The Survivalists

The Survivalists is the latest in a crowded genre. Bright visuals can't hide that it is a fairly light experience at present, but there is some enjoyment to be had if you can look past the slightly uncomfortable sub-text of its central mechanic.

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"The Survivalists" is a role-playing game that offers both single-player and multiplayer options, with up to four players able to team up for co-op gameplay. The game takes place on a procedurally generated island, where players must gather resources, build shelter, and defend themselves against enemies. Monkeys can be tamed and trained to assist with tasks, and the game features day/night cycles and a variety of biomes to explore. However, it's worth noting that the game can be grindy and is known to have bugs.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,525 reviews

gameplay75 positive mentions

grinding136 negative mentions

Charming graphics and art style that enhances the gameplay experience.
Engaging monkey automation mechanic that adds a unique twist to resource gathering and crafting.
Fun to play with friends, providing a relaxed and enjoyable multiplayer experience.

Clunky controls and UI that can be frustrating, especially for inventory management and crafting.
Game feels repetitive and lacks depth, leading to a sense of boredom after a few hours of play.
Numerous bugs and issues, including save corruption and multiplayer limitations, detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
253 mentions
30 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its charming graphics and unique mechanics, particularly the use of monkeys for automation. However, numerous bugs, clunky controls, and a repetitive gameplay loop detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration and a sense of unfinished design. While the core mechanics show potential, the lack of depth and polish leaves many players feeling that the game is not worth its price.
- “The gameplay is amazing and you keep unlocking new exciting features.”
- “The core mechanics revolve around exploration, crafting, and survival, with a significant focus on cooperation.”
- “The challenge of optimizing your crafting and resource management adds a layer of strategic depth that keeps the gameplay fresh and exciting.”
- “A seriously nice game, nice graphics but lots of bugs that affect gameplay.”
- “Big potential, really feels fun and exciting to play, but 88% of your gameplay time is frustrating with monkeys and inventory being poorly designed.”
- “The gameplay quickly becomes monotonous, revolving around repetitive tasks with little to no sense of progression or excitement.”
grinding
143 mentions
1 % positive mentions
3 % neutral mentions
95 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it excessively tedious and repetitive, particularly in crafting and resource gathering. While some appreciate the automation provided by monkeys to alleviate the grind, others feel that the mechanics can be clunky and frustrating, leading to a loss of enjoyment over time. Overall, while the game offers a variety of engaging features, the grind can detract from the overall experience, especially in the later stages.
- “It's not too grindy; there's a good balance between needing to farm materials and getting to do other stuff.”
- “Not difficult and not too grindy like most survival games.”
- “The game is not bad, but the crafting gets exponentially tedious.”
- “It requires an excessive amount of tedious work that takes the fun out of the game.”
- “The crafting and inventory management becomes tedious after a few hours of game time, even with the help of the monkeys.”
graphics
119 mentions
48 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many players praising the charming, colorful art style and cute pixelated visuals reminiscent of titles like "The Escapists." While the graphics are often described as beautiful and engaging, some users noted issues such as bugs and limited visual variety that can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game's aesthetic is a significant draw, contributing to its appeal despite some gameplay shortcomings.
- “The survivalists features a charming, colorful art style with a cartoonish aesthetic.”
- “Beautiful graphics and amazing design.”
- “I absolutely adore the art style; I mean, come on, who can resist those cute monkeys?”
- “It's the Escapists' graphics and game engine, but it's a survival crafting game, and not the best one at that.”
- “Another problem is that if you do not have 1080 vertical resolution, the game wants you to be really, really close to your character and the pixelated graphics, and you can't see anything around you.”
- “I'm not much of an audio game guy, hence I haven't paid much attention to the soundtrack, and the graphics are what you'd expect - if you're buying this for high-end graphics, look elsewhere.”
story
99 mentions
12 % positive mentions
71 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for being minimal and unengaging, with many players noting a lack of depth and replayability. While some enjoy the survival mechanics and cooperative play, the quests often feel repetitive and uninspired, leading to a sense of aimlessness. Overall, the narrative elements are seen as underdeveloped, leaving players wanting a more substantial storyline to enhance their experience.
- “Great survival game and good story.”
- “Slaying monsters, building bases and enjoying the little storyline this game offers, you will find yourself having lots of fun alone or with friends.”
- “It even has a storyline as to why you are surviving and what motivates you.”
- “I think what the game lacks is a storyline to advance -- which is a common problem for sandbox games.”
- “The story, what exists of one, doesn't make sense.”
- “This game deserves a better storyline and gets repetitive at some point.”
music
65 mentions
62 % positive mentions
34 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its relaxing and immersive qualities, while others find it mediocre or repetitive. Some players highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature that enhances the overall experience, contributing to the game's atmosphere, while a few note issues with volume levels and sound design. Overall, the music is generally appreciated for its chill vibe and ability to complement the visuals, making it a positive aspect for many players.
- “The sound design complements the visuals well, with a pleasant soundtrack and sound effects that enhance the immersion.”
- “The shining star of this game is by far the music, it's astonishing and really brings to life what otherwise would be a seemingly lacking gameplay.”
- “The atmosphere and music are very fitting and flow well with the game.”
- “The music is mediocre or even easily can be called non-existent.”
- “I guess it's some okay music, and you might like the pixel art creatures, but that's just a nice shell on a dull game.”
- “The soundtrack gets very repetitive after a while, and for some reason, the menu music is extremely loud no matter how low I have the in-game sound.”
stability
50 mentions
4 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
96 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and crashes, particularly in multiplayer mode. Players have experienced issues such as freezing, corrupted saves, and erratic item storage, leading many to describe the game as feeling unfinished and in need of significant polish. Despite these problems, some users still find the game enjoyable, highlighting its fun mechanics and potential, albeit with a cautionary note regarding its current state.
- “The game itself is not buggy, but your save can easily get corrupted.”
- “It's so fun! I have had no glitches, and it's super enjoyable with co-op and everything!”
- “This game is fun, but it's a huge buggy mess.”
- “Do not buy for now, too late for a refund for me, game is too buggy, should still be considered early access.”
- “Feels unfinished, buggy, clunky controls, lacking content and the monkeys are a nightmare to actually function logistically and ended up not even using them.”
humor
34 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely centered around its quirky monkey characters and absurd scenarios, which many players find entertaining, especially in multiplayer settings. While some reviews highlight the game's funny art style and amusing mechanics, others note that the humor can be hit or miss, with some aspects feeling repetitive or lacking depth. Overall, the comedic elements, particularly involving monkeys, contribute to a lighthearted experience that many players enjoy, despite some criticisms of the game's other features.
- “It has completely captured me with the cute and funny art style and exploration mechanics unmatched by other survival games.”
- “Exploration is fantastic, all the interlocking systems make sense, and who doesn't want to automate an entire game with monkeys in hilarious hats?”
- “Very enjoyable game, a glitch or bug every now and then but has a hilarious ending, I love how the monkeys are custom and are your little workers with no rights who don't get paid.”
replayability
17 mentions
24 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
18 % negative mentions
The reviews present a mixed perspective on replayability, with some players appreciating the procedural generation of islands and multiplayer options that enhance replay value, while others criticize the game for its repetitive mechanics and lack of content, leading to a perception of minimal replayability. Overall, many users feel that despite the potential for varied experiences, the game ultimately falls short in providing substantial replayability due to grinding tasks and limited updates.
- “The procedural generation of the island ensures that no two playthroughs are the same, providing high replay value.”
- “The multiplayer aspect also adds to the replayability, as playing with different friends or trying new strategies can create fresh experiences.”
- “Another big plus with this game is the fact that each world is different, so it has a high replay value.”
- “There isn't any replayability, and the taskmaster quests are a grind.”
- “I loved the monkeys and the concept of sailing around on your ship, but it takes almost no time to reach a point where you just have to grind to win, and there is almost no replayability in the game, making starting a new island feel like the same process the whole time.”
- “Once you figure out the mechanics, the replay value is non-existent, in my opinion.”
optimization
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, particularly regarding its multiplayer functionality, which suffers from delays and stuttering. Users have noted that while the concept is enjoyable, the lack of optimization and user-friendliness detracts from the overall experience, leading many to feel that the game is not worth its current price.
- “The concept seems fun, but it could really benefit from some optimization and user-friendliness.”
- “As a player of CDDA, I definitely appreciate the need for user-friendliness and optimization.”
- “It's incredibly frustrating to try and enjoy the game with friends when everything is delayed and stuttering.”
- “I play CDDA, so when I ask for user-friendliness and optimization... yeah...”
- “The interface is very badly optimized.”
atmosphere
5 mentions
60 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "The Survivalists" is praised for its beautiful graphics and laid-back vibe, reminiscent of a Robinson Crusoe setting. Players appreciate the pleasant music that complements the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience, while the simplicity of survival mechanics contributes to its casual feel.
- “The Survivalists is a beautiful survival game set in a Robinson Crusoe atmosphere.”
- “General atmosphere and music of the game are very pleasant and awesome to listen to.”
- “The atmosphere and music are very fitting and flow well with the game.”
- “The survival consists only of hunger (and thirst in some biomes apparently) which is satiated pretty easily and suits the casual atmosphere of the game.”
emotional
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express a mix of frustration and satisfaction in the emotional aspect of the game. While some feel disheartened by the difficulty of resource gathering and the loss of progress, others find joy and a sense of accomplishment in strategizing and automating gameplay, leading to feelings of intellectual achievement.
- “I've had several times where issues have occurred and I've lost hours of progress; it's pretty heartbreaking.”
- “Working out how to get an army of monkeys to build my entire base without me lifting a finger and going to explore the island made me feel super smart.”