Don't Starve Together (PC) Review

A promising and enjoyable sequel that, honestly, is quite fun but has a bit of a struggle to get started, Don’t Starve Together also allows for friends to help out with ease. The sandbox survival/crafting genre is one that has been very heavily dominated by Minecraft to the point where many people don’t even know other games exist or, if they do, will hastily compare them to solely Minecraft. This is fun in its own right, though, if perhaps needing some of its faults ironed out.

The art style utilises beautiful pencil-drawn graphics to give it a unique feel that brings vague impressions of Edger Alan Poe’s work forward, imbuing a distinctly dark atmosphere. It is impressive and enjoyable to see and, thankfully, won’t be horribly taxing for anyone. That aside the gameplay is, well, solid… to a degree.

Unfortunately, there is one big flaw before the actual game even starts – it is required that an online lobby be created even if gamers fully intend to lock out most/everyone else, which is annoying as it would have been nice to have a 100% legitimate offline/single-player mode, even if the same situation can be duplicated easily online. That aside, there are several characters to pick from, each with their own distinct traits and abilities, for example, the girl on the front page artwork is a pyromaniac and enjoys setting things on fire and receives several bonuses and penalties along that line, as opposed to the default character who is neutral on everything.

The game is best enjoyed, though, with a few friends playing together as the start can be rather cruel to the inexperienced. On the first day or two, survival based entirely off of eating grass, leaves, and one or two lucky food items, is very possible and even likely given a bad map; but this can be quickly alleviated somewhat by having a friend along to scout out or help build things.

The most frustrating aspect, however, is that it does have a bite to it that makes it enjoyable, yet explaining said bite is very difficult. It may be the inventing mechanics that allow for mixing up various items to discover new ones and build a bunch of cool tech, but, then again, it is also possible to never be able to get these inventions due to poor resources. It may be being able to do so with friends, though, yet what about solo play? Maybe with a bit more time a clear answer can be found but, for now, the game is enjoyable, solidly creative, and worthy of its price.

The base game, Don't Starve, contains two modes: Survival and Adventure. Perhaps the best way to look at Don't Starve Together is as a third mode entirely. What works in the main game doesn't work quite the same in the multiplayer mode. Not many multiplayer titles have put such a strong emphasis on player-vs.-environment gameplay, but in Don't Starve Together, it works. The concept is the same: pick a character and then get thrust into the wilderness, charged with staving off hunger, insanity, monsters, and the elements.

The graphics are heavily gothic in nature, and may remind players heavily of the Goth Kids from South Park, or perhaps Gaz from Invader Zim. The cel-shading is very well done, and the smoke puffs are more than a little similar to those from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Given the overall tone of the graphics, it's far more likely that the spirals and twists arose out of homage to The Nightmare Before Christmas than anything, but the point is that Don't Starve is a great game, although the style may not be for everyone.

Like Minecraft, most of the time there is no music playing. However, the music of Don't Starve is very much like that of Alice: Madness Returns, if the latter had a bit of its violins replaced with other instruments. Although it's technically superb, the music also has the same effect as the graphics, and whether players like it will depend entirely on their opinions of gothic culture and its fondness for music that heavily alludes to nursery rhymes. Some of the sound effects could have been lifted straight out of The Sims 3, and they are just as annoying, but these aren't frequent enough to be more than an occasional irritant.

As with many multiplayer games, who comprises the team will affect how well the team does. A group of seasoned veterans can likely dive right in, while a group of newcomers might have an even more of a rough time than they would if they were playing alone—or they might turn out to mesh well enough to get things rolling along smoothly from the gate. How to decide on progression must be made personally: sticking together might yield fewer resources per day, for example, while each member striking out on their own could lead to a greater stockpile of food and supplies, yet it also means splitting up the team, which could prove deadly.

Although the gameplay of Don't Starve stands on the simpler side of the survival-crafting genre and is closer to Terraria than Minecraft, a unique combination system allows for a deeper level of discovery and nuance than is readily apparent. The difficulty is a little low, because a basic campfire, made from readily available materials, is all that is necessary to keep spawning enemies away, which ultimately makes them feel more like a way to waste the player's time than a threat, but it is intrinsically more rewarding to build a base than it is to just hover around a campfire.

With multiplayer, it is hard to imagine any given server hosting a population over the course of years, as the entire world is terraformed, like might be found in Minecraft. The result is a lot of starting over from the beginning, and that can only be done so many times before interest begins to wane. Single-player modes alleviate that concern, but the possible lack of resources and the small sides of the world also serve to aggravate the problem. The unusual style might keep some coming back for more, but Don't Starve has definitely sought style over substance.