Review: Don't Starve (PS4)

Question

Players should not get too attached to the characters on show, however. Death in Fire Emblem is a huge ordeal to overcome, as the defeat of a character means that they will not return for any future battles – a particularly terrifying prospect when a gamer has spent untold hours training them up. Although some games in the series have offered a more lenient approach to character death, the threat of a mortality is still a very present dan

The work of survival can be a bit grinding at times, but there's a satisfaction to be had from making a plan and seeing it through. Today I have food but want to build something, so it's off to harvest logs and craft them into boards. Trees are cheap, plentiful, and easily renewable, but tomorrow I want gold and finding veined rocks isn't so simple. Loading up on roasted carrots and berries and taking the trusty pickaxe out for a stroll into the stony wastes solves this problem, but there's frequently other things to find there as well, such as a jagged pile of rocks that signifies a cave entrance. That's an adventure for another day, though, because the gold I'm bringing home will make an alchemy engine, which in turn allows the creation of much better gear that increases the odds of crawling out of the cave alive. The cycle of work/reward turns at a pleasant pace, making the results of all that effort feel like something earned.

The main issue many might have with Don't Starve it that you need to make your own goals. There's no "go here do this" to the game, nothing pointing you in the right direction. You get resources by harvesting them from the world, craft them into items, use them to harvest more resources that then get turned into new items to help you live longer. You need to keep on top of health, hunger, and sanity, and there's no instructions on how to do this outside of the obvious "eat food" and "don't get hit". Everything else is trial and error or a quick trip to an FAQ.

The game isn't for every gamer, but if you are looking to escape reality and visit a pixelated haven, it is hard to look further than Proteus . As you explore, you will find a progression that you may find touching and profound in its simplicity, but really that is just an added bonus for getting to spend time in a digital E

Nice as that is, the depth of play wouldn't mean much if the transition to console hadn't been smooth, but Don't Starve has made the change with perfect grace. The two games are nearly identical except for control method, and after a few minutes the switch from mouse and keyboard to controller is almost completely forgotten. Sorting inventory or crafting is simple, and clever use of the plus pad gives you multiple context-sensitive actions per item. You can change inventory on the fly with the right stick, or pause and take your time with the R2 button. There's no pause for crafting, though, and it's easy to waste a night weighing options, planning the resource-hunt for the next big project. Then again, nights are dark, deadly, and draining on sanity, so what else were you going to do with them?

And then you get cocky and decide to attack the wrong monster. Or an unexpected swarm of bats invades the camp, or a surprise tentacle in the swamp, or maybe you weren't quite so prepared for winter as you thought you were. Death isn't truly inevitable, but it's going to take a whole lot of dying to learn how not to do it any more. Then it's time to choose who you want to play as this time, roll up a new world, and start all over again with, hopefully, a better plan.

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