The Forest (TF) is a survival game where it is just you versus nature. Oh, and bloodthirsty cannibals. Does this self-proclaimed 'terrifying horror simulator' live up to its name? Let's dive in.

- Play your way without any restrictions
- Unsettling atmosphere especially in the caves
- Intricate inventory and crafting system
- Terrifying enemies with disturbing designs
- A decent variety of locations to explore
- Intriguing lore told through collectibles

- Limited hotkeys
- Resources are easy to farm

From the get-go, TF will not hand-hold you at all. While objectives are provided, you are free to do whatever you want. You will be doing one of these three things: building, fighting and exploring. Apart from that, you also have to constantly monitor your stats. The usual hunger, thirst and energy are displayed on the HUD, while others like temperature, sickness and infection are hidden.

As you are stranded in a dangerous unknown land, the most important step is to build a base. As the map is not procedurally-generated, you are encouraged to explore and memorize any notable landmarks. Once you find a decent spot, it is now time to gather resources. Fortunately, your character is equipped with a survival handbook that allows you to build important structures such as bonfires, water collectors and shelters. You are given full freedom on how and where you want to design your base. Do note though, enemies will eventually find your home and attempt to destroy them; thus, you want it to be on a secure location like an island (as enemies cannot swim) or surround your base with deadly traps and defenses.

Speaking about enemies, you will be fighting them frequently throughout your journey. The most common you will encounter is the human cannibals that always travel in packs and can wield crude melee weapons. However, those are nothing compared to the mutants, which are these grotesque, horribly-deformed monsters that are not only fast but pack a huge punch as well. Their looks are not only unnerving, but the sounds emitted from them are alien-like.

Moving on, we got exploration. While a good chunk of the game is just trees and bushes, there's also a plentiful amount of beautiful places to spice up the variety like villages, beaches, and rivers. You are heavily encouraged to explore at your own pace as there are quite a lot of interesting secrets to uncover. Just be careful of the local fauna; you do not want to be caught off guard by a crocodile or a boar.

If you want to make it out of this hell, you would be wise to upgrade your stuff. This is done by the crafting system. Want to carry more sticks? Make a bag holder. Annoyed at getting cold? Create a warm suit. Enemies giving you a hard time? Burn their bodies and craft armor using their bones. The only criticism here is that TF only allows a maximum of four hotkeys, meaning you have to open the mess of an inventory every time you want to equip something else.

Of course, if you want to get your hands on exclusive loots, the caves are the way to go. The bad news is that these places are not only massive interconnected labyrinths full of dead ends, but it is also pitch black and filled with the game's strongest enemies. The overall atmosphere is also disconcerting with claustrophobic corridors and random unusual noises, creating a feeling that someone is watching you. Once you are prepared enough to traverse through them, you are rewarded with powerful equipment and weapons to assist you in your journey. That being said, I do want to point out that enemies do not respawn in caves but items do, meaning you can easily exit and reenter them if you wish to grind resources, making the whole survival aspect a tad moot.

You impersonate Eric LeBlanc, a reality TV star who is traveling on a plane with his son Timmy. Everything is smooth sailing as usual until out of the blue, a peculiar storm passes over and the plane begins to lose control. After suffering through a nasty crash, Eric regains his consciousness, only to realize that all of the passengers are mysteriously gone, including the one person he cares about the most.

One of TF's strongest points is its ability to convey an alluring story without utilizing a single dialogue (except for one scene). Instead, it is presented in the form of documents including magazines, letters and polaroid pictures. Besides that, environmental storytelling is also aplenty if you pay attention to the surroundings. While all of this is optional and you could simply beeline straight to Timmy without caring about the extra details, it's worth uncovering the truth of the forest and piecing the jigsaw puzzles together.

The Rest

• Despite mentioning the dangers of enemies, there is however the option to play on Peaceful Mode if you wish to simply channel your creativity in building a grand base in silence.
  
• If you crave some company, TF does support online Co-op with up to eight players. Let the chaos erupts.
  
• An interesting stat is sanity, which does not affect anything other than unlocking effigies. If lit on fire, these can be used to scare enemies off. Sometimes it does not work though, because…
  
• … the developers purposely put 'fuzziness' into the enemy AI to make them unpredictable. For instance, if a group of enemies sees you, they may be aggressive, curious or outright ignore you.

Playtime: It took me around 40 hours (or 35 in-game days) to complete the storyline, alongside spelunking everything and finding/crafting every item.

Replayability: Definitely so. You create your fun. Obviously, the more the merrier, so bring your friends too.

Achievements: 45 of them, with a majority of them being simple tasks. A certain few such as chopping down 1000 trees or making it past 100 days do require a lot of patience though.

It is a commendable feat that a team of only four people can develop this product. If you are looking for not only a great open-world survival game, but also one that is capable of making you crap your pants, look no more. All in all, I recommend The Forest.

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