Don't Starve Together

Survival games have gone through several levels of evolution over the last few decades of game design. Original titles were unforgiving, usually forcing you to think outside the box in unique ways. Games from 15 years ago or so were a bit kinder and started introducing more creative elements that focused on crafting. Today, many survival games have minimal story and depend on these crafting, building, and progression aspects. Realistically, there’s a lot of value in games that utilize this style of gameplay, though it can come off as low-effort if those crafting systems aren’t well made. Don’t Starve Together is a bit of an outlier, thankfully, and breaks up much of the monotony of survival games in a refreshing way. It is not the most welcoming game to newcomers, but it has all the elements that make a game engaging, challenging, and enjoyable which has given it a strong player base since release.

A Race Against Time

In a game with this title, it should be apparent that you’ll be tasked with not dying. Of course, that’s the goal of most games, the survival aspects of this game make each death you may have that much more personal. In some ways, Don’t Starve Together plays a bit like Stardew Valley because of its extensive crafting systems and character interactions. Those of you that have played the latter will know that it’s a laidback farming experience in a realistic setting. It also never gets too complex for progression, though there’s a lot to keep track of/research that can optimize your farm. The same can be said for DST, but it also takes a lot of cues from darker survival games like Green Hell or The Forest.

Additionally, it has an incredibly high learning curve that will be intimidating. Generally, I like this concept even though I find it to be difficult myself. The absolute saving grace for this game is the combination of satisfying gameplay and a strong community. Sure, its quite difficult to learn everything on your own with just a friend that’s equally experienced (nearly impossible), but trying to collect enough resources while avoiding potentially hazardous situations never grows old in this game. Mastering it is half the fun, engaging with other players can make this experience genuinely one of the best of any cooperative game out there.

Hard Choices on a Hard Path

Your experience will undoubtedly start off slow. You’ve only got so many resources to collect once you and your friend start out, but this will quickly grow. There’s also a lot to take note of. I’ll save you some time and let you know that absolutely anything and everything can kill you, don’t get too comfortable even if it looks safe.

Bottom Line

The other great piece of this game is that it has a distinct art style that never ceases to be charming. Along with being an original take on the survival genre, its art direction, animations, sound design, and small character writing bits are on par with other high budget projects.

Pros:

• Gives you great creative potential
• Interesting overall design
• Engaging/helpful community for new players

Cons:

• Lack of tutorials/direction can be overwhelming
• Learning curve, even with guidance, is tough