Report #33: July 2023
Until this summer, Klei’s Don’t Starve had been glaring menacingly at me from my library for five years. I had been intimidated by the combination of crafting, procedurally generated worlds, and assured & permanent death, none of which are really up my alley. (Especially assured & permanent death - I’m not a fan.) But as with Mark of the Ninja, Klei has taken a concept that might sound only mildly appealing and perfected the gameplay to create a really rewarding experience. Your character wakes up in a strange land with nothing but the shirt on his back (figuratively, that is, since he is also wearing pants) and needs to start collecting food and resources to survive as many days as possible. The first craftable items are easy to make - an axe to cut down trees, for example, requires two easily found resource items: a stick and a piece of flint - whereas others requires more or rarer resources, so you start exploring to find them. You need to keep an eye on three wellness meters: hunger, health, and sanity, and not let them go too low. If this sounds a bit boring, I hear you. I’m not sure I can capture in words how fun it is to attempt to extend my last living days by one or two. Sorry, I had ChatGPT write this review three times, and it only got worse so I had to write it myself. It’s an enthusiastic recommendation from me, just be aware it will probably ruin other survival games for you.
“Beaten”, i.e., I was beaten enough
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Don't Starve
32.8 hours playtime
no achievements
Also Played
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XCOM: Chimera Squad
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ENDLESS™ Space 2
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GOD EATER RESURRECTION
