Sons of the Forest

Last updated

Sons of the Forest
Sons of the Forest.jpg
Developer(s) Endnight Games
Publisher(s) Newnight
Director(s) Ben Falcone
Rod Green
Designer(s) Anna Terekhova
Programmer(s) Friso Kristiansen
Jon Kreuzer
Guillaume Kehren
Dominik Kyeck
Alexandre Haffner
Composer(s) Gabe Castro
Engine Unity [1]
Platform(s) Windows
ReleaseFebruary 22, 2024 [lower-alpha 1]
Genre(s) Survival
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Sons of the Forest is a survival horror video game developed by Endnight Games and published by Newnight. Serving as the sequel to the 2014 video game The Forest, the story centers on a protagonist sent to a mysterious island to search for a missing CEO and his family, while facing cannibalistic monsters and uncovering an ancient secret buried deep underground. The game was released via early access on February 23, 2023, for Microsoft Windows on Steam, [2] [3] before its full release on February 22, 2024. [4] [5]

Contents

Gameplay

Similarly to The Forest, Sons of the Forest puts players in control of a protagonist stranded on an island inhabited by cannibals. Players can build weapons and buildings to aid in their survival. [6] Several new mechanics have been added to the game, such as 3D printing, as well as friendly NPCs. [7] One of the aforementioned NPCs is a companion named Kelvin, who is deaf and unable to speak. Players can give Kelvin written commands on a piece of paper to help with simple tasks such as collecting crafting resources or setting up fires. [8] Players will also encounter Virginia, a three-legged, three-armed woman who can be equipped with weapons to aid in combat situations. [9] [10] The map in this game is four times bigger than that of its predecessor. [11] The game supports up to eight-player cooperative multiplayer, though players can also opt to play the game solo. [12] Depending on their actions, players can receive different endings. [13]

Plot

Many years after the events of The Forest , a team of private military contractors hired by PuffCorp is dispatched to an island called "Site 2" to search for Edward Puffton (PuffCorp's founder and CEO), his wife Barbara, and his 20 year old daughter Virginia, who have been missing for several months. Jack Holt, the player's character, is a renowned journalist and personal friend of Edward who accompanies the team. The team's helicopters are then shot down by unknown assailants. Jack survives the crash but is knocked out by a man in a silver coat named Jianyu Zhang, a former PuffCorp employee now working for Sahara Therapeutics: the corporation responsible for the events on Site 1. Jack awakens with another surviving teammate named Kelvin, who was rendered deaf and mentally handicapped by the crash.

Working together, Jack and Kelvin set up camp and obtain resources to survive the island, and to defend themselves from cannibal tribes and underground mutants. They are also joined by Virginia, who became a mutant but somehow managed to retain her humanity. As Jack explores the island, he finds sprawling cave systems, underground bunkers, luxury facilities, and ancient structures showing evidence of an advanced civilization. From documents he finds along the way, Jack learns that PuffCorp acquired the island under the guise of turning it into a resort, but was actually competing secretly with Sahara Therapeutics over control of an artifact known as the "Cube". This includes a rare and previously undiscovered golden ore named "Solafite", which the Cube and the island's other relics are composed of, and is found to have medicinal properties. Jack eventually finds surveillance footage showing that all the resort guests were suddenly transformed into mutants at a dinner party; Edward and Barbara Puffton were among them, and he is forced to kill them when he finds them.

Jack also encounters Tim and Eric LeBlanc, the famed survivors of the Site 1 incident, who have come in search of the Cube to cure Tim of his uncontrollable mutations. After being separated from the pair during a stand-off with Jianyu, Jack learns that the Cube can travel between alternate dimensions, will "activate" every eight lunar cycles, and that the only safe haven is inside the Cube itself. It is then deduced that the Cube's activations were what caused the mass mutations throughout the island, thus creating the cannibals and the mutants, and that the next activation is due to be soon.

At the VIP bunker, Jack reunites with Tim and they make their way underground towards the Cube; they manage to get inside just before it closes, locking Jianyu outside. When the Cube activates, Tim has a seizure and briefly splits into multiple versions of himself before the Cube shows them a vision of a futuristic alien city. The Cube deactivates, resets its timer, and reopens to show Jianyu has mutated into a gigantic monster. Jack and Tim return to the surface to see helicopters arriving, but are forced to fight Jianyu. After defeating him, an artifact found by the player will strip Jack of his backpack, and then attempt to lure him back towards it. Several endings are then possible:

Development

Sons of the Forest was delayed twice. Announced in December 2019, the game had an initial May 2022 release date. On March 25, 2022, the game was delayed to October of that year "to be able to deliver our vision of the next step in survival games", according to the developer Endnight Games. [14] That August, the game was delayed again to its final release date of February 23, 2023. [15] It was later announced on February 3, 2023, that the game would launch in early access to avoid further delays. [16]

On November 29, 2023, Endnight Games announced that the 1.0 version of the game, containing major gameplay and story updates, would launch on February 22, 2024. [17]

Reception

Sons of the Forest surpassed Starfield as the most wishlisted game on Steam. [19] The game sold over 2 million copies within 24 hours of release, [20] and had over 250,000 concurrent players on Steam during its launch day. [6] It became the best-selling game on Steam at the time. [21]

IGN said that "Sons of the Forest takes everything its predecessor did well and does it a little bit better," including the improved AI, larger map, and graphics, but noted poor performance optimization and an unfinished story. [18]

GamingBolt stated that Sons of the Forest is "exciting, immersive, and beautiful (...) extremely scary and absolutely packed with content", thus claiming the game was a success and "absolutely worth your time" despite not being complete as of its Early Access release - ultimately calling it "Greatness in Progress". [22]

Notes

  1. ↑ Released into early access on February 23, 2023

Related Research Articles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, commonly abbreviated as TMNT, is a media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers trained in ninjutsu who fight evil in New York City. Supporting characters include the turtles' sensei, a rat called Splinter, their human friends April O'Neil and Casey Jones, and enemies such as Baxter Stockman, Krang, and their archenemy, the Shredder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">64DD</span> Video game peripheral

The 64DD is a magnetic floppy disk drive peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console developed by Nintendo. It was announced in 1995, prior to the Nintendo 64's 1996 launch, and after numerous delays was released in Japan on December 13, 1999. The "64" references both the Nintendo 64 console and the 64 MB storage capacity of the disks, and "DD" is short for "disk drive" or "dynamic drive".

<i>Animal Crossing</i> (video game) 2001 video game

Animal Crossing, known in Japan as Dōbutsu no Mori+, is a 2001 social simulation game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the first game in the Animal Crossing series, and is also an enhanced version of the Nintendo 64 game Dōbutsu no Mori, which was only released in Japan earlier the same year, and was followed by another edition, Dōbutsu no Mori e+, in 2003.

<i>Eternal Darkness</i> 2002 video game

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is an action-adventure video game developed by Silicon Knights and published by Nintendo for the GameCube in 2002. It was produced and directed by Denis Dyack. The game follows the story of several characters across a period of two millennia and four different locations on Earth, as they contend with an ancient evil who seeks to enslave humanity. The gameplay distinguishes itself with unique "sanity effects", visual and audial effects that confuse the player and often break the fourth wall.

<i>Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest</i> 2002 GameCube action-adventure video game

Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest, known in Japan as Dōbutsu Banchō, is an action-adventure video game co-developed by Saru Brunei and Intelligent Systems for the GameCube. It was originally published by Nintendo only in Japan on February 21, 2002. After Nintendo expressed intentions to not release the game in other regions in the world, Atlus USA localized the game for North America and released it on November 5, 2002.

<i>Fallout</i> (video game) 1997 video game

Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game is a 1997 role-playing video game developed and published by Interplay Productions, set in a mid-22nd century post-apocalyptic and retro-futuristic world, decades after a nuclear war between the United States and China. Fallout's protagonist, the Vault Dweller, inhabits an underground nuclear shelter. The player must scour the surrounding wasteland for a computer chip that can fix the Vault's failed water supply system. They interact with other survivors, some of whom give them missions, and engage in turn-based combat.

<i>Portal</i> (video game) 2007 video game

Portal is a 2007 puzzle-platform game developed and published by Valve. It was released in a bundle, The Orange Box, for Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and has been since ported to other systems, including Mac OS X, Linux, Android, and Nintendo Switch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Forest Games</span> German video game developer

Black Forest Games GmbH is a German video game developer based in Offenburg. The company was founded in July 2012 by a team of 40 staff members, including chief executive officer Andreas Speer, previously employed by Spellbound Entertainment, which filed for insolvency earlier that year. As of August 2017, it is a subsidiary of THQ Nordic. As of January 2024, the company employs 55 people.

<i>S.T.A.L.K.E.R.</i> Video game franchise

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a first-person-shooter survival horror video game franchise developed by Ukrainian game developer GSC Game World. The series is set in an alternate version of the present-day Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine, where, according to the series' backstory, a mysterious second Chernobyl disaster took place in 2006. As a result, the physical, chemical, and biological processes in the area were altered, spawning numerous nature-defying anomalies, artifacts, and mutants. The player takes the role of a "stalker" - a name given to trespassers and adventurers who have come to explore the exclusion zone and its strange phenomena.

<i>The Forest</i> (video game) 2018 first-person survival horror video game

The Forest is a survival horror video game developed and published by Endnight Games. The game takes place on a remote heavily forested peninsula, where the player character Eric LeBlanc must fight off cannibalistic monsters, while searching for his son Timmy after a plane crash. The game features nonlinear gameplay in an open world environment played from a first-person perspective, with no set missions or quests, empowering the player to make their own decisions for survival. Following a four-year long early access beta phase releasing in 2014, the finished game was released for Windows in April 2018, and for the PlayStation 4 in November 2018. The game was a commercial success, selling over five million copies by the end of 2018. A sequel game, Sons of the Forest, was released in Early Access for Windows on February 23, 2023.

<i>Starfield</i> (video game) 2023 video game

Starfield is a 2023 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. In the game, the player character joins a group of space explorers who must venture to various corners of the galaxy to acquire mysterious artifacts. The game features an open world in the form of an area within the Milky Way galaxy, containing both fictional and non-fictional planetary systems.

<i>Baldurs Gate 3</i> 2023 video game

Baldur's Gate 3 is a 2023 role-playing video game developed and published by Larian Studios. It is the third main installment to the Baldur's Gate series, based on the tabletop fantasy role-playing system of Dungeons & Dragons. A partial version of the game was released in early access format for macOS and Windows in October 2020. It remained in early access until its full release for Windows in August 2023, with versions for PlayStation 5, macOS, and Xbox Series X/S releasing later that year.

<i>Valheim</i> Upcoming video game

Valheim is an upcoming survival and sandbox video game by the Swedish developer Iron Gate Studio and published by Coffee Stain Studios. It was released in early access on 2 February 2021 for Linux and Windows via Steam, and for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on 14 March 2023. The game was developed by a five-person team, building on development work which Richard Svensson had undertaken as a side project in his spare time. Since its early access release, Valheim has achieved both critical and commercial success, being praised as a "rare exception" of a refined early access game. A month after its release, it had sold over five million copies and was one of the most played games on Steam.

<i>Second Extinction</i> Cancelled video game

Second Extinction was a cooperative first-person shooter, developed and published by Systemic Reaction for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. In the game, mutated dinosaurs have taken over the Earth, and players must work together in fighting a war against the animals. The game received an early access release through Steam on October 13, 2020, and through Xbox Game Preview on April 28, 2021. Originally scheduled to leave early access on October 20, 2022, the full launch was delayed several times due to critical issues, and was eventually cancelled due to the lack of necessary resources to do so. The game is scheduled to shut down in 2024.

<i>Blood Bowl 3</i> 2023 video game

Blood Bowl 3 is a turn-based fantasy sports video game developed by Cyanide Studios and published by Nacon. It is a sequel to the 2015 video game Blood Bowl 2, based on the Blood Bowl board game by Games Workshop and is the third Blood Bowl game created by Cyanide. The game was released on 23 February 2023 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, with a Nintendo Switch port planned to be released at a later date.

<i>MultiVersus</i> 2024 video game

MultiVersus is an upcoming free-to-play crossover fighting game developed by Player First Games and published by Warner Bros. Games for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game features characters from Warner Bros. Entertainment franchises.

<i>Disney Dreamlight Valley</i> 2023 life simulation video game

Disney Dreamlight Valley is a 2023 life simulation adventure game developed by Gameloft Montreal and published by Gameloft. The game has players tend to a magical valley populated by various Disney and Pixar characters who previously underwent a curse that caused them to lose their memories of their lives in the valley.

<i>Resident Evil 4</i> (2023 video game) Video game remake

Resident Evil 4 is a 2023 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom. A remake of the 2005 game Resident Evil 4, players control the US agent Leon S. Kennedy, who must save Ashley Graham, the daughter of the United States president, from the mysterious Los Illuminados cult. The remake has an updated plot, new visuals, characters, cast, and altered gameplay.

<i>The Day Before</i> 2023 multiplayer survival horror video game

The Day Before was a multiplayer survival horror extraction shooter video game developed by Fntastic and published by Mytona. Set in the future, players controlled a character who must traverse and survive in the fictional, post-apocalyptic 'New Fortune City', which has been overrun by zombies. It was announced in 2021 and released in early access on 7 December 2023 for Microsoft Windows on Steam.

<i>Manor Lords</i> Medieval city-building video game

Manor Lords is a medieval city-builder and real-time tactics video game developed by Greg Styczeń from Slavic Magic and published by Hooded Horse. The most anticipated game on Steam upon release, with over three million wishlists, it released into early access on 26 April 2024.

References

  1. ↑ "Made with Unity Monthly: February 2030 roundup". Unity Technologies . March 1, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Sons of the Forest - Official Release Date Trailer". IGN . December 1, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  3. ↑ Chalk, Andy (December 13, 2019). "Sons of the Forest is a demon-hunting sequel to the 'terrifying' survival game The Forest". PC Gamer . Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  4. ↑ Pureza, Gabriel Machado (February 23, 2024). "Sons of the Forest Releases Big 1.0 Update". Game Rant. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  5. ↑ Hafer, Leana (February 23, 2024). "Sons of the Forest Review in Progress". IGN. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Wilde, Tyler (February 25, 2023). "More people are playing Sons of the Forest on Steam than Hogwarts Legacy". PC Gamer . Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  7. ↑ Rodriguez, Jason (January 27, 2023). "Sons Of The Forest - 3D Printer Location And Craftable Items Guide". GameSpot. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  8. ↑ Morton, Lauren (February 24, 2023). "The new best boy of videogames is Kelvin in Sons of the Forest". PC Gamer . Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  9. ↑ Marshall, Cass (February 27, 2023). "Sons of the Forest's Kelvin is my beautiful son and I". Polygon. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  10. ↑ Goulding, Erin Johnston (February 24, 2023). "Sons of the Forest: Who is Virginia?". Game Rant. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  11. ↑ Parijat, Shubhankar (October 27, 2022). "Sons of the Forest Interview – Horror, Combat, Story, and More". Gaming Bolt. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  12. ↑ Driver, Dale (January 10, 2023). "Sons of the Forest Exclusive Hands-On Preview". IGN . Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  13. ↑ Rodriguez, Jason (February 28, 2023). "Sons Of The Forest - All Endings Guide". GameSpot. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  14. ↑ Dinsdale, Ryan (March 25, 2022). "Sons of the Forest Delayed to October". IGN . Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  15. ↑ Leston, Ryan (August 31, 2022). "Sons of the Forest Delayed to February 2023". IGN . Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  16. ↑ Zollner, Amelia (February 3, 2023). "Sons of the Forest Will Now Launch in Early Access to Avoid More Delays". IGN . Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  17. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (November 29, 2023). "Sons of the Forest to Leave Early Access and Launch v1.0 in February 2024". IGN . Archived from the original on November 30, 2023.
  18. 1 2 Hafer, Leana (March 2, 2023). "Sons of the Forest Early Access Review". IGN. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  19. ↑ Young, Rory (February 17, 2023). "Upcoming Horror Game Overtakes Starfield on Steam's Most Wishlisted Chart". Game Rant. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  20. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (February 24, 2023). "Sons of the Forest Sells 2 Million Copies in 24 Hours After Entering Early Access". IGN . Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  21. ↑ Heaton, Andrew (February 27, 2023). "Sons of the Forest Continues to Break Records on Steam". Game Rant. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  22. ↑ Alexander, Mike (March 1, 2023). "Sons of the Forest Early Access Review – Greatness in Progress". GamingBolt. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.