How To Survive Review (PC)

good
key review info
  • Game: How to Survive
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
How to Survive

Zombie survival games are very popular among horror game fans and nowadays quite a few titles have appeared on the market in an attempt to satisfy the ever-growing demand.

How to Survive is one of those games that doesn’t come with fancy graphics or a complicated story; instead, it relies on the player’s abilities to survive in a zombie-infested environment.

Story

The story in How to Survive is simple: you play as a desperate castaway who wakes up on the shores of an isolated island that is apparently overrun by zombies. Without any knowledge of your surroundings, your only chance to make it home alive is to search for other survivors on the island and try to find a way to escape from this never-ending nightmare.

Having no weapons to protect yourself and with little knowledge of survival techniques, you must explore a few small islands in search of all sorts of items that can be cleverly used to craft deadly weapons.

Gameplay

Before starting the campaign, you will have to choose one of the three available characters, each with different characteristics and skill trees. As soon as you start the adventure, you will slowly be introduced to the game’s core mechanics through basic survival guides left behind by a mysterious character named Kovacs.

These guides will cover pretty much everything you will need to know on how to survive on the island, from combat and crafting to the importance of the skills you can learn each time you level up.

Survival is more than making sure you stay alive in a sea of zombies; you will also have to take care of your body and mind in order to remain vigilant and here’s where hunger, thirst and tiredness come into play.

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Gather all kinds of items
...and craft anything that might help you
Neglecting any of these three basic needs of the human body might lead you to perdition sooner than you might think. For example, hunger can lead to loss of strength that will affect your fighting skills, while the lack of sleep can seriously cripple your aiming capabilities.

Each of these needs can be easily kept under control by procuring food, finding fresh water and a safe shelter to spend the night. The game fails to make this a real challenge for players, because any source of food, water and shelters are just a few sprints away.

Finding shelters is the easy part, but getting inside for a good night’s sleep is another challenge the island throws your way. When you open the door of a shelter, an alarm will be triggered and it will attract lots of zombies to your location. With some carefully aimed shots, you can quickly clean the place and use it whenever you are getting tired.

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Find shelters to rest during the night
...and gather spare parts to fix the boats
The game doesn’t offer too many variations when it comes to the missions you will have to complete. From filling a jerry can with gasoline to finding spare parts around the island necessary to fix other vehicles, these missions lack diversity and repeat themselves throughout the story.

Although you get to explore the entire archipelago, the environment is pretty much the same on every island. This makes the game feel like it has been rushed to meet its release date and developers focused more on the core mechanics rather than the fine details of the world where it takes place.

The zombies you will encounter are not that varied and while most of them can be taken out using default attacks, some require precise headshots that will bring you more experience points.

The crafting system is cleverly designed and once you learn how to make your own guns, the approach of each fight changes depending on the weapon you are wielding. For example, combining a handle with a jerry can, a bike motor and a chain will result in a cool handmade chainsaw that can rip zombies apart without too much effort.

Armor and potions can also be crafted if you find the required recipe and gather the right materials. Even if you don’t manage to find all the recipes, you can always try new item combinations that seem right.

Multiplayer

The entire campaign can also be played cooperatively over the internet or on the same computer using a gamepad. I must admit that it’s way more fun playing the game alongside a friend rather than tackling all those zombies alone.

After finishing the game, you can always try the Challenge mode that comes with a few missions where your survival skills will be put to the test.

Video and Audio

Graphic-wise, How to Survive doesn’t really impress with the quality of the surrounding environments. Although monotonous, they are very well complemented by real-time shadows that even follow the position of the sun during the day.

Zombies can be killed using various finishing moves rendered with fluid animations. The soundtrack is nothing out of the ordinary, but it does sometimes manage to create a spooky atmosphere, especially during the night.


The Good

  • Clever crafting system
  • Local and online co-op
  • Fun challenges

The Bad

  • Unconvincing story
  • Repetitive environment

Conclusion

How to Survive doesn’t break any molds when it comes to zombie survival horror games; instead it succeeds in bringing to the table some fun elements that will make you somehow crave for more.

The crafting system is cleverly designed and it’s probably the best thing the game has to offer for now. All that being said, How to Survive is definitely worth a shot not for the unmemorable zombie encounters, but for the fun co-op mode that will keep you entertained for quite some time.

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story 5
gameplay 8
concept 7
graphics 7
audio 7
multiplayer 8
final rating 7
Editor's review
good