

A great collection of downloadable content from day one.Ĭons: Permadeath just doesn’t seem very fair in context, and only underlines how repetitive the game can be in the early stages. Deep crafting system and an impressively interactive environment. Pros: The premise is interesting and the game looks great. In Short: An interesting stew of ideas and great presentation can’t make up for a game that goes out of its way to frustrate and discourage its players. As it stands, and even if you get it for free, your interest is only likely to survive for a few frustrated hours. It’s an intriguing idea, and clearly a lot of thought of effort has been put into it, but we just don’t understand why it’s so needlessly unforgiving. The console edition does come with the substantial number of updates released since April though, including a more structured Adventure mode, new underground environments, and extra special abilities for each of the characters.īut although we wanted to love Don’t Starve we’re not sure the game feels the same way about us. None of that has really got any better from the PC original either, to which this version is all but identical. The camera also isn’t terribly helpful, as life-saving items can often be obscured by trees and bushes and you’ll either have no idea they were there or find it impossible to quickly pick them up. The interface is rather inelegant and fussy too, with lots of confusing-looking icons and displays. There just doesn’t seem any reason for it to be this hard and permanent death just makes things even more annoying, and ultimately repetitive. There are also standalone missions accessible via a special portal, which involves you scouring the landscape for special items while being pursued by extra strength enemies.ĭon’t Starve is a frustrating experience in more ways than one, as all the elements for a great game are there – they just haven’t been put together in a very logical way. Wilson has various science experiments he can set-up and these can be used to not only keep him sane but in some cases advance the story. One small mistake and suddenly hours of work are lost forever and the urge to rebuild disappears just as quickly.īodily harm is not the only danger though and you must keep up your sanity as well, by engaging more stimulating tasks than just looking for interesting rocks. That sort of old school all-or-nothing approach will please some gamers, but it will frustrate many more and we can’t help feeling it should have been left as an optional hard mode. The game has a very complex crafting system, that lets you build everything from sheds to casserole pots, but the essentials are the same every time. This also means that, even with the randomised levels, the first half hour or so of each go is pretty much the same, since you requirements for basic habitation and survival don’t vary.
