The Tribe Must Survive

About

"The Tribe Must Survive" is a single-player strategy survival game set in a dark, Lovecraftian Stone Age. As the leader, manage resources, guide Tribe members' behaviors, and make key decisions to ensure your Tribe's survival against external threats and internal factions. Venture into the outer world to gather more resources, facing challenges that will test your leadership and the Tribe's cohesion. The game offers a dense atmosphere and takes about 12 hours to complete.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 121 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

replayability4 negative mentions

The game features a unique and compelling atmosphere, blending survival mechanics with a Lovecraftian theme.
Players find the gameplay addictive and rewarding, as it encourages learning from failures and experimenting with different strategies.
The artwork and sound design are praised for enhancing the overall experience, creating an engaging environment for players.

The game suffers from balancing issues, making it frustratingly difficult at times, with some players feeling that it punishes rather than challenges them.
Many mechanics are poorly explained, leading to confusion and a steep learning curve that can detract from the enjoyment.
Technical issues, such as bugs and performance drops, along with a lack of meaningful content and replayability, have left some players feeling disappointed.

gameplay
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
73%
13%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while it offers engaging mechanics and a rich atmosphere, it suffers from unclear tutorials and a lack of balance. Some mechanics feel half-baked or frustrating, leading to a "die to learn" experience that can detract from enjoyment. Overall, while there are opportunities for strategic play and learning, the game requires significant polish and rebalancing to enhance the overall experience.
- “Very in-depth gameplay with the capability to try and use different strategies.”
- “Amazing concept, genuinely engaging gameplay, magnificent artwork and ambience.”
- “The gameplay is simple and rich without being too complicated; the game slowly introduces you to the mechanics without you even realizing it, and there is no better feeling than surviving something you thought was doom for sure!”
- “If this game has a fault, it's that its mechanics seem to be purposefully unclear.”
- “The tutorial is approximately 10 minutes of gameplay; there are no instructions as to hazards, events, or other encounters in the game that may be experienced.”
- “Many features, numbers, and mechanics are simply unexplained.”
atmosphere
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
7%
20%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its fantastic art, immersive sound design, and deep thematic elements, creating a compelling experience that keeps players engaged. While some reviewers note a slow pace that can detract from the experience, the overall ambiance, reminiscent of survival games like Frostpunk, is highlighted as a strong point, enhancing the gameplay with a rich and dynamic environment. Despite some criticisms regarding the game's current state, the atmospheric depth and unpredictability of events contribute to a captivating atmosphere that resonates with players.
- “The art in the game is fantastic and really provides a good atmosphere.”
- “Its dynamic tribe members add depth and unpredictability to gameplay, while the atmospheric visuals and haunting sound design create an immersive experience.”
- “Atmosphere is fantastic, really hits that 'just one more turn' feel.”
- “The atmosphere, including sounds, is top-notch.”
- “It comes with a very dense atmosphere already.”
- “Difficulty level and atmosphere of the first runs can be compared to the best survival game: Frostpunk (in hardest mode).”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
36%
36%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag among users; while some appreciate the increased replay value due to roguelite elements and enjoyable gameplay, others criticize the lack of meaningful meta progression and repetitive events that lead to a stale experience. Overall, opinions vary significantly, with some players expressing hope for future improvements in replayability, while others find it lacking in depth and variety.
- “The game in its current form feels very good to play, and has replay value for many runs to come.”
- “Looking forward to more replayability in the finished game, but overall I'm having a great time with my little tribe.”
- “The game also has decent replayability.”
- “The issue above drastically reduces replayability considering the tedious management and lack of proper tools.”
- “The game has virtually no replay value; the bulk of the meta progression was shoehorned in with no testing. The game basically just spun its wheels for the entire early access period and then suddenly released with all the big features left for 1.0, yet somehow still changed nothing with the 1.0 release.”
- “It gets to a point where it gets stale and there's not much replayability.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have noted that while grinding can enhance replayability, it often leads to tedious management tasks and a lack of automation, particularly in later stages of the game. The research tree is described as excessively grindy, and managing large groups becomes cumbersome, detracting from the overall enjoyment and progression experience.
- “The issue above drastically reduces replayability considering the tedious management and lack of proper tools.”
- “First impressions are good, but the research tree is incredibly grindy.”
- “Yes, I know it's early access, but progression feels so tedious.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The game's story is structured around a "die to learn" approach, where players gradually uncover the narrative through gameplay rather than traditional progression, leading to a mix of frustration and engagement. While the streamlined story offers meaningful choices and compelling elements, it still requires balancing and performance improvements. Overall, players find the writing and random quests flavorful, and they are eager for future updates and story expansions.
- “Still needs to be balanced a bit better and have some of the performance issues resolved but already very playable with engaging gameplay, meaningful choices, and a compelling story.”
- “I am looking forward to updates and story development and DLCs.”
- “Gameplay structure is centered around a 'die to learn' style of revelatory storytelling; prepare to be frustrated rather than to have fun or even get that dopamine tick of '# go up!'”
- “What it has instead is one streamlined story where you're not meant to improve so much as get allowed new tools as you level up.”
- “The player doesn’t know the mechanics, and they stumble along, discovering the story as they learn how to play, making sense of the game only gradually.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The graphics of the game are highly praised for their stunning artwork and immersive atmosphere, particularly appealing to fans of Lovecraftian themes. The art style, combined with atmospheric visuals and haunting sound design, enhances the overall gameplay experience, making it engaging and visually captivating despite the game's basic mechanics.
- “Amazing concept, genuinely engaging gameplay, magnificent artwork and ambience.”
- “The art style is really nice and so is the sound and the overall experience.”
- “Its dynamic tribe members add depth and unpredictability to gameplay, while the atmospheric visuals and haunting sound design create an immersive experience.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game's optimization has been criticized for significant performance drops, particularly during specific weather conditions and mid-game, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences. Users report that even high-end systems struggle with stuttering and slowdowns when managing larger populations, indicating that further balancing and performance improvements are necessary for a smoother experience. Despite these issues, the game remains engaging with its compelling story and meaningful choices.
- “Still needs to be balanced a bit better and have some of the performance issues resolved, but already very playable with engaging gameplay, meaningful choices, and a compelling story.”
- “After release, the game has terrible performance drops during the day and rain.”
- “Maybe not optimized; time starts progressing either very slowly or not at all mid-game.”
- “It felt like a slog, especially as performance is often terrible by then, and the fact you lost access to your other resources decimates this part of the game.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is highly praised, with users highlighting its exceptional quality and integration with the art design, making it a standout feature. Many players find it compelling enough to purchase the soundtrack separately.
- “What a great idea for a game, and my god, the art design and music are amazing!”
- “I did buy the soundtrack, though :)”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is criticized for being buggy, with significant glitches that detract from the overall experience. Many users feel that the lack of quality end-game content further highlights its shortcomings, likening it to a glorified flash game.
- “The AI is a bit buggy and there's no good end game content as of now.”
- “There's a reason it's 20 (15); it's a glorified flash game with some decent ideas but pretty serious glitches that make it a chore to get through.”