this was my first survival game that i played from start to finish. I tried terraria some time ago and was overwhelmed by its sheer size, mechanics, secrets, possibilities enemies, biomes and other stuff. This one is much simpler/ more friendly to newcomers of the genre but still interesting and challenging.
I really liked setting up camp, that you have a global mission and you need to discover all those little steps towards it, how they are hidden (tho I used a guide once for one specific research, and discussions say im not alone in exactly this issue, but to be fair - usual cycle of crafting everything available and experimenting, researching what you craft and using it (if not directly mentioned not to) opens pretty much everything. Skyrim alchemy+smithing loop also kinda works here (like - you can create blacksmith tools and then create a better set of tools with basic ones, and even better with those you created previoulsy, etc).
But after some time, the mechanics started to feel too shallow for the game's potential.
The map is not that big, biomes are rather close to each other, so after you know how map is generated you know where to go and what objects you will find there.
Biomes differ between each other with new materials, herbs and several enemies, and one biome have a special effect (that you negate soon after), killing its uniqueness anyway.
It feels like so much more could be added to the game (like you have no sleep deprivation, hunger, thrist - and so cooking goes into the window, so as hunting (not for crafting ingredients, but to survive), water clensing, etc.; as a dark souls player I was expected more poison and more negative effects from the swamps area too ;) freezing doesnt slow you - it just deals damage over time... So as a notorious illness of the game you need to find a cure. But funnyly enough armor can block both freezing dot and illness dot, because it adds flat damage reduction on all incoming damage (so as poison damage too, somehow).
I also encountered several minor visual bugs, some logic bugs (like you can deal double and even triple hits in certain conditions, but also suffer those as well).
The game also has some mythic creatures, but the fighting system is so simple, you just use a certain items to win, and hold a button to win hp trade (if you have good equipment at least). Also, some enemies AI's are kinda bad (like guardians tend to get stuck in rocks and minerals so you can mine everything without even fighting them, but maybe it was the point, because warniaks are so much pain in the ass with kiting...
Overall i liked this game. My friends suggested to try Dont starve next for a direct comparison, and I am grateful this game for showcasing the genge in a frienly manner too. I guess now I'm ready for more complex games too. Probably skippable if you're already a survival veteran, as there are stronger games in the genre, but it's still an enjoyable introduction.
Positives:
+ good feeling of discovering and researching the world misteries
+ kinda user friendly/ not overcomplicated
Mixed:
~ Low skill floor and low skill ceiling make the game easy to learn, but it loses depth once you've mastered its mechanics
Negatives:
- Combat is extremely simple and relies mostly on gear stats.
- biomes are not that distinctive
- many enemies are just melee and everyone of them is slower than a main character, so you can always run away (for some it may be a plus)
- not that many hints (man, the laudanum and potion of clarity...) and "genius" dog could help more later in the game, instead of giving just basic advices, same goes for the mage too
- Armor reducing poison, disease, and freezing damage makes little sense
- final boss vulnerability...
