Team17’s busy year continues with The Survivalists, the next in their burgeoning ‘-ists’ franchise. This one looks a little bit special, not only because Team17 have been knocking it out of the park recently, and not only because The-Escapists-goes-Castaway sounds like an intriguing mix. We’re liking the look of this one because no one has ever really brought the ‘shipwrecked on a desert island’ fantasy to a decent video game.
The Survivalists launches today on Xbox One, PS4, Switch and PC via Steam.
In typical form, The Survivalists doesn’t do everything you’d expect from its premise. Sure, you will trekking into the jungle from your shipwreck to find resources and build a base. That much is expected. But you probably didn’t expect to employ monkeys as your labour force, programming them through mimicry to build while you’re away.
Then there’s the island, which has enough vaults and beasties to put Lost to shame. These don’t look like they are shallow endeavours: it seems that Team17 are taking a leaf out of Zelda’s book and plunging you into reasonably intricate dungeons. As is absolutely vital to any modern game, you can also unlock a wide range of hats to showcase your survival skills.
Features include:
- A World of Adventure and Possibilities – The island is alive! Your newfound home will change with day/night cycles as you explore and uncover its secrets. Hunt (or be hunted by!) animals for food and an array of mythical enemies, who aren’t necessarily pleased to see you. Get quests from a Mysterious Stranger or find them washed up on the shore. Prepare to trek into a procedurally generated wilderness, with a variety of biomes, for an adventure that’s unique to every player.
- Build Together, Survive Together – Finding the perils of island life too much or just looking to share your building expertise with friends? The Survivalists has you covered! Complete joint adventures, gain loot, trade and ultimately survive together and as you and up to three fellow castaways explore an island paradise.
- Monkey See, Monkey Do! – If you’re in need of a builder, a lumberjack or even a soldier, the monkeys on the island can be tamed and trained to help you with everyday tasks or back you up on raids to a fanatic camp! The Mimic System means a wide variety of functions can be performed by your banana loving friends, with monkey management becoming key to surviving the island’s challenges.
- Get Crafty – The secret to survival is to make the most of the resources around you. Whether that’s piecing together a primitive axe to chop wood or mixing up a refreshing fruit smoothie to keep the hunger at bay, you can discover recipes and expand your options across food, item or structure crafting trees.
- Run the Gauntlet – Looking for an epic sword to hang on your hut wall or want to lay waste to encroaching hostiles? What you seek could be in one of the many labyrinths scattered around the island. However, getting your hands on the loot won’t be easy so any would-be raiders will need to prepare for their treasure hunting crusade.
Emma Bates, Producer, Team17, said: “Ever since the success of The Escapists, we’ve been excited to create a new, different game in the same universe, and so The Survivalists was born. We can’t wait for players to shipwreck themselves on their very own island, as they start their new life surrounded by their monkey pals, uncovering all of the secrets, and danger, their island has to offer!”
Max Everingham, Head of Publishing, Team17, said: “The Survivalists is a very special title to everyone here at Team17, the fact it was developed in-house means we are extra proud of the next entry in The Escapists universe. We hope players enjoy their shipwrecked island life, and that with a little help from their monkey friends, they manage to not just survive, but thrive in the unchartered world of The Survivalists.”
We’ve been in the market for a decent survival sim since Don’t Starve, and while The Survivalists takes the definition of ‘sim’ to its furthest extension, it certainly has plenty to excite us. You can check out our verdict on this one now, if you fancy.
The Survivalists is out now on Xbox One and will cost you £21.99, whilst the Deluxe Edition comes in at a couple of quid more at £23.99. That includes the Monkey Business DLC pack, which in turn costs £2.79 but delivers a host of lovely hats for both you as the player, and your monkey army to wear. It’s also out on PS4, Switch and PC via Steam.
Game Description:
A living world full of surprises, secrets and danger awaits in The Survivalists, an adventure-filled survival sandbox set in The Escapists universe. Explore, build, craft and even train monkeys with up to three friends in a desperate bid to survive. Have you got what it takes to be a Survivalist?
