Though still in early access, get ready to dive back into the heart-pumping, spine-tingling universe of The Forest set in an all-new location. Where the original game set the bar high, Sons of the Forest raises it even further with its stunning graphics, improved gameplay mechanics, and a deeper, more intricate storyline!
In Sons of the Forest, players step into the shoes of a survivor who finds himself stranded on a hauntingly mysterious and beautifully dangerous island. In his quest for survival, the game protagonist must navigate through a land filled with terrifying creatures while also uncovering the horrifying truth behind the anomaly running wild in the land.
Till now, the game has remarkably garnered mostly favorable reviews. And to find out why, this game review will thoroughly explore what this survival horror simulation is all about.
Release Date
Developed by Endnight Games, Sons of the Forest was released in early access via Steam on February 23rd, 2023.
It is worth noting that when the sequel to The Forest was announced back in 2019, Sons of the Forest was highly anticipated. Unfortunately, the game had to undergo multiple delays due to reasons related to the game’s expectations.
The launch date was first primarily targeted for May 2022 but was first delayed to Oct 2022, and then to February 2023. It was again going to be delayed but the developers thought the better of it. In order to prevent further frustration amongst the gamers, the game was released in early access via Steam.
Sons of the Forest Review
Before we dive into the game review of this state-of-the-art horror simulation video game, it is to consider that the game is still in early access. In other words, early access is an unfinished version of a game that is bound to have issues in it. When reported by players, this helps the developers eliminate them swiftly on a large scale that would have been impossible otherwise.
Since it is in early access, Sons of the Forest is not without its performance and optimization problems. Issues like frequent FPS dips, audio glitches during rainstorms, several sound mix ups, as well as annoying leaves and stones pop-ins are some of the few hitches present currently. Moreover, did I mention that you also can’t break ice accumulated on the body of water even with a C4 explosive? And just like that, there are also some minor issues as well which are not so obvious at first sight. These are often ignored by the majority of gamers.
Nevertheless, Sons of the Forest did not fail to awe its player base. So far, based on a whopping 84K reviews, the rating on Steam stands at a remarkable 9 out of 10 points! From this, it is clearly evident that the game has been a hit. Even in early access, Sons of the Forest manages to outperform in everything that the original prequel already did so outstandingly!
One of the major improvements that this horror video simulation showcases are its highly overhauled Game AI. Instead of enemies attacking you on sight, they stand their ground now and give a tough standoff before reacting in any way. Especially when alone, they will be very cautious of you. And if you don’t act scared, they will even run away. All in all, they now have a more diverse varied group behavior that makes them even more unpredictable. They can climb trees, pounce on you from above, and even set ambushes in places where you least expect it.
And to make each encounter engaging as well as petrifying, developers have also overhauled the game’s atmosphere. Especially in dungeons and caves, the last thing you would wish to get lost would be your flashlight!
In addition, the game’s crafting mechanism, dynamic weather system, as well as the inclusion of friendly NPCs have also received much appreciation.
Sons of the Forest lays heavy crafting and building bases. Also, the game gives players complete freedom to proceed with it the way they want. By this, I mean you can either build a base by the river or somewhere deep in the forest. In the end, it all comes down to your choices, gameplay style, as well as preferences.
Moreover, the overhauled dynamic weather system challenges players to constantly adapt to the ever-changing game world. In summer, where you would normally catch salmon for food would be jam-frozen in winter and you would have to seek out other ways to find food. The vegetation from where you would normally pluck out edible items in Spring would also be gone by the time Winter arrives. So far, the players have gone with hoarding food for the Winters as an easy way out. But this step has not been without its trade-offs. Your base now becomes all the more important to defend from the hoard of cannibals and other enemies.
In the Sons of the Forest video game, there are 2 main primary friendly NPCs. These are Kelvin and Virginia. Due to the helicopter crash, Kelvin is both deaf and mute in the game. He is willing to help out the player’s character in any way he could. As such, Sons of the Forest lets players give written orders on a notepad to Kelvin. He is a trusted ally and would do his best to assist the player.
And then, there is another survivor: Virginia. She is the daughter of the billionaire whose search for gone missing originally led the game protagonist to venture into this treacherously beautiful island. Owing to the estranged powers of the extraterrestrial artifact on the island, where others have become mutated and lost their sanity, Virginia has somehow survived. However, though she has managed to keep her sanity in check, she has grown an extra arm as well as an extra leg.
Both these NPCs prove vital to players due to their handiness. Where Kelvin is trusted for maintaining resources, Virginia helps the players in fighting against the enemies. Though both of these characters are disabled in one way or the way, they wasted no time in quickly becoming popular with fans of the Sons of the Forest video game.
System Requirements
Here are the recommended PC system requirements for playing the Sons of the Forest horror video simulation game:
- OS: 64-bit Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K
- RAM: 16 GB
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 1080Ti
- Storage: 20 GB
Final Thoughts
In short, Sons of the Forest delivers such a captivating and immersive gameplay experience that leaves players biting their nails!
As per HowLongToBeat, the main story takes about 10.5 hours to complete whereas if you consider the side quests, it becomes 15.5 hours on average. The completionist run, however, takes 23 hours.
What do you think about this game? Have you played it yet? Share your thoughts with us and let us know in the comments below!
