It’s the age-old hypothetical – if you were shipwrecked on a desert island, how do you think you’d survive? Would you find a cave, keep your profile low, and subsist on roots and coconuts, or would you make your mark, and construct a big wooden shelter to house all your hunting trophies? Blending the survivalism of Sons of the Forest with the combat and exploration of Far Cry, particularly Far Cry Primal, one FPS that’s already accumulated glowing reviews has just hit 1.0, and you can play the full thing today.
This is Survival: Fountain of Youth, a shooter and survival game where you play an unfortunate 16th-century privateer who’s been washed ashore on an archipelago of uncharted Caribbean islands. First, you need to acquire simple sustenance, stitch together some primitive tools, and try to stay more or less alive. Hunger, thirst, and energy meters need tending to, and the islands are filled with vicious wild animals. Unlike The Forest, where your enemies are more…supernatural, Survival: Fountain of Youth pits you against the brutality of the natural world. It’s eat, or be eaten.
Once your basic needs are met and you’ve established a regular food source as well as liveable dwelling, that’s when Survival really opens up. There are 11 islands across the Caribbean archipelago. Using a raft or fully-fledged Spanish galleon, which you can repair and customize, you can explore the entire region, creating outposts, and testing your skills against diverse flora, fauna, and hazardous weather events. Some islands might be relatively benign. Others are overgrown with poisonous plants, or racked by thunderstorms and gales. You have to keep moving, however, as somewhere in the archipelago is an incredible secret.
Your ultimate goal is to discover the eponymous Fountain of Youth, which is buried and hidden somewhere in the game. Ancient ruins cover the map. Mysterious carvings and sculptures offer clues to the Fountain’s location. If you survive long enough, you might be able to find it – but the possibility of death hangs over everything, and you need to be very careful.
Launched into Steam Early Access in April 2023, Survival: Fountain of Youth has so far accumulated more than 1,800 user reviews, 87% of which are positive. The Survival: Fountain of Youth 1.0 release date arrives today, Tuesday May 21, so if you want to try the full game out for yourself, it’s available now, right here.
Alternatively, the best crafting games will get your imagination working, while the best FPS games are perfect for fans of Far Cry.
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