Plot: What’s it about?
The survival genre has become a juggernaut on PC, with new games coming at a breakneck pace. Savage Lands is one of the latest survival adventures and is available as part of Steam’s Early Access program. The premise here is simple, you need to survive the elements, hostile wildlife, and of course other survivors. You start the game on a beach, with minimal supplies and no real sense of direction. If you’re a veteran of survival games, you know what to do however, round up some supplies, arm yourself, and maybe even construct some kind of shelter. While this sounds like a simple process, even just getting supplies can be dangerous, as rival players or lethal animals are also lurking in the darkness. In addition, even basic supplies seem to be rather scarce, at least at this early stage. That is fine by me, as it forces you to explore and adds in even more of a risk versus reward system. This is an open ended game obviously, so if you need a narrative and tangible end goal, you won’t find those here. There is a story however, as you create one through your exploration, combat, and general struggle to survive. Your encounters with other plays, whether positive or deadly, will add to your personal tale, as will battles against the assorted wildlife. And nothing beats having great armor, a sturdy shelter, and a strong weapon, only to die of starvation.
While this is an Early Access release, there is ample content here and for the most part, the game is stable and a lot of fun. I love the hostile wildlife, which includes wolves (both alone and in vicious packs), a brutal dragon, and of course, skeletal warriors. In the early days of your survival, even one on one combat will be a challenge at times, let alone those unfortunate times you spark the wrath of a group of brutal enemies. I do think combat is adequate, but it is perhaps the weakest element of Savage Lands and I hope a more refined system will be put in place down the road. You can tackle Savage Lands alone, team up in coop, or battle other players for survival. You’re bound to have tense moments as you wonder if that player in the distance is hostile, but to me that is what makes this genre so effective. If you want to keep your survival adventures private, you can create your own worlds that only you and your friends can enter, which is nice. This kind of game lives and dies by crafting and Savage Lands has a solid mechanic in place, one that is easy to use, but offers good depth. I am sure more items and combinations will be thrown in over time, but even now, there are plenty of goodies to construct. As a fan of the survival genre, I found Savage Lands to be loads of fun and one of the better games in this zone. If you have even a slight interest in the survival genre, I highly recommend you check it out, but even newcomers to the genre will find a lot to like here.
Video: How’s it look?
The game looks quite good, despite being in such an early state of development. The rugged landscape is well detailed, with all kinds of atmospheric elements to make you feel like you’re out in the wild. The trees and other flora look good, but have a kind of washed out look, due to the dark theme of the game world. Some of the textures could use some work and I am sure with time, will be given a more detailed, refined look. Also in need of some work are the animations, which look passable for the genre, but hopefully get an upgrade at some point. The various models look good otherwise, from the violent wolves to burned out shelters to hand made weapons. In short, the game looks great and in early access, that is no small feat.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The sound design is good, but could benefit from some added attention. These kinds of survival games really shine when they pull into the game world, which creative audio can help with. The distant howl of a wolf or just the sounds of the outdoors can bolster a game’s tense environment. Savage Lands has these elements, but with more polish and creative sound design, the game could really have an effective audio presence. And again, this is Early Access, so I have to assume the sound design will get more attention as time passes.
