacritic score - 77/100
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One.
7 Days to Die (2013)
7 Days to Die is a typical zombie apocalypse survival game. The game has been in early access since 2013, and it would seem that players could have lost all interest in it for a long time, finally burying the game. But nevertheless, playing 7 days to die with friends is still fun, despite jambs, bugs, and a long production cycle.
There is no plot of the game as such, so your character randomly appears in one of the biomes, and begins to actively survive. If you're not lucky, you may be thrown into, for example, a snowy biome, where it is quite possible to freeze at the initial stage of the game or stumble upon a thick-skinned ice zombie that will finish you off in no time.
During the day, you can stumble upon small groups of zombies, but at night they become much larger, so the first thing to do is to take care of building a house. Moreover, you can make a shelter even underground, where you can build entire mining tunnels and extract useful materials. If the dead sense your character, they will begin an active attack on the dwelling, gradually destroying it in the process, so after a stormy night you need to repair the damaged places. So that the enemies do not break through, the shelter needs to be strengthened and several rows of stakes should be placed around the perimeter, on which the undead will safely die on their own. But the fun will begin on the 7th night of your survival, because not only zombies will trample on you, but also other unpleasant creatures like a dead girl who can summon new crowds of monsters, zombie spiders, and aggressive bees.
Periodically, a box of supplies will be dropped into some area, which you need to run to in a certain time. Having mastered crafting properly, you will be able to collect not only weapons and equipment but also real vehicles. The game is quite interesting if you play with friends.
The score on Metacritic is 7.0/10.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, MacOS.
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