How to Survive is a game that is very comparable with another release we loved from earlier this year called State of Decay, however the former offers up additional features not seen in the latter that makes How to Survive a good purchase for players that may already own a number of other zombie titles. Most importantly, every game mode featured in How to Survive is fully cooperative for up to two players in local cooperative play, but the new release also offers up a more friendly tone than seen in most other zombie games. As players play through How to Survive, they will often find journals scattered around the islands that contain tips on How to Survive the game. These messages contain humorous messages that poke fun at the zombie genre and the game itself, and gamers are sure to note all the references the game features while making different comparisons of the Kovac's Rules guidelines with the Fallout, Borderlands or BioShock series. No matter what you compare them to, they're a lot of a fun and fit the story of the game nicely.
How to Survive doesn't penalize players for creating a character and later changing their mind on how that character should be developed. From an in-game menu, players can quickly reset the character's skill tree and reallocate the points however they choose. The skill trees featured in How to Survive typically have four branches with four or five skills to each trait. Some of the skills in the game include one of Abby's to learn how to create certain buff items and later gain longer duration for buffs. Characters can be further customized with different clothes and pieces of armor for additional statistical benefits. Four pieces of equipment can be applied to a character's head, arms, legs and chest at any one time, and outfits can combine to look pretty silly at times.
Combat in How to Survive is obviously another vital mechanic needed to continue living in the game. Players will typically want to choose between melee or ranged attacks, and there are plenty of weapons to craft in the game from axes and swords to bows and explosive arrows. Switching between weapons is important with character stamina being a concern as well as ammunition for ranged weapons. Players aim their attacks with the twin sticks on consoles and can land instant kills with a variety of cool animations when enemies are stunned. Attacks can also be charged to deal even more damage, though stronger attacks drain stamina quicker as well. Combat isn't incredibly intuitive, but it's still pretty fun for players to button mash their way through a horde of zombies. Players can also craft armor that come in a wide variety of types and have varying levels of effectiveness as well. Players should work together in cooperative matches to decide who will be the player to deal the most damage to enemies and who will be a good distraction, or both players can also run into hordes head-on; it's your call!
Survival is literally the name of the game in How to Survive. It's important to manage all of the realistic factors the game incorporates. Players must not only manage their health bar, but the game also keeps track of hunger, thirst and tiredness. Bringing a friend along for the ride definitely helps, since the two of you can share resources, but it's important to keep track of which items you both need, which items should be hunted or scavenged or if a shelter is needed to sleep for the night. Plenty of items can be scavenged throughout the game that have multiple uses in crafting, so it's important to take pretty much anything you find for the duration of the game. The goal of the game is to eventually escape the zombie infested islands and return to what is left of civilization, but players will need to work together to ever achieve this goal.
How to Survive offers two distinct game modes, Story Mode and Challenge Mode, as well as two different difficulty settings, Normal and Iron Man, all of which are available in two-player cooperative sessions. This gives players a lot of gameplay for their money, while working together to escape the island in the game's story or striving towards various objectives as quickly as possible with the game's challenge mode. The two difficulties give the game some added value, and with over 100 craftable items, players will be spending a lot of time with How to Survive to see all of the different items available to them in-game. Tracking down the scattered pieces to Kovac's Rules and fighting all the different monsters in the game is also fun, and doing so will fill journal entries available from the main menu.
How to Survive is a great cooperative experience available at a low price. With the depth of gameplay and the intricate crafting system, it's easy to see any zombie lover and their buddy spending a lot of time with this new release. How to Survive combines many great ideas into a single release, and it doesn't exclude important features such as multiplayer and fun side quests such as gathering food or various items for a monkey. How to Survive packs plenty of horror and scary moments, but it doesn't forget to include some humor to lighten the mood as well. How to Survive comes across as a genuine game that was made by gamers, for gamers, and you'll want to share it with your friends. Download a copy of How to Survive today and see if you and your best bud have what it takes to topple these zombie infested islands!
How to Survive is now available for PlayStation Network, Xbox LIVE Arcade, Steam Nintendo eShop and can be purchased for $14.99. How to Survive is rated M by the ESRB for Intense Violence & Gore. For more information on the game, check out the official How to Survive website.
Game Features:
- Online Multiplayer 1-2
- Survive Together Against Zombie Outbreak
- Online Leaderboards
- DLC Support
- Trophy/Achievement Support
Game Information:
Developer: EKO Software
Publisher: 505 Games
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (reviewed), PC & Nintendo Wii U
Release Date: October 23, 2013
Score: 9 out of 10