Yea, yea we all know about the big games coming out over the next 12 months or so, games like Destiny, watch_dogs, The Division, The Order 1886. And they all look like they will be great games. But I want to talk about the games that I’m just as excited for, but maybe some people haven’t heard of. Or are a little bit off the ‘mainstream’ radar.
BANISHED
Firstly is Banished. Now I only heard about this game very recently, but it has quickly got me very interested in playing it. It’s essentially a city building strategy game where you control a group of exiled travelers who decide to start a new life in a new land.
The overall objective of the game is to keep your population alive, to achieve this you’ll need to hunt, farm, trade and fish, whilst also trying to survive the harsh winter months. To help with your survival, you can make warm clothing, cut down more wood from forests for extra firewood. Although you must be wary of chopping down too much, as it will decrease animal population. Farming in one area to often can spoil the soil. All these things and more, need to be taken in to account in order for your town to survive.
I really like the idea of a strategy game just being about survival. So many games like this eventually revolve around war or completing certain missions like, building wonders, reaching certain populations etc…
I like the fact that people grow old, have families and die, and their children will do the same. Having an actual life cycle is a really interesting aspect, which you just don’t see in other strategy games. What if your towns people start acting like pandas and don’t ‘do the do’(I don’t know if this is actually in the game)? Will your town die out? What if you chop down too much forest and have no food to hunt? If you let to many nomads in illness could spread, but you need to boost your population. It all sounds like a great concept.
Its slated for a late 2013 release date, so I’m hoping it comes out soon.
DAYZ
Next up, is the standalone version of DayZ. Ok this one is probably pretty well known, but I know a few people who would have no idea what I was talking about if I were to mention it.
For those not in the know, DayZ currently exists as an MMOFPS zombie mod for Arma2 where the objective is to survive as long as possible in a zombie apocalypse. Sound good? Good!
DayZ was the first game I played where you experience permanent deaths, something which both scared and excited me, it actually made you care about death in game. There were times when I would find a good gun after hours of playing, only to die within the next hour or so. All that hard work would be lost, and it was genuinely gutting to lose it.
I’ve mostly played DayZ in the most stripped back of forms, which means starting with pretty much nothing, no weapons, no map, little food and drink etc…You spawn randomly in the world (for me that was mostly Chernarus) and go on the hunt for supplies. Zombies roam around mostly in small numbers, and are generally not much of a threat, unless you start to get overwhelmed by them. But the biggest threat is never the zombies, its other players. If you come across them will they be friendly? Will they kill you or trade for your supplies? Will they pass by without saying anything?
The first time I encountered other players, I was genuinely scared because I didn’t know what would happen. I think I probably just hid in a bush until they passed by. Many times I tried to communicate with another player only to wind up with a bullet in my head. Now I’m much more wary.
So what’s so different about the standalone? Well not much in terms of gameplay and how it looks. It will be more of the same but with (hopefully) a lot less bugs, and the odd tweak here and there. I know its got things like improved zombie mechanics, improved inventory systems, and you will now have to find new clothing, as it deteriorates over time. Loot now spawns differently, so you will actually have to hunt around buildings to find it, rather than it being conveniently pilled up in a corner. There are a whole bunch of other improvements that will also be made. And I just really can’t wait to play it.
DARKWOOD
Lastly is Darkwood, this is a top down survival (seeing a theme here?) horror game from Acid Wizard Studio. The game sets you up in a procedurally generated open world, and asks you to survive, whilst being hunted by dark mysterious creatures.
There are RPG elements, and a crafting system that will help you create the tools needed to hold off the creatures, whether that be boarding yourself up in a house, or fighting face to face with a range of weaponry.
You will also meet an array of creepy characters whilst exploring, who may be willing to trade items that you have found during the day, that could be vital for your survival during the night.
You are promised a different experience every time you play due to the randomly generated world.
Now I don’t play many scary games, usually because I just get too scared. But I’m really excited by the idea of this game, and I’m going to be brave, man up, and make myself play it.
Whilst these games all do revolve around survival, they are still all very different, and I think they are quite different to a lot games that are already about, and this is what is attracting me the most. I want to play something that is a bit different to your normal FPS or your average survival horror game. When these do eventually get released, you definitely be hearing more from me about them.
What are the games that you are most looking forward to over the next 12 months?
– Will
