So yeah. There was this idea I got a long time ago where I was like, “Gosh, wouldn’t it be super dandy if I got a YouTube channel and talk about/play video games on it and become super awesome famous?!?” Yeah, well, that hasn’t bared fruit yet, and I also don’t have the money to buy the special recording equipment needed for such works. Hmm, where could I go to talk about video games……. darn, if only I knew…

Oh, crap. Video game website. Forgot about that.

So yeah, there are more of these in the works, I promise, but you got to start somewhere. So here it is:

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Don’t Starve Review: Directions? See title!

The Background

Don’t Starve is a survival game (most sites will say action-survival) made in 2013 by an indie studio named Klei entertainment. The game did well on steam, and managed to port to the PS4 this year. This was where I played the game. I first found out about it through Markiplier’s videos on the game matter (shameless advertising. Check him out), and through GameInformers tiny, tiny article that came out during Starve’s beta, saying “this is one worth watching.” For those who are worried about a repeat of XBLA’s release of Minecraft, PS4’s Don’t Starve is, as of now, completely up to date with it’s PC brother/sister. Honestly, I haven’t checled the game’s gender. I’d assume it’s a moody teenager; of what gender, unimportant.

So there’s this opening cutscene if you play it on PS4 that shows the background of the game. It shows Wilson (the first character you get and the main character of the game. He’s on the box, fellas.) doing some experiment, and failing pretty sweetly at it. Defeated, he sits down on his couch, and this radio beside him starts talking to him. It says, “Say pal; looks like you’re having some trouble!; I have some secret knowledge I can share with you; if you think you are ready for it.” Why Wilson is perfectly okay with a sentient radio, and it’s magical secret knowledge stores is beyond me, but he agrees. The radio delivers, and an idea dawns on Wilson. Wilson starts create something with this new found knowledge, and when he’s finished, it ends up being a door to a different universe, one that is controlled by the voice behind the radio: Maxwell. Maxwell’s door pulls Wilson in, with Maxwell snickering to himself, having claimed his newest victim.

The Nitty Gritty 

So the game itself is very Minecraftian. You collect junk so you can craft stuff out of it. But there’s a lot more to it than that. The game looks a bit like this:

This was an extremely early version of the game. While it IS what the game looks like, the main character is more refined, and the HUD’s been tweaked. Minor complaints aside, this is it. It’s finished product has a pencil-drawn art style, and the game itself is very akin to Tim Burton. Every is shown in 2.5D format. (That means 2D objects in a 3D space. A great example of this is Paper Mario. Love that game.) Everything looks pretty, at least to me, and if you don’t appreciate the game, I believe you’ll appreciate the art style.

So…What do I do?

Well, take the title to heart. You need food so you don’t die from that. Eventually, you’ll need to make some healing items to boost your health if you go and screw up. (And you will. I do constantly) And there’s also this sanity meter, that’s not shown above. It’s basically a brain token next to the stomach and heart ones. The most shriveled the brain, the worse off you are. Really strange things happen when you go into dangerous insanity levels. Shadow monsters will start appearing, you’ll see monsters in the shadows at night

Yeah. Those things. (That’s Wilson in his finished look) Among many others; and if you become too insane, these things become real. And they hurt. Honestly, the different insanity effects are pretty cool, i’d always be insane if it wasn’t detrimental to the game.

So food, health, and sanity. Anything else? Well, at night, you’ll need a fire. The game goes through three cycles: day, afternoon, and night. Building a fire before dark is vital to survival, and there are very, very powerful monsters out there. Honestly, i’d suggest going out and finding out for yourself what’s out there. It’s pretty awesome, but it will kill you. You’ve been warned.

Lastly, there are three goals to this game. Prepare for the coming winter, find Maxwell’s door, and find the “Things.” Winter is indeed coming, and it’s gruesome. Food is scarce, and you can die in it, as you’d expect an actual winter to be. Start preparing; as it always comes on Day 20. Maxwell’s door is the key to entering Adventure mode, which is where most of the story takes place. I mean, before it’s just “Maxwell’s an uncool dude. Find his door and try not to die.” Well, more story happens after you enter the door. Good luck. Lastly, the Things are items that seem to have no pertinence, and are just called “X Thing” and “Y Thing.” But, if you find all the Things, and find the place where you can assemble them, you can escape. You heard me. ESCAPE.  This is the way to escape, so if you’re not interested in getting to the bottom of what Don’t Starve’s about, story-wise, make the Things your main priority. How do you find them? There’s an item that makes the Things, and Maxwell’s door, easier to find. Play the game to find out.

Why’s this worth playing? 

Because I like it. AND THAT MEANS YOU SHOULD TO.

It’s an interesting game that has a lot going on with it, I mean, it’s basically Minecraft, but it’s more in-depth. There’s a lot more to do here. In Minecraft, there’s just the world, a dragon to kill, and then time to kill. This game is large, finite, but it’s a lot to chew. You’re going to die, you’re not going to find everything or conquer the world first try. It’s going to be a challenge. But seeing as this site caters to the Dark Souls, I feel that death shouldn’t bother you too much. Which brings me to my next point.

Prepare to Die

You want to know what happens when you flub up? Accidentally attack a giant spider’s nest? Run out into the dark like a loon? Actually BECOME a loon? You die. And that’s it. No restarts. You’re world? It’s gone now. Make another one and try not to screw up. Think of all that work you did, building your camp. That work’s no work. Goney gone. But there are redemption factors, if you know how to get them. Certain items can be made that bring you back from the dead. Touch stones are randomly placed in your world (if at all) that, when activated, will bring you back to life upon death. There are loopholes, but they aren’t easy to require, and most have drawbacks. On touchstones, you spawn with half of your hunger/health/and sanity bar, leaving you to replenish that, WITHOUT your lost items. (They’re dropped upon death. Good luck getting them back. You must have died for a reason, and that reason will still be beside all your stuff) Another item will revive you, but for that item to exist, it takes 30 points off your your maximum health count, making a situation harder by not having those 30 points. So yeah. Don’t screw up. Seriously.

So what are the drawbacks?

Dying sucks. And that’s a bit of a sore point for people who have reviewed this game in the past. This game gets a solid 7-8 everywhere else, and that’s because of the unforgiving death element. “It’s a little rough for a game this light.” That being said, don’t try to be king of this game. If it needs a break, then give it one. Don’t ruin it by hammering at it while it spits you about. It’s not to be taken lightly. It’s a hardcore game hidden in a Minecraftian action-survival package, I swear to you. And don’t be cocky, because that will surely get you killed. If you’re pretty far in, with weapons to spare, then that’s an even more important reason to NOT go in spears a-blazin’. Basically, don’t.

So anything else worth mentioning? It’s a tight game, and it will give you many hours of serious survival time. Plus, there are NINE characters, counting Wilson, each with different advantages and disadvantages (Wilson’s advantage is that he has no disadvantage, and can grow one sexy beard) for you to exploit. Lastly, i’d say any old fans of Minecraft, who want a little something more, or a little more of a challenge, this is definitely for you. Beyond that, I can do nothing more than give it the Superdude thumbs-up of approval. Go, Don’t Starve!!

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