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Softonic review

First-person open-world survival simulation game

Sons of the Forest is a single and multiplayer survival/shooter platform that combines intrigue, suspense, and classic shoot 'em up action. Boasting graphics that are on par with the Call of Duty franchise, this game presents players with a host of unique and disturbing scenarios.

The user is initially sent to a tropical island in search of a missing billionaire. It is later discovered that this environment is inhabited by cannibals. Thus, the primary goal is to vanquish numerous enemies, discover the status of the billionaire, and escape unharmed.

The gameplay and its story

In this open-world survival game, you can interact with your surroundings and modify them to create tools and weapons to attack and defend from cannibal mutants. Sons of the Forest can be played alone or with other players online. This game will strongly emphasize cooking, crafting, and combat—weapons include various types. Although guns will be available, most ammunition will have been expended by the time of this game's setting. Melee weapons such as knives will therefore be more common.

This game is set in a Pacific Northwest-style world, and it will feature dynamic seasons that introduce variety into the experience.  This will change the island's appearance and alter your survival strategies—food sources vary from season to season. Further, the characters in this game will react to the effects of dehydration, starvation, and mental strain, which can change their behavior and responses to the events. Your actions will affect the behavior of mutants, whether they prefer to live in the wild or stay underground.

You can acquire companions in this game who will help you by issuing commands. These AI assistants can gather resources and do other time-consuming tasks for you, greatly assisting your survival attempts.

Gruesome and terrifying monsters

Likewise, Sons of the Forest offers up a plethora of unique enemies to fight. Many are located deeper within the jungle, and more challenging opponents will be encountered as the gameplay progresses. Therefore, players must use weapons such as guns, axes, stuns, and much more.

Crafting one of the most potent items

The Tech Armor set is one of the most powerful in Sons of the Forest, but you won't find each piece without some effort. This means you'll have to make Tech Mesh a resource in your game that doesn't appear naturally. To get Tech Armor in this game, you must find and combine specific items—Tech Mesh, battery, wire, duct tape, and circuit board—one each. You can craft your Tech Armor components by tapping the combine button. You will need 10 of these pieces to cover your body.

However, because Tech Mesh can't be acquired through looting, many people will struggle to get it. You may find other resources at the crash site—there will be more when you scavenge locations such as cannibal camps and homesteads. You must locate the 3D printer and interact with it to print Tech Mesh. Using a 3D printer, you can create a piece of Tech Mesh for 250 ml of Printer Resin and find more printer resin scattered around the map.

Make it through your first day and night

Suppose you do not know how to survive this game on your first day and night. First, you should learn the basic game mechanics and objectives. The first thing you should do after waking up following a crash is pick up all the items scattered by accident. Some of them contain valuable items that you can collect and use. You should then set up your camp near a river and build an emergency shelter. However, there’s no autosave feature, so if you want to save your progress in this game, you must do it manually using a resting area. A Shelter Tent made from a tarp and a stick can be the easiest resting area you can create.

Pay attention to your companions in Sons of the Forest. Virginia may seem distant initially, but Kelvin is there to support you all along. You can use your notepad to give him instructions. These tasks range from collecting firewood, gathering plants for food, preparing a place to sleep, hiding if danger is near, and more.

If you want another companion besides Kelvin, Virginia is a female mutant with three arms and legs that can join your companionship. You may encounter her while building your shelter or exploring the island, but she becomes nervous when approached suddenly. When she comes near you, pressing the “G” key will make sure that your weapons are put away—let her approach you first before interacting, and don’t attack or kill her, as she can’t be revived in the game. After befriending Virginia, she can assist you in your travels by providing materials and helping guide you to important destinations.

Usage of different items

As you play this game, you’ll find it takes a shovel to move forward in the story and uncover some of these bunkers. The shovel is found in the game’s complex cave system. To get the shovel, you'll need to gather and use these items in the cave—Air Tank, Rope Gun, and Rebreather. Bring an air tank and rebreather with you on your cave dive, as the cave contains bodies of water, and to enter the cave, you'll need the rope gun to travel along a zipline.

Further, remember that the purpose of Sons of the Forest is to survive, and drinking water from the ocean won't help. So, remember that rivers are the best source of drinking water. Head for a river or stream and use your GPS locator to get there. Once at the river, crouch and press “E” to drink from it directly. You can make a water collector in this game. You must strike the shell of a giant turtle's back to craft a water collector. Place the large shell on a level surface, and it will collect rainwater for drinking. This method is best for outposts without access to natural drinking water sources.

If that turtle shell can no longer hold water, you can craft a flask using a 3D printer in this game. The recipe does require resin, but fortunately, you have enough of it in your 3D printer. The 3D printer in this game seems to be an essential item you should have.

Aside from the 3D printer item, this game has multiple firearms you can use to fight against enemies. These are pistols, shotguns, stun batons, and battery-operated chainsaws. The game also provides solar panels that you can use to recharge your batteries, powering simple electronics such as lights or heaters. They are a great way to power your electronic devices.

Major improvements and adjustments

Sons Of The Forest has just released its first major update, bringing with it a plethora of new features, improvements, and balance changes. Players are encouraged to dive into this fresh update, with the option to continue older save games or embark on a new journey for a fuller experience of the story and all the added content. Among the highlights of Version 1.0 are a new title scene and end credits, additional cutscenes, voice-acting enhancements, and the introduction of new mutants and wildlife

Creative Mode also makes its debut, offering players an alternate way to engage with the game, while various quality-of-life improvements and environmental updates promise a more immersive gameplay experience. In addition to these, numerous improvements have been made to existing mechanics and systems. Players can expect enhancements in areas such as inventory management, AI behavior, environmental details, as well as the game’s audio design. Furthermore, balance adjustments have been implemented to fine-tune the gaming experience, including changes to enemy spawns, weapon effectiveness, and resource management.

Surviving the horrors that await

Similar to Green Hell in terms of survival-based horror, players will be immersed within an immense open-world environment and forced to rely upon their instincts. Sons of the Forest combines unique elements of gore and suspense within an otherwise beautiful tropical environment.

PROS

  • Impressively detailed and immersive graphics
  • Cooperative online gameplay is supported
  • Can be played solo or in multiplayer

CONS

  • Explicit scenes of gore are not suitable for younger players
  • Some survival tasks may become redundant
  • No autosave feature

Also available in other platforms

Program available in other languages


Sons Of The Forest for PC

  • Paid

  • In English
  • V 1.0
  • 4.6

    (11)

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