If you’re looking for a decently realistic survival game, then this is the game for you. A lot of the 1 star reviews are complaining about not knowing how to play the game in the first 10 minutes, but that’s what makes it realistic. There is no in game map, no hud, not a lot of help to get you started, just you on an island with your wits. I think it’s awesome. Yes the mechanics are somewhat clunky, but once you get used to them they’re really not that bad. I love the open world feel, the dangers on every island, and the small victories you feel when making even the slightest progress, from finding a rare item to building your first structure. I also love that the game doesn’t hold your hand through the progression, you have to figure it out yourself through trial and error. Definitely my favorite survival game at the moment.
Now while it is a great game, I do have some gripes. I wish that the “dangerous” wildlife was a little more realistic, especially the sharks. Since when do sharks chase a piece of drift wood floating on the surface for miles, let alone try and bull ram it to knock people off? The real world isn’t jaws, sharks aren’t interested in a person floating on a raft. I get that there has to be some kind of “enemy” in the game to make it more challenging, but the sharks are relentless. The other thing that pisses me off about this game is it’s very glitchy. Getting stuck in the raft building animation unable to interact with anything, crates glitching and getting glued where they are, getting stuck in some rocks and not being able to move, and items disappearing or getting stuck are just a few of the glitches I’ve seen. Usually these glitches can be undone by saving, exiting to the main menu, and then reentering the game, but it is still very annoying to have to do this every time there is a glitch.
All in all, one of the best realistic survival simulations I’ve played. I’ve put hundreds of hours into this game, despite the glitches, and still enjoy it every time I play. Some things I want the developers to improve on are the structure building options, raft building options, and crate systems. Maybe add a buildable wood box that can store 1 or 2 items so that we don’t have to run all over the map trying to find crates. Love the game, but definitely plenty of room to improve.