The Forest review

 Note: This is my steam review for the Forest - I'm gonna re-post any reviews I write there here, maybe elaborate on them a bit.


The Forest is a standout of the survival genre, and is most definitely worth a play even whilst still in early access (version I played was v0.61) The Forest has a basic plot line and a story - unlike most survival games, you have an active goal; to rescue your son. Unlike other games, this isn't handled sloppily or with much exposition; the intro starts and you simply look to your side to see him resting with his head on your shoulder. That's all you need - whilst you CAN ignore the goal and just aim to survive indefinitely, The Forest's true strength lies in unravelling the plot and exploring the many caves dotted around the island. Whilst you have freedom in building stuff and exploring, I feel that the Forest isn't really a sandbox crafting game. There's no tech tree or anything to work through.


As you explore the island and eventually clash with the natives, the game becomes more fascinating when you compare your actions to the cannibals. You start on the defensive; but far enough into the game you've erected grisly totems with their body parts around your home to frighten them away, and you wield the bones of their fallen allies as body armour and weapons. The game never makes a big deal out of this and there's no melodrama to be seen; you yourself are left to reflect on this as you cut a cannibal's body into pieces and then chuck its torso onto your bonfire to harvest the bones. Even the ending serves this underlying theme in a fantastic way.

One of the more foreboding sights you can find on the surface;
a hole with a rope leading down into darkness

You're never truly on top however - nothing shows this more than cave exploring. The caves are true to their nature - they're not cliche game caves but pitch black and truly terrifying. Even whilst playing with a friend the game never failed to be tense whenever exploring these dark areas; a rope down often meant climbing down into pure darkness with only a pocket lighter to illuminate about a foot in front of you. You can only hope you don't stumble across something even more horrifying than the cannibals. If it's not that, it's the horrific carnage they've unleashed upon countless other unlucky people.

The Forest is staggeringly beautiful; the surface is calm and serene with the wind rustling and animals running around - this serves to make the shrieks of some distant horror even more terrifying. You'll never be more glad to see the sunlight when you exit from some deep cave system. The audio design is also fantastic; music is sparse which is a good choice and the sound design whilst underground just adds a huge amount to the atmosphere.


All in all, The Forest was a fantastic and terrifying experience - I would recommend playing with a friend as the game loses none of its atmosphere and experiencing the caves and the terrors of the world is enhanced even more when going in to this game new. I'd seriously suggest avoiding spoilers or only using the wiki if you're truly lost since this is a game that really relies on surprising you with things.

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