There are many open world survival games out there and especially on EA Steam, but I feel like this one is different from the rest because of the main concept this game carries and delivers; even at such an early stage.
Starting with negatives/improvements, this game's biggest problem right now is its performance, which is a good thing. If they can sort out performance, this will be a solid experience. On my 1070 and quad core i7 3.4ghz, this game runs around 55 - 75fps with a mix of high and ultra (no AA) and with frequent micro stuttering. 75fps may seem high, but that's only achievable when in an interior looking into corners. As a 144hz user, I do expect this game to be hitting above 100fps given the graphic fidelity quality this game has. Another improvement I think can be made is having the stamina regenerate much slower because it seems like I can just rest 2 or 3 seconds after sprinting for so long, I can outrun ANYTHING that goes for me. I think the dogs/wolves should be faster than you at least. Also, the "cling" sound when you're spotted should be removed or changed to something more subtle and less alerting.
Where this game shines are its mechanics and concept. While most EA survival games have you playing as a stock bald dude plucked from some Asset store, you play as a womanly lone survivor who is barefoot and with appropriate footstep sounds to boot - which combined, help with the immersion of a realistic world your character is reacting to. Next up, it's pretty nice how there is a somewhat storyline in such an early build, and although it most likely isn't going to win any awards it is something to work towards and there are a couple of genuinely interesting moments (so far) in the main quest that will want to get you exploring. To supplement your exploration, this game features some damn fine climbing and running mechanics similar to Mirror's Edge and Tomb Raider, whereby if you press the jump button as you're about to leap a fence, the character will seamlessly hop over it. Moreover, moving the camera around in first person as you're hanging from a rock looking for a ledge to grab feels like it's straight out of TR/Uncharted/Dying Light. Additionally, similar to Resident Evil 6, if you press the crouch button as you're running your character will slide across the floor - well animated and actually useful for diving into waist-height cover. Come to think of it actually, it would be cool if there were proper swimming mechanics implemented too.
So, it's still a survival game, so you gotta collect natural resources and craft and repair items in order to keep your hunger, thirst and quest progression up. The hunger/thirst seems quite forgiving for the most part, but it doesn't really make sense that a water well would break upon first use. Having said that, recipes don't appear to be too complex and purposely bloated with useless crap in order to artificially make the game seem deeper than it actually is. No, instead, the recipes are kept simple and you can see what you have and what you need easily by opening the inventory - which is fast and efficient, by the way. It's really cool to see the inventory instantly open upon pressing the key, and having the different tabs clearly marked, and showing the character portrait to the left is a nice little touch to show you're a somebody and not a nobody. Anyway, as said, the crafting part seems relatively simple compared to other games of the same genre, but finding the parts themselves can be tricky as important resources are sparse. Having said that, you can save the game using a bonfire nonetheless, and if you die, you'll be taken back there. I'm not totally sold on this bonfire system because it goes against the design that you have to build and craft to get somewhere, so how does it make sense I can light a fire with perfectly placed wood all of a sudden? It's clear the devs just copied Dark Souls' system here but I'm afraid it probably won't end up working in the game's favour in the long run.
There are quests to do but there's far too many given at one single time with a checklist of almost meaningless objectives. I mean, literally the second you exit the beginning well, you're given 4 quests with multiple objectives to do in each one. This is very overwhelming for an open world game and as such, I think you should reduce the amount of quests given at the start as well as their respective objectives, and have them show up the more the player explores. How does it make sense that I know about some coastal tower when I barely know the island I'm on?
Graphics are so-so... they aren't great nor bad, but this being an alpha build, I can overlook dated graphics for now. There's options like SSAO, unspecified AA, screen space reflections and other modern post-processing that UE4 comes shipped with, and can all be turned on or off. Sound design is okay, too, and as I mentioned above having the correct footstep sounds is something I always love in games. Movies have them, cartoons have them, so should games. Your character groans and cries in pain as you're hit, she puffs as she gets lower on stamina, "alert" sounds are quite standard and aren't memorable with the exception of the weird sounding "cling" when you're spotted by an enemy. While the inventory system is slick to use, its layout is quite bland in that it looks too modern. Black bars acting as your window separator is frankly boring to look at and it doesn't fit the theme of the game.
Speaking of being chased by an enemy, it's actually quite satisfying seeing that 2D depiction of your character in the lower-left corner that displays the type of action you're doing. e.g. when you crouch, it crouches, when you sprint, it sprints. This takes me back to the days of early 00s tactical shooters such as Ghost Recon. However, and I'm probably not far enough in the story to understand this, but it doesn't really seem logical that some guy wearing a bag over his head is roaming around and then chases you for whatever reason. If he's looking for you, and is meant to be the game's "stalker", I suggest that he remain hidden for the most part and have him leap out at you during unexpected but scripted moments. As mentioned, I can easily outrun him and it turns into a joke that this menacing guy can't even catch up to me.
All in all, a surprisingly solid EA game with a few problems, but to counter-act this, has some neat tricks up its sleeves. If you're a fan of open world survival games, definitely give this a go. If you're sick of these kinds of games, stay your wallet and keep an eye on this one, because despite it falling under a common and popular genre; it offers things not many other games of this kind are doing. Sure, there's no base building, multiplayer, but I actually think this game is better off without them. It's clear the devs want to tell a personalised story, and it doesn't make much sense that an inexperienced survivor would just go around building castles like they are a mastermind architect. Please, keep base building out, and solidify your survival mechanics first. Finally, I think the maturity of this game should be stepped up. Examples would be more variety in death animations, gorier deaths both to and from the player, having the character be naked by default (like Conan Exiles), more emotional moments during key points in quests that belong to the story and generally more of an uninviting atmosphere. I want to see stuff like heads on pikes, decayed corpses in caves, vultures pecking on dead animals, this sort of thing. Right now, despite the colourful world, it feels almost too inviting and friendly in that it is just an abandoned part of this land, and not a place somebody would place their victim to trap them.
Hopefully the developers will take my criticisms/improvements into account and build upon them, as well as continuing to add great new content that supports the current gameplay mechanics.
