The developers at 505 Games managed to create a rather interesting project. Even though How To Survive may not appeal to the vast majority of consumers, its creators succeeded in combining a number of successful ideas and, in doing so, attracted the audience's attention.
What happens if you take the weapon crafting system from Dead Space, complicate the gameplay in the style of Dead Island, add a third-person camera, and throw in some RPG elements? That's right—you get How To Survive, and the guys at 505 Games were probably thinking about this during the development process.
How to survive on a deserted island full of zombies?
Searching for the answer to this question will occupy most of the player’s time. Generally speaking, your protégé will have to defend themselves from all sorts of zombies, using any means at hand—clubs, axes, and pistols. Interacting with other survivors is also fraught with danger. As you progress through the game, you’ll meet various characters, and there’s no guarantee they’ll be friendly.
You can forget about the plot right away, since How To Survive clearly doesn’t shine in that department. That’s not to say the game has no story at all. On the contrary, the survivors will tell you in detail about the origins of the zombies and the people on the islands. It’s just that, like other “zombie games,” How To Survive is all about the gameplay, so there’s no point in coming up with an overly complicated story. Especially since the game is quite short. You’ll find 4 episodes, each set on its own, not particularly large, island. Combined with the corridor-like level design, it won’t take players long to complete How To Survive.
Given all this, you might get the impression that the game doesn’t have much to boast about. And that’s true—it’s hard to expect major achievements in game development from a little-known studio. However, How To Survive stands out from similar projects thanks to its weapon and item crafting system, which will appeal to those who enjoy tinkering with gadgets, even if they’re virtual.
Kovac rules (“Survival Guides”)
Only the gameplay can truly captivate the player, and here How To Survive makes up for most of its shortcomings. Expensive, polished projects usually lack a certain “soul,” but in How To Survive you can feel the developers’ passion for making engaging games. The game may not be very big, but every detail is crafted just as you’d expect. This applies to both the graphics and the gameplay.
Especially the latter. Starting the game with a simple club, you’ll eventually get your hands on an assault rifle that fires electric rounds or a futuristic bolter loaded with steel rods. You can do without powerful weapons—just get the recipe for a boomerang and craft a couple of them. There are plenty of ways to fight, and it all depends on your imagination and preferred play style.
And how satisfying it is to smash zombies with a freshly crafted weapon! Just don’t forget to make some ammo or gather the necessary components, since you can’t buy them in a store. Keep in mind that when reloading your weapon, you’ll have to remove any parts that block access to the magazine, swap it out, and then reassemble everything.
The developers came up with a huge variety of parts for crafting weapons and items. Simple things, like medkits, can be put together on your own. But to assemble complex weapons or armor, you’ll need not just nuts and bolts, but also workbenches and tools. There’s so much stuff in the game that your inventory is constantly running out of space. Unfortunately, you can’t just scrap everything, since useful recipes are rare drops, so you’ll always have to leave something behind. A storage chest like in Diablo could have solved this problem, but since the player doesn’t have a permanent home, there’s no place for a chest.
The need to search for food and shelter adds even more variety. Yes, you’ll have to make a fire, find food, cook meals, and set up a secure place to sleep at night so the zombies don’t eat you. Even for such small details, the developers found a spot in their game, and it really adds to the feeling of true survival.
As for the RPG system, things are a bit simpler here. You can choose from three characters with different stats. With each level gained, these stats increase, making your character tougher and deadlier. Your level also determines what items you can craft.
Iron Man
In addition to all of the above, the game features an “Iron Man” difficulty mode, as well as the option to play with a friend either online or offline. As for the increased difficulty, most players managed to beat it on their first try, so this aspect still needs some work from the developers.
The co-op mode, though, is just as good as single-player. Just like in single-player, you and your friend can take down zombies using weapons that suit each player’s style. Experience is tracked separately for each player, and the same goes for crafting items, though you can still trade these between each other. For offline co-op, you simply play with a partner on a split screen.
The controls are simple enough, and you’ll quickly remember which buttons to press. It’s nice to see how the developers accounted for different weapon types. If you have a club, you can use a regular attack, a strong attack, and a critical hit. And if you run out of ammo, you can use your firearm as a club.
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Despite its flaws, 505 Games managed to create something original with How to Survive. It’s clear that the game won’t attract a huge audience, since it’s important to understand the game world and the principles of weapon crafting and item collecting. If you’ve always been drawn to games with item crafting, you should definitely give How to Survive a try.
