Smalland: Survive the Wilds

83%
Game Brain Score Based on 4,415 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Smalland: Survive the Wilds Game Cover
Smalland: Survive the Wilds is an impressive survival game with a lot of heart, and a crafting system that is filled with options.
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In "Smalland: Survive the Wilds" , players explore a vast, open world from a small perspective, encountering lake-sized puddles, skyscraper-sized trees, and hidden NPCs. The game allows players to tame and ride various creatures, uncovering recipes for creature-taming while venturing through dense forests, hazardous swamps, and ancient ruins. As Vanguard you are on an urgent mission to survive in this vast wilderness, left behind by the time of the giants.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • NVIDIA GeForce NOW
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

83%
Audience ScoreBased on 4,415 reviews
story140 positive mentions
grinding197 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful graphics and a charming world that immerses players in a whimsical environment.
  • The base building system is highly customizable and allows for creative designs, making it enjoyable to construct unique structures.
  • Taming and riding various creatures adds a fun and engaging element to gameplay, enhancing exploration and combat.
  • The game suffers from a lack of content and feels unfinished, with many mechanics and systems needing further development.
  • Combat can feel clunky and unbalanced, with enemies often having predictable attack patterns that diminish the challenge.
  • The progression system is tedious, with excessive grinding required for resources and a convoluted leveling system that doesn't provide meaningful rewards.
  • story620 mentions

    The story in "Smalland" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its limited depth and linearity. While some appreciate the basic narrative and character interactions that guide gameplay, others criticize the lack of engaging quests and the need for clearer direction, often relying on external resources to progress. Overall, the game shows potential for expansion in its storytelling, but currently feels sparse and underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more.

    • “The story is actually really good, and in games like this, it's kind of hard to do.”
    • “Great game, amazing story, and astounding visual style.”
    • “The story is fun, the world looks great.”
    • “The story makes little to no sense, and there's no guide on what to really do at the start; you're just expected to Google things. With that being said, I give this a whopping 5/10; it needs a lot more work done.”
    • “The story is basically non-existent; some flavor text here and there.”
    • “The quests are lackluster, and after 10 hours, my friends and I, after needlessly dying too much in inaccessible locations, decided to call it quits.”
  • gameplay598 mentions

    The gameplay of "Smalland: Survive the Wilds" is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of open-world survival, crafting, and RPG elements that some players find engaging while others criticize for being clunky and repetitive. The building mechanics are praised for their creativity, particularly the ability to relocate bases within trees, but many users report issues with combat mechanics, lack of tutorials, and unbalanced survival elements. Overall, while the game offers a charming aesthetic and potential for fun, it suffers from various gameplay flaws that detract from the experience, especially for newcomers.

    • “The gameplay is great, offering many hours of fun, especially in co-op mode.”
    • “Smalland is a fun co-op game with some interesting progression and a housing mechanic that is unique.”
    • “The mechanics you're given to survive are pretty impressive; the treetop base system is very fun to work with, and once you accomplish staying up in the trees, you really feel like you've conquered the survival aspect of the game.”
    • “The gameplay itself can be overwhelming, especially for beginners.”
    • “Neat concept, but it is very unfinished and many changes they made did not have appropriate fixing to balancing nor environment, many animations do not play in combat, mechanics that were changed are causing rippling effects to the gameplay.”
    • “The survival mechanics, such as managing cold weather and fire, feel unbalanced.”
  • graphics456 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players praising the stunning visuals, immersive environments, and detailed art style that enhance the overall experience. However, some users have reported performance issues, including frame rate drops and flickering graphics, particularly on lower-end systems, suggesting that optimization is needed. Overall, while the aesthetic appeal is widely appreciated, technical performance remains a concern for some players.

    • “The graphics are breathtakingly beautiful, delivering a visually stunning and seamlessly smooth gaming experience.”
    • “The graphics are gorgeous and the game runs very smooth.”
    • “The visuals are stunning and the general environment is unique, although poorly presented.”
    • “This game isn't particularly a miracle of graphics or anything; I shouldn't be going from smooth frames to jittery 30-40 every couple of minutes.”
    • “The graphics are really bad even with everything totally maxed.”
    • “Unfortunately, the optimization of graphics is terrible.”
  • grinding211 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it rewarding and enjoyable, while others describe it as tedious and overly time-consuming. Many users appreciate the sense of progression and the fun of resource gathering, but criticize the repetitive nature of farming and crafting, particularly due to long crafting timers and cumbersome inventory management. Overall, while some players enjoy the grind as part of the survival experience, others feel it detracts from the game's enjoyment and can lead to boredom.

    • “Not too grindy, and holds a bit of challenge to reach end game.”
    • “You still have to revisit areas, but you aren't grinding for ages.”
    • “But overall, I enjoyed this early access experience; the resource gathering wasn't too grindy, even to make a mostly stone base and all the facilities/workstations.”
    • “Farming items is quite tiring.”
    • “The excess of time you will spend on this is literally grinding for resources because of how little they give you.”
    • “The game is too stretched, tedious resource extraction and terrible graphics.”
  • optimization119 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering and frame rate drops, even on high-end systems. While some users noted that the game runs smoothly on their setups, the consensus is that it requires substantial optimization, particularly for lower-end PCs and during combat scenarios. Overall, players express hope for future updates to improve performance and address the current technical shortcomings.

    • “The game is optimized very well, no stutters, frame drops, or anything performance-related that I can report.”
    • “It's very well optimized as well, not a single frame drop my whole 12 hours of playing; the devs really knew what they were doing.”
    • “I truly recommend this game, one of the most complete and optimized early access games out there, very fun and entertaining as well as original, but the best part is that they are listening to the community and are adapting the game quickly based on our recommendations and input.”
    • “Seems like bad optimization considering I have no issue with far more intensive games.”
    • “I waited for 1.0 to try Smalland, but found it had truly awful performance optimization, and the first hour of gameplay feels very janky.”
    • “The main reason I am disappointed with this game is that I really didn't expect the optimization to be this bad.”
  • stability118 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players reporting various bugs and glitches, particularly in multiplayer and building mechanics. While some users experienced significant issues like freezing and crashes, others noted that the game runs smoothly with minimal glitches, especially on higher-end systems. Overall, the game is considered relatively stable for an early access title, but players should expect some bugs as it continues to develop.

    • “The game seems to run great, as I have had little to no glitches or bugs as of yet.”
    • “The game is almost entirely bug-free -- no glitches, server issues, etc. that we encountered that were game-specific.”
    • “Runs great and as far as survival games go, surprisingly low amounts of jank.”
    • “Very cool concept, very pretty, but constantly freezes every 15 seconds of movement when it has to load so much stuff in.”
    • “I've noticed several map bugs and glitches, such as a cube of water appearing on top of a rock, or falling through tree limbs or roots into the ground mesh - it seems extremely unpolished.”
    • “It's gotten so buggy and things that should have been fixed before 1.0 haven't been fixed or even addressed at all.”
  • music112 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread praise for its enchanting and immersive quality, often compared to the whimsical scores of classic fantasy titles like Zelda and Disney films. While many players find the soundtrack to be beautifully crafted and atmospheric, some note that it can become repetitive over extended play sessions, particularly during combat. Overall, the music significantly enhances the game's enchanting world, contributing to a relaxing and engaging experience.

    • “The music is wonderful, the graphics are tremendous and the game mechanics work just fine.”
    • “The music creates the most peaceful atmosphere when gathering or building your home.”
    • “The soundtrack is amazing and the art style is pleasing; I would definitely recommend picking this up for anyone into survival games in general.”
    • “However, the soundtrack and sound effects don't leave much of an impression.”
    • “I like the style especially during storms; however, because of the nature of a survival game, which is to just binge-play for hours on end, the music started to get tedious.”
    • “The music in the game is good, but repetitive, and the world needs more ambient sounds; the weather sounds are great, and the sounds of the storms knocked my socks off and made me fearful of going outside.”
  • atmosphere58 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its enchanting visuals, immersive sound design, and a magical, fairy-tale setting that captivates players. Many reviewers appreciate the blend of beautiful graphics and ambient sounds, which create a lively and engaging world, though some express a desire for improvements in seasonal changes and graphical glitches. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a significant strength, enhancing the overall experience and encouraging exploration and creativity.

    • “The ambient sounds effectively immerse you in the wilds, with chirping birds, rustling leaves, and distant animal calls adding to the atmosphere.”
    • “Every blade of grass, fluttering butterfly, and towering tree is beautifully rendered, creating an atmosphere that feels alive and brimming with possibilities.”
    • “The game's magical atmosphere has captured players' hearts, thanks to the developers' dedication to crafting this unique universe.”
    • “I thought the graphics and the dark lighting gave the game a real dark/gritty atmosphere, and I was disappointed because I personally prefer a bright/cartoony art style to brighten up the whole experience.”
    • “Gameplay and atmosphere are too weak for 2023.”
    • “This is not a game you will drop hundreds of hours in, unless you absolutely love the atmosphere.”
  • humor17 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its whimsical creature interactions, such as taming oversized animals and the comedic mishaps of companions teleporting in unexpected ways. Players find amusement in absurd scenarios, like being chased by tiny ants or the quirky sound effects that evoke laughter. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with survival elements, creating a lighthearted experience filled with funny moments and charming visuals.

    • “You can tame nearly every creature in the game, and there are a lot of different ones to collect, some being hilariously gargantuan!”
    • “Running for your life because three tiny ants are attacking you is pretty funny.”
    • “Combat music is a mix of silly to serious; I mean, at the end of the day, you're watching a sawyer beetle scuttling towards you, and it is kind of funny if you put it into real-world perspective when you consider what it would look like from a normal person's size.”
  • replayability15 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag among users; while some appreciate the regular content updates that enhance replay value, others criticize the lack of engaging features and a static world that diminishes replayability. Many believe that improvements are needed to make the game more enjoyable for multiple playthroughs, though there is optimism for future enhancements based on the developers' roadmap. Overall, the current state of replayability is seen as limited but with potential for growth.

    • “Content is regularly being added by the developers, which enhances the replayability factor and keeps players coming back for more!”
    • “Favorite game since 2016! 10/10, really good replayability.”
    • “With all plans on the roadmap, replayability will definitely be possible and fun.”
    • “Has a lot of gaps, unfinished storyline, no replayability, just grinding, bosses that have weird scaling and are not a real feature of a boss, nothing to do, just enjoy the view in an empty world with resources weirdly scattered and placed under the mesh.”
    • “The replay value is not there yet and it could in fact be better.”
    • “That is pretty boring and I cannot see any replay value in this design.”
  • emotional14 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while players appreciate the welcoming atmosphere and the sense of exploration and control, some feel the story lacks depth and the experience can become tedious, especially towards the end of the current content. The community is noted for its wholesomeness, but there are concerns about certain gameplay mechanics that detract from the overall emotional engagement. Overall, the game shows potential for emotional connection but requires further development to fully realize it.

    • “So many games forget that what the player sees for the first time is crucial to game success, and Smallands made me feel welcomed and allowed me to learn at my own pace.”
    • “Hats off to you guys. Smallands made me feel like playing more, exploring more, building more... and all that with some of the best and amazing amounts of control options.”
    • “But night time makes me want to cry.”
    • “The emotional depth was lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “I expected a gripping narrative, but it felt flat and uninspired.”
    • “The attempts at emotional moments fell short and felt forced.”
  • character development7 mentions

    Character development is praised for its appealing design and customization options, including facial tattoos and antennae, which enhance player engagement. While the overall character aesthetics are well-received, some players desire more diverse hair options. The design evokes nostalgia for classic high fantasy comics, contributing to a rich visual experience.

    • “The character design is nice, especially if more depth is given to character creation.”
    • “Character development: 7/10”
    • “Rather than science fiction like grounded, this brings back many fond memories of old high fantasy comics I would read in my childhood back in the late 1980s and early 1990s; in fact, the character design reminds me more than a little of Elfquest.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, leaving me wanting more complexity.”
    • “The lack of meaningful choices in character progression makes the experience feel linear and unengaging.”
  • monetization6 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism for being perceived as a cash grab, particularly as it transitioned from early access to a supposedly finished state without delivering a complete experience. Players feel misled by marketing that suggests a polished product, while the lack of private servers and limited customization options further detracts from the value, especially for solo players. Overall, there is a sense of disappointment regarding the game's monetization strategy and its execution.

    • “This game should definitely not be advertising that it is in the finished state.”
    • “Another early access cash grab.”
    • “That was the entire reason I got this game really: 'Oh, my birthday is soon, I have some money to spend, I'll buy a game for myself.' Then seeing this game saying it's now in 1.0 and advertising some new crafting update, I remember from before that the game looked very promising in early access not that long ago, so I get it.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

75% average critic score

Buy Smalland: Survive the Wilds

Play time

26hMedian play time
30hAverage play time
12-40hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 47 analyzed playthroughs

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