Survival: Fountain of Youth

About

"Survival: Fountain of Youth - Captain's Edition" is an open-world survival game that immerses players in a captivating adventure. Discover a rich and dynamic world filled with quests, mythical creatures, and diverse landscapes. As the captain, manage resources, develop your crew's skills, and navigate through challenging weather conditions to uncover the Fountain of Youth's secrets. This edition offers unique gameplay features, setting it apart from the original, ensuring an engaging and enriching experience for survival enthusiasts.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+12

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,700 reviews

story330 positive mentions

grinding166 negative mentions

Engaging survival mechanics that require careful planning and resource management.
Beautiful graphics and immersive environments that enhance the exploration experience.
A compelling storyline that motivates players to explore and progress through the game.

Resource gathering is overly tedious, relying on a menu-based system that detracts from immersion.
Combat mechanics are clunky and can feel unresponsive, making encounters frustrating.
The game suffers from performance issues, including crashes and low frame rates on certain hardware.

story
828 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
58%
2%
The game's story is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its engaging narrative that unfolds as they explore the islands and uncover the mysteries of a shipwrecked crew. While some critiques mention low-quality cutscenes and a desire for more depth or side quests, the overall consensus highlights the story's ability to motivate exploration and enhance the survival experience. Players enjoy the balance between crafting, survival mechanics, and a compelling storyline, making it a standout title in the survival genre.
- “The storyline is captivating, and exploring the open world is a real treat.”
- “The story is well written, engaging, and does encourage us to keep exploring each island and their unique challenges.”
- “The story is interesting, engaging, and ends with a twist I absolutely did not see coming.”
- “Another weak point is the story; it would have been better without the low-quality cutscenes and just text.”
- “The story was so-so; it might as well not exist, and the game itself offers enjoyable gameplay.”
- “The plot is weak.”
gameplay
582 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
62%
10%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a blend of classic survival mechanics, including resource gathering, crafting, and base building, which some players find engaging and immersive. However, there are mixed reviews regarding the complexity and intuitiveness of certain mechanics, such as crafting and combat, with some players expressing frustration over clunky controls and the grindy nature of resource management. Overall, while the game offers a rich and varied experience, it may require patience to fully appreciate its depth and nuances.
- “The gameplay is built around classic survival elements: gathering resources, crafting tools, building shelters, and hunting animals.”
- “The gameplay mechanics of this survival game are smooth and intuitive, making it easy to jump right in and start exploring the lush world.”
- “The variety of mechanics makes the gameplay even more exciting; spending 3 hours in the game, I only learned a few aspects.”
- “The gameplay and movement mechanics are complete garbage.”
- “After many hours, I still could not avoid hits from animals and bugs with a spear or a bow and arrow... just trust me, the fighting mechanic is horrible and you will get cuts and scratches that will have to be healed or quickly kill you because you cannot fight back without taking many hits.”
- “In current state cannot recommend until some key improvements are added, 1 hr to pick up a stone... too many timed mechanics in it as is... I understand survival games I have played them all, just need to keep the hours and timed things to mostly crafting or cutting down a big tree, not 45 min to drink water... just won't work.”
graphics
258 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
40%
6%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising their beauty and immersive quality, particularly in the depiction of environments and crafting details. However, some users note that the graphics can feel outdated or mediocre compared to modern standards, with occasional performance issues and less polished animations. Overall, while the visuals are generally appealing and contribute positively to the gameplay experience, there are calls for further optimization and enhancement.
- “The graphics are pleasing to the eye, and the mechanics of crafting and survival are quite deep.”
- “The game runs incredibly smoothly, and the graphics are gorgeous despite being a bit old-school.”
- “The visuals are a treat, with a beautiful world begging to be explored.”
- “The graphics are poor, the game itself is counterintuitive and sloppy.”
- “The only drawbacks are the graphics are not what you would expect from a 2024 game; it looks more like mid-2010.”
- “I can't get stable fps over 30 with mid graphics settings (I have a 1060ti GPU and i5-8400 CPU), even then it lags at times.”
grinding
180 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
6%
92%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players finding it tedious and time-consuming, particularly in the early stages and during resource collection. While some appreciate the challenge and immersive survival elements, others feel that the grind detracts from enjoyment and progression, especially with limited resources and cumbersome crafting mechanics. Overall, the game strikes a balance between being grindy and rewarding, but improvements are needed to reduce tedium and enhance the experience.
- “The game is not too grindy since I do not build much.”
- “It was fair and not tedious as in some other games.”
- “Really enjoyable survival game, that is challenging but not too grindy.”
- “The start of the game feels overly grindy and I was generally not motivated to continue forward.”
- “This is one of the most tedious survival games I've ever played.”
- “I get that the developer wants to make survival challenging, but when you make picking up sticks, stones, and leaves a tedious process with a lot of running around, the fun gets lost along the way.”
optimization
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
48%
30%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth performance and minimal crashes, while others report significant issues such as low frame rates, stuttering, and unoptimized graphics, particularly in areas with dense foliage. Many users feel that the game requires further optimization, especially regarding movement mechanics and hit detection, and some have noted that performance issues may necessitate hardware upgrades. Overall, while the game shows potential, it is recommended to wait for optimization improvements before fully committing.
- “This is a really well made survival game that runs smoothly without crashes or bugs.”
- “Really nicely polished as well, and seems well-optimized for my somewhat-going-on-potato gaming laptop.”
- “Must say I am also incredibly impressed with the physics system with just how much you can hoard and pile up on the ground with no (noticeable) performance drops or wacky physics explosions.”
- “Needs some optimization... mainly movement (very bouncy), hit boxes on ships, AI animals yeeting themselves into orbit if they jump over anything.”
- “Besides that, it's very poorly optimized and only runs with 20-30fps on the lowest settings on a high-performance system, that's why I've refunded it recently.”
- “Terrible performance/optimization, but that's to be expected from an early access survival game.”
atmosphere
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
36%
7%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, featuring beautiful landscapes, evocative music, and a chill vibe that enhances exploration and gameplay. While some players noted that the music can become repetitive and the visuals may not impress up close, the overall ambiance effectively transports players to a tropical survival setting reminiscent of the Caribbean during the age of exploration. Despite minor criticisms, the atmosphere remains a standout aspect, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “Survival: Fountain of Youth is an exciting survival game that immerses players in the atmosphere of exploring tropical islands.”
- “Beautiful, atmospheric landscapes, an evocative score, and a good story all make for a winning game!”
- “The atmosphere is immersive, the story is unique, and there is a ton to discover in early access.”
- “The ambient noise is decent, but the music feels repetitive and doesn't quite capture the atmosphere.”
- “- no real sense of atmosphere”
- “The atmosphere of the new world: climbing some trees, building your base, constructing boats and the opportunity to swim underwater - this alone is fascinating, not that stunning, but not bad, not in a huge but in a modest sized world.”
music
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
50%
8%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its fitting and pleasant nature, particularly in creating an immersive atmosphere. However, some users note that the music can feel repetitive and suggest a need for more ambient tracks to enhance the experience. Overall, while the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's ambiance, there are calls for improvements and additions to better capture the game's diverse environments and emotional tones.
- “It has a relaxed music score and it’s nice to have this pace in a survival genre packed with fraught shocks and horror.”
- “The music is pleasant and fitting.”
- “Great music and ambience so far!”
- “The ambient noise is decent, but the music feels repetitive and doesn't quite capture the atmosphere.”
- “I hope there is an improvement or addition to the music.”
- “Graphically the game is average, and so is its music/sound.”
stability
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
18%
65%
The stability of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players reporting a smooth experience free of glitches and crashes, while others encounter frequent freezes, bugs, and combat inconsistencies. Overall, while many appreciate the gameplay and depth, the presence of bugs and performance issues detracts from the experience for several users.
- “There have been no glitches, lag or errors.”
- “It has depth, is bug free as far as I can tell, and is challenging.”
- “For those who like survival, it so far was worth the money spent, and I applaud the developers for it; so far no glitches or bugs that I've encountered.”
- “Game freezes up often.”
- “I was excited for Stranded Deep but it felt too low budget and buggy as well.”
- “Cannot recommend such a buggy game.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humor, offering a hilarious adventure filled with unexpected situations that elicit genuine laughter. While the story serves its purpose, the narration is often seen as forced and uninteresting, yet this does not detract from the overall comedic experience. Players appreciate the lighthearted escape it provides from daily life, making it a fun choice for those seeking humor in gaming.
- “It's an absolutely hilarious adventure full of curiosities and unexpected situations that will make you laugh out loud.”
- “If you are looking for something that will allow you to escape from the daily routine and immerse yourself in a world where it is not only important to survive, but also not to lose your sense of humor, then this game is definitely for you!”
- “It's unfortunate you can't get this in multiplayer, but god it'd be funny to see the sky rapidly turning dark or day when someone crafts.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
Replayability opinions are mixed; some players feel there is little to no replay value after completing the story, while others appreciate the adjustable difficulty settings, crafting system, and flexible pacing that enhance replayability. The potential for future DLC could also influence replay interest, though current sentiments suggest a lack of additional content may limit long-term engagement.
- “In my opinion, there is high replayability despite it being a set story because there are lots of adjustable difficulty settings and you can approach the story as fast or as slow as you want.”
- “When you throw in the developing crafting system, meticulous environment, and a flowing story that doesn't feel like the usual plot on rails you can't avoid in other games of this type, you get a product that has plenty of replay value.”
- “I don't see any replay value after the story is over, which is why I am holding off on finishing that, hoping for some DLC in the future, but it does not look like that'll happen per the comments I have seen by the dev, but maybe that'll change, but unlikely.”
- “Replay value: too subjective to score it.”
- “I don't see any replay value after the story is over, which is why I am holding off on finishing that, hoping for some DLC in the future, but it does not look like that'll happen per the comments I have seen by the dev, but maybe that'll change, but unlikely.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized as feeling like a cash grab, despite the developers' apparent intention to create a quality experience. Many users expected a more polished product given the time invested in development, leading to disappointment regarding its monetization strategy.
- “You would think with the EA time that they would have worked out a lot of the issues to make it more polished before a full release, but this seems mainly like a cash grab in my opinion.”
- “It's not difficult to see that the dev set out to make a good game and not a good cash grab.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The game features a robust character development system that emphasizes a "learn by doing" approach, allowing players to unlock over 100 recipes and technologies while upgrading various gear, clothing, ships, and workbenches throughout their journey.
- “There is a good amount (over 100) of recipes and techs to learn, upgrading gear, clothes, ships, and workbenches as you go, as well as a 'learn by doing' character development system.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “Despite the numerous recipes and techs available, the character development system feels repetitive and uninspired.”
- “The 'learn by doing' character development system is more of a gimmick than a genuine way to enhance character growth.”