It would be very risky, in spite of the hours invested, to write a review of a beta. And that’s the state in which the Klei Entertainment title is; it can be already bought either on the Steam platform or on Chrome, gaining access to the early beta version (which clearly performs almost as a finished game) with the studio constantly asking for suggestions. Having said that, let me insist this is not a review, so don’t take it as such.
From what we’ve seen on the beta, Don’t Starve is very promising. I couldn’t define the game style because it’s halfway between strategy, resource management and role playing, so I’ll try to explain it in a simple manner.
Once we start a new game, a new world is procedurally generated, with a loading screen that nods obviously to the Sims and Tim Burton back when he was cool. So there we are, in the shoes of scientist Wilson (at the beginning; there will be more characters available later on) on that unique world that’s meant to kill us. As soon as we wake up, we have to set to work to earn our living: there are lots of items we can collect (grass, logs, different types of food, stones…) and two bar meters: hunger and health. After all, this is about eating and surviving. The starving mentioned in the game title will chase us down, and we will have a hard time depending on the world we’re assigned. In order to help us, we can craft all the items we collect into useful tools: an axe for chopping, a spade for digging, a pick for breaking big stones… the list is huge. Everything will break down eventually and we will run out of resources if we are not careful, so we have to choose carefully. For instance: if we just pull out plants by the roots and we don’t plant or fertilize them, they won’t grow again; in a world where food is scarce, some berries from a bush may be the difference that allows us to live one more day.
It may seem simple enough, but it’s not. We don’t get a single tip and not even a small tutorial, so we’ll have to suffer. As we progress, we can create a SCIENCE MACHINE that will let us research more and more items: from hats to rods, armours, gardens… anything. It’s incredible the amount of possibilities that exist in Don’t Starve, and how cruel it is. Why do I say cruel? Because we can spend hours on end collecting and crafting tools, growing a garden… and forget to eat. We can be ready for anything, but it may happen that we don’t have any space left in the inventory and suddenly night comes. And when night comes, if we don’t have a place to sleep or a fire to stay by, we’ll be death.
Too many things to take into account for a generation used to press a couple of buttons and on to the next screen; aren’t they? Just like in real life, we can choose among different paths. Our science machine is starving and we must keep giving it items in exchange for more research points, so we can develop new technologies to extend our agony.
Oddly enough, we usually get more points for renewable items: if we just use the spade to pull a bush out by its roots and we take it in, we’ll get a lot of points; but the bush won’t be there anymore… In brief, we can make an Industrial Revolution and use up all natural resources, or we can go step by step and let cruel, mean Mother Nature provide.
The fact that it’s currently on beta status adds more than it takes away. The game is updated every other minute, adding new objects to craft, new events… Among the novelties included in the latest versions, there is the possibility of running into the Krampus (a kind of Christmas devil from Austria) or crafting us a hat to rule among the spiders (and believe me, it’s useful) Besides, developers are very attentive to what players are saying in the forums, so they can correct what people like the least and thus giving them the chance to actively take part in the final version of the game.
In addition to all of these, there is the superb artistic design. Don’t Starve flatters the eye, not thanks to some last generation graphics but to how likeable its proposal is. We have before us a mix between steampunk and Expressionism, a grim world full of dangers that cause fear but have a slight childish touch at the same time. The main characters are just magical and black humour roams freely, in the designs as much as in the things we can do (we can even use beard hair!)
We will get killed. Alas, how we will. Our purpose is just seeing another day and it’s a real challenge. And what happens when we are killed? It’s over. We lose everything we had and we can start the game in the same world or generate a new one. The only things we can keep are discoveries made and research points. It’s frustrating and addictive at the same time, as the following step will be clicking “Play” once more and try to do better this time. If we get enough experience, we can unlock new main characters to leave poor Wilson alone for a while; but little else.
Some people will compare it with Minecraft, but Don’t Starve stands on its own terms. It’s one of those games whose creators, one suspects, are really proud of. There was a lot of care placed on it and it doesn’t require that we spend hours and hours on it (nope, not at all) It’s difficult, demanding and cruel. It demands absolute and exclusive dedication on each game and punishes the smallest slip in a harder way than most resource management simulators. It requires boldness and quick thinking, it’s pure hardcore inside a “nice” wrapping and it presents itself as a great game once it’s officially launched.
Who will be especially interested on it? Fans of complex RTS or masochists with a lot of time to spare.
Don’t Starve on Steam
Game Forums (Klei Entertainment is encouraging users to make suggestions)