I am a big fan of survival games, and I really like the overall concept of Sons of the Forest. The game has some amazing ideas, and visually it can be absolutely breathtaking. The scenic views are among the best I have seen in any survival game.
That said, the game became frustrating for me because many basic mechanics are not explained well enough. The lack of a proper tutorial makes the early experience unnecessarily confusing. I had to watch multiple YouTube videos just to understand some of the basic systems. For example, I found the Knight V and kept it in my cabin for a while because I had no idea what it was or how to use it. I only discovered its function by accident when it suddenly started moving.
The glider was even more frustrating. I spent around 30 minutes jumping off cliffs and reloading the game because I could not figure out how to use it. Eventually, I watched a YouTube video and realized the mechanic was very unintuitive. Honestly, the glider was the last straw for me, and it is what made me uninstall the game.
Some items do have small tutorials, such as the zipline, but even those are not always helpful. I found the zipline in a dark cave and had no idea what was happening or how I was supposed to use it. The building system is also fascinating in theory, but many structures, placements, fittings, and interactions require hours of trial and error or YouTube tutorials to understand properly. I am blown away but what people make.
There are also several smaller issues that add up. Doors feel almost useless, and many players seem to rely on alternative building mechanics just to close entrances properly. The lack of a global map is annoying. The caves are extremely dark, and although you can make and place torches, the light is very weak and only illuminates a tiny area around them.
The building book could also be organized better. I found some structures, like brick building options, almost by chance. The inventory system looks cool, but it is not always clear how it works. For example, I did not realize you could look to the right to find armor, while the left side does not work the same way.
One minor issue would be acceptable, but when there are many small confusing design choices scattered throughout the game, the experience becomes frustrating. For casual players like me, the game has a lot of potential, but it often feels unnecessarily difficult to understand and enjoy.
