Info about How to Survive:

Official game description:
Special Offer
=============
How to Survive 2 on Early Access is available now!  
Also remember that if you own How to Survive 1 there is special gift waiting for you!
**Survivor Loyalty Item: “Primal Fear” Armor Set.**
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**If you are already a survivor who’s got How to Survive or How to Survive: Third Person Standalone on Steam**, we welcome you back with a very special treat: the “Primal Fear” armor set!  
A set of protective gear finely crafted out of the best bones and scrap metal that can be found in the dumpster. Made by master Survivalist Kovac himself, it promises to keep bites and scratches to a minimum while displaying a distinctive Swamp-chic style!  
Join Early Access now, slip it on and knock’em dead!  
About the Game
==============
*   “_**A real Gem**_” – Destructoid at E3  
*   “**_Offers a different experience for zombie game veterans_**” – Co-Optimus  
*   “**_Has a lot more going for it than smashing brains and gory, red goo ... With a surprisingly deep crafting system_**” – GamesRadar
You're shipwrecked on an isolated island, a desperate castaway in a total freakshow world. How will you survive?  
**Collect the pages of a Survival Guide** and figure it out, of course! **Find food, water, and shelter** before you perish. Uh oh, is it getting dark? Figure out how to get through the night! While you’re at it, **gather up some of this awesome stuff and piece together over 100 handmade weapons and tools**—from shotguns to Molotov cocktails. Now you can defend yourself and your friends like a boss!  
• Choose one of the **three playable characters, each with different characteristics and skill trees**.  
• Explore **four islands filled with unique flora and fauna and a variety of abhorrent monstrosities.**  
• **Collect “Survival guide” video chapters** to learn tips that will save your life!  
• **Play with a friend offline through the story mode or go online and play with a friend through 8 demanding challenges.**.  
• Try the “Iron Man” difficulty for a demanding hardcore game experience.

Release date: Aug 29, 2014

Categories: Survival, Crafting, Cooperative Multiplayer, Zombie Horror, Character Progression, Resource Management, Top-Down Perspective, Island Exploration

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 70; verdict: Aggressive Monetization; summary: The game 'How to Survive' has received criticism for its monetization practices, particularly regarding the cost and necessity of its DLCs. Many users feel that the base game is incomplete and that essential content is being sold separately as expensive DLCs. This has led to a perception of the game being overpriced and not offering good value for money without additional purchases.
- Steam Deck: score 85; verdict: Broken; summary: The game experiences significant stability issues, particularly with frequent crashes reported by multiple users. Additionally, there are notable UI/UX problems and performance issues that affect the overall gameplay experience on the Steam Deck.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $3.00 - $5.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that the community generally finds the game worth purchasing only when it is on sale. Multiple reviews mention that the full price is not justified, and specific price points such as $15 and $3-4 are cited as more reasonable. The frequent mentions of waiting for sales and the game being worth it at discounted prices indicate that the community considers a fair price range to be significantly lower than the current base game price.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 8.0h
  - Story completion: 7.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several data points regarding the playtime for different aspects of the game. The first quote suggests that completing the game without additional challenges or extra islands takes around 8-10 hours, which can be considered the typical time for game completion. The second quote indicates that a player clocked in 7 hours before encountering certain quests, suggesting that the main story might be completed around this time. The third quote mentions that the main story took about 15 hours across 2 days of constant play, which aligns with the idea of story completion time. The fourth quote provides a broader range, mentioning a total playtime of approximately 22 hours, which includes additional activities beyond just the main story. The evidence does not provide specific information about typical single-session length or endgame hours, so these fields are marked as null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is generally fun and enjoyable, especially in co-op mode, with rewarding crafting and combat systems. However, it can become repetitive and tedious in single-player mode.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Cooperative gameplay and initial crafting and combat mechanics
  - Time to anchor: 0h 30m
  - Friction: Repetitive quest structure; Grind in later stages; Resource scarcity in early stages
  - Unlock drivers: Cooperative mode; Rewarding crafting system
  - Conditions: Playing in co-op mode; Engaging in crafting and combat systems
- Player Archetypes:
  - Co-op Survivalist (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of cooperative gameplay and crafting.
    - Playstyle: Cooperative, strategic, and experimental with crafting and combat.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: co-op player; crafting enthusiast
    - Reference games: Diablo; Dead Island
  - Casual Survival Gamer (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of survival mechanics with a preference for variety and casual gameplay.
    - Playstyle: Casual, enjoys variety but can lose interest due to repetitive tasks.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: survival game fan; casual gamer
    - Reference games: Diablo; Dead Rising
  - Story-Driven Newcomer (sale)
    - Motivation: Engagement with the story and cooperative gameplay.
    - Playstyle: Story-driven, enjoys cooperative play, can find solo play tedious.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: new player; story enthusiast
    - Reference games: The Walking Dead; Left 4 Dead


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Enjoyable multiplayer and co-op (weight 0.42): The game offers a highly enjoyable multiplayer and co-op experience, making it fun to play with friends. The cooperative modes, both online and offline, are particularly appealing and provide varied gameplay.
- Detailed crafting system (weight 0.34): The crafting system is well-designed and detailed, offering a variety of items, weapons, and recipes. It is a significant aspect of the gameplay, contributing to the game's depth and engagement.
- Engaging survival mechanics (weight 0.25): The survival mechanics, including hunger, thirst, and fatigue, add a challenging yet enjoyable aspect to the gameplay. Players must manage these needs to survive on the island.
- Easy to learn gameplay (weight 0.2): The gameplay is intuitive and easy to grasp, with responsive controls that make it accessible for new players. The simple yet fun mechanics contribute to an addictive gaming experience.
- Interesting story and characters (weight 0.15): The game offers a serious and interesting story with well-written characters and surprising twists. The narrative is engaging and adds depth to the overall gameplay experience.
- Colorful graphics and humor (weight 0.12): The game features colorful graphics and a humorous style, adding to its unique aesthetic. The visuals and humor contribute to the overall enjoyment of the game.
- Balanced difficulty (weight 0.09): The game offers a good balance of difficulty, being challenging without being overly so. This balance makes the game accessible yet engaging for a wide range of players.
- Good value for money (weight 0.08): The game is considered worth the price, offering good value for money. Players feel that the content and enjoyment provided justify the cost.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive and boring gameplay (weight 0.43): The gameplay is often described as repetitive, monotonous, and lacking originality. This includes combat, missions, and overall gameplay mechanics.
- Unmemorable and shallow story (weight 0.31): The game's story is criticized for being short, simple, and poorly developed. It lacks depth and intensity, making it forgettable and unremarkable.
- Technical issues and bugs (weight 0.27): The game has various technical issues, including bugs, crashes, and poorly optimized controls, particularly for PC.
- Limited enemy variety (weight 0.26): Players note a lack of diversity in enemy types, particularly zombies, which contributes to the repetitive nature of the game.
- Multiplayer and co-op issues (weight 0.25): Multiplayer mode is noted for being difficult to enjoy and poorly implemented, with issues such as forced screen sharing and restricted movement.
- Short gameplay duration (weight 0.24): The main storyline and overall gameplay duration are noted for being short, which can make the game feel less valuable.
- Inventory management issues (weight 0.18): The inventory system is criticized for being poorly designed and frustrating to use, with limited carrying capacity.
- Expensive and not worth the price (weight 0.17): The game is criticized for being expensive, with DLC practices that are not worth the investment, making it feel overpriced.
- Fast enemy respawn rates (weight 0.15): Enemies, particularly zombies, respawn too quickly, which can make the gameplay feel tedious and repetitive.
- Annoying and unremarkable soundtrack (weight 0.05): The game's soundtrack is criticized for being unremarkable and sometimes annoying, detracting from the overall experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Comprehensive Survival Mechanics (weight 0.37): The game features extensive survival elements, including managing hunger, thirst, fatigue, and health. Players must also handle food, water, and inventory management to survive.
- Crafting Mechanics (weight 0.26): The game includes extensive crafting mechanics for weapons, armor, explosives, tools, and food recipes. Players can combine various items to craft new ones.
- Story-Driven and RPG Elements (weight 0.23): The gameplay is enriched with story-driven elements and RPG features. It includes multiple story paths, quests, side-quests, and a focus on world-building.
- Cooperative Play Options (weight 0.2): The game offers various cooperative play options, including co-op mode, solo and co-op modes, online play, and local co-op.
- Top-Down View (weight 0.19): The game employs a top-down view, providing a unique perspective for gameplay. This includes top-down arcade feel and isometric shooter gameplay.
- Zombie Combat (weight 0.18): Combat with zombies is a key feature, including hack-n-slash mechanics and a variety of zombie threats.
- Multiple Game Modes (weight 0.18): The game offers different modes, including multiplayer modes, difficulty modes, and challenge modes.
- Character Progression (weight 0.17): Players can develop their characters through skill progression, character skills, and leveling.
- Day-Night Cycle System (weight 0.12): A day-night cycle system affects gameplay, including light mechanics and different weather patterns.
- Island Exploration (weight 0.12): Exploration is a significant part of the game, with multiple islands to explore and objectives to complete.
- Resource Management (weight 0.11): Players must manage resources and inventory, including scavenging for resources to survive.
- Open-World Elements (weight 0.09): The game features open-world elements, encouraging exploration and strategy.
- Customization Options (weight 0.09): Players can customize their weapons and characters, with unique abilities for different playable characters.
- Combat and Ammo Balance (weight 0.08): Combat mechanics are a focus, with a variety of weapons and the need for ammo balance.
- Mission System (weight 0.07): A mission system is in place, with story missions and mission completion as key components.
- Map Design (weight 0.05): The game includes detailed map design with islands and pathways, enhancing the exploration experience.

Performance notes:
- Runs smoothly on various devices (weight 0.14): The game is noted for its ability to run smoothly on a wide range of hardware, including weaker computers and the Steam Deck.
- Audio bugs (weight 0.08): Players have reported various audio bugs, including issues with the boomerang sound and mismatched voice acting and dialog.
- Control problems (weight 0.06): There are issues with the game's controls, particularly with WASD controls and general control problems.
- Graphical issues (weight 0.05): The game has weak graphics and screen color problems, which detract from the overall experience.
- Overheating issues (weight 0.03): The game causes overheating on some laptops, which can be a significant problem for players.
- Buggy animations (weight 0.03): Animations in the game are reported to be buggy, affecting the visual experience.
- Localization crashes (weight 0.03): The game crashes with certain localizations, which can be frustrating for non-English speaking players.
- Miscellaneous bugs (weight 0.03): There are various miscellaneous bugs reported, such as issues with plant and animal icons.
- Camera issues (weight 0.03): Some players have reported that the camera view is not well-adjusted, affecting gameplay.

Recommendations:
- Recommended on sale (weight 0.24): Many players suggest purchasing the game during sales for better value for money.
- Recommended for survival and hack and slash fans (weight 0.14): The game is highly recommended for players who enjoy survival, hack and slash, and cooperative gameplay.
- Worth trying for zombie fans (weight 0.13): Zombie survival fans are likely to enjoy the game, especially those who like crafting and survival skills.
- General recommendation (weight 0.1): The game is generally recommended for purchase and is considered worth trying.
- Recommended over other genre games (weight 0.07): The game is recommended over other games in the same genre, offering a unique experience.
- Recommended DLCs (weight 0.06): Specific DLCs like Kovac's Way, El Diablo Islands, and Storm Warning Edition are recommended.
- Better with friends (weight 0.05): Players suggest that the game is more enjoyable when played with friends.
- Worth buying at full price (weight 0.03): Some players find the game worth buying even at its full price.
- Highly rated main game and DLC (weight 0.03): The main game and its DLCs are highly rated by players.
- Worth trying for historical interest (weight 0.03): The game is worth trying for those interested in its historical aspects.
- Mixed feelings on game quality (weight 0.03): Some players have mixed feelings about the game, acknowledging it as a generic game but not a complete disaster.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Enjoyment (weight 0.36): Players find enjoyment in the game's engaging survival and crafting mechanics, cooperative gameplay, and varied game modes. The comprehensive crafting system, humorous narrative, and interesting tutorials also contribute to a positive experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.21): Game crashes, repetitive quests, and inventory management issues are major sources of frustration. Additionally, bugs, unbalanced weapons, and uncomfortable controls contribute to a negative experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): Players feel disappointed due to the game's lack of updates, repetitive gameplay, and unclear quests. The game's mechanics and UI, as well as the lack of variety in crafting, also contribute to this sentiment.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.08): Players feel satisfied with the engaging story, enjoyable gameplay, and satisfying survival mechanics. The variety of weapons and cooperative gameplay also contribute to a positive experience.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.05): Players experience nostalgia due to memories of playing the game in the past, often associated with specific life periods or playing with loved ones.
- Excitement (weight 0.03): Players are excited about the game's cooperative gameplay, survival mechanics, and overall enjoyment of the game and its mechanics.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Players find joy in the fun and engaging gameplay, the game's mechanics, and the enjoyable atmosphere with day-to-night cycles and different weather patterns.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): Players feel bored due to the repetitive and unengaging combat and gameplay.
- Frustrated (weight 0.01): Players feel frustrated due to inventory and respawn mechanics, as well as game mechanics and design flaws.
- Appreciation (weight 0): Players appreciate the game's compelling survival experience, detailed crafting system, and engaging gameplay.
- Impressed (weight 0): Players are impressed by the game's overall quality and depth.
- Engaged (weight 0): Players are engaged by the unique cooperative gameplay and story.
- Satisfied (weight 0): Players feel satisfied after finishing the game, especially after a long break.}