Review for The Forest. Game for PC and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 30/04/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 06/11/2018
The Forest, the horror survival game by Endnight Games, has finally arrived on our consoles, after the debut a few months ago on PC crowning four years of Early Access. Was it worth the wait so long? Definitely yes, and let's see why!
The Forest, as already mentioned, is a survival game: in order to advance with the story and succeed in our ultimate goal, we must first make sure that we are able to take care of ourselves in an environment that is only apparently bucolic and peaceful.
The game begins with a television personality expert in survival techniques (à la Bear Grylls, so to speak) on an airliner in the company of his son Timmy. Later we will find out that his wife, Timmy's mother, recently passed away in a tragic way. The plane runs into a frightening turbulence and crashes ruinously, breaking in half in contact with the ground. Shortly after our hero wakes up from the impact, just in time to learn that Timmy has fortunately survived, but is being kidnapped by a creepy figure painted in blood! Unfortunately the victim is too stunned to react, indeed, he faints consciousness again.
Once we regain consciousness, we immediately realize that all the passengers, both survivors and bodies, have disappeared from the wreck of the plane, with the exception of the corpse of a flight attendant with an emergency ax stuck in the side, the first very useful object. that we can collect. From then on it will be up to us to arrange ourselves to stay alive, eating, drinking, procuring materials and so on. Because only by surviving can we go to the aid of the kidnapped son.
Fortunately, the technical backpack and survival guide, perhaps the most important object in the game, were also saved in the disaster. Thanks to it we will be able to understand what to look for to create as soon as possible a shelter and weapons worthy of the name. Yes, because unfortunately for us, the remote region is not only inhabited by common fauna. Soon, very soon, we will realize that the surroundings are frequented by at least one tribe of subhuman cannibals who cannot wait to have lunch with a beautiful survivalist tartare, while in the depths of the forest far worse dangers await us.
The Forest's structure is 100% open world. Removed the initial advice, essential to become familiar with the game mechanics, we will be left completely at the mercy of ourselves, with no indications on what to do, nor restrictions (except natural) on where and when to go. If a place seems unreachable at first glance, it's simply because we haven't figured out how to get there.
The main activity of The Forest is therefore exploration, which will allow us to collect materials to craft objects, shelters and weapons and will allow us, if we know how to grasp the details, to slowly discover the lore, complex and intriguing, especially for a game such. Nothing will be explicitly explained; we will have to derive the history of the details that surround us, a bit like in the various Dark Souls and similar. The mechanics are varied and quite complex, but structured so as to be easily understood and practical to use. The interface is immediately noticeable that it has been designed to work best with VR, but even without it it works great, as are the controls.
The Forest has very detailed and fluid graphics and a very high level sound. When, at night or in the thick of a forest, we hear a sinister grunt coming from somewhere not better identified, the tension will rise in a really palpable way. In many places The Forest is really scary!
This, combined with excellent management of the AI of animals, cannibals and various mutants, makes the game experience truly engaging.
Unfortunately there are no thornless roses, and The Forest has some flaws too. The thing that most catches the eye is certainly a decidedly unbalanced character progression system. In the first few bars we will be almost completely at the mercy of the hostile nature and the creatures that populate it, having to earn every goal for real tooth and nail. Over time, however, the physique and abilities will harden and refine, making actions such as hunting for sustenance almost a mundane routine. The same can be said for combat skills: from a scared castaway, our hero will become a sort of unstoppable Predator able to easily slaughter cannibals.
Other than that, we found no other major flaws, perhaps just the lack of Spanish localization, which might bother someone.
The Forest is a great survival game and a great horror, in fact, it is probably one of the best survival horror currently on the market. The long period of early access has certainly benefited the mechanics and some details. Despite a bit of an imbalance in character progression, The Forest represents a grand and eerie experience. An excellent title that should not be missing in the collection of any fan of the genre.
► The Forest is an Adventure-indie-Puzzle-Simulation-Strategy game developed and published by Endnight Games for PC and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 30/04/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 06/11/2018
