Most survival games don't offer much in the way of narrative, and plenty would argue that that's part of their charm. Their stripped-down, 'players vs. the big bad world' motif and the overhanging fear of death does away with any pretences, creating emergent narratives purely out of your interactions with the game and other players. But The Forest takes a unique step for a survival game by throwing in a loose plot, which actually works pretty well. The idea is that the player and his son are aboard a plane when it crashes on a forested island populated by cannibals. The game starts with a tribal masked man taking your son away while you're semi-conscious, and it's up to you to track him down. Seeing as the story's not fully written yet, you'll still spend most of your time hunting, fending off cannibals (using not only weapons but an excellent array of defences and traps you can build) and gathering resources, but the enigmatic plot and bits of environmental storytelling scattered around the island add some intrigue to The Forest, encouraging you to explore its eerie woods and murky caves. Add to that a co-op mode and a dark 'lost in the woods' horror atmosphere, and The Forest is an excellent survival package.
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
