Sons of the Forest review

Recommended

by Torflurch

Finished the current state of the game right a few minutes ago, with all accessories and weapons found and explored the complete map.

First of all, most of the time I had fun with the game and the setting in general, but I think, not rushing it, was the right thing to do. I took my time to spot good locations for multiple bases around the island, away from camps and it was fun building them. As long as I didn't build a tree house and sent Kelvin to haul logs, just to find out, the dude was felling the tree with the blueprint on it.

But even with multiple bases, the map is too big with the current content. I don't know if more content is planned, but especially the second half of the island is just barren land. For now, only 50% of the island would be enough, or some kind of vehicle like one of those gold carts to move around more quickly.

Over time they also have different armor, like they have seen them on you.Regarding the cannibals, I personally like them how they are. They have different behaviors and can be a bit of a challenge in greater numbers. I played solo on normal and died three times in total, so it is manageable. I build my bases far away from camps and only got then and now some curious visitors. The characters do look not that great in general, but since it is not a story driven game with a ton of cut scences, I personally do not care. I personally think that the behavior of the cannibals is plausible. Some are bold and attack you at sight, some are more cautious and wait for reinforcements or call for help. Others mourn for the fallen.

[spoiler] Over time they also have different armor, like they have seen them on you. [/spoiler]

Kelvin is a nice companion and a big help to finish blueprints, hunt or restock the storage.

[spoiler] The progress you can make with Virginia over the time is nice and with the shotgun and pistol she nearly defends the complete base by herself. You even notice how the challenge intensifies the longer you stay on the island and even mutants show up after some time. [/spoiler]

Some of the current equipment does not make sense to me or I had problems with the usage.

- Sometimes it is possible to take up a second version of the

[spoiler] shotgun and pistol. In this case installing the attachments fail, since there is already a second version in the storage. You can clearly see one version on the "crafting table" and one still in the storage. [/spoiler]

You can get rid of them by multiple clicking on them

[spoiler] but in this case, also the attachments are gone. [/spoiler]

[spoiler] - The current version of the rope gun does not make any sense to me. You can only use it on existing gliding rails, but it seems like it was intended to create your own. [/spoiler]

I do not know what is still planned within the Early Access phase. More content and a better explanation of the story, or just fixing of the current bugs. Having a road map or at least a statement from the developers would be really nice. As already wrote, the first half of the island feels already too spacious with the long distances between the POIs, but the second half is either unfinished or some kind of transportation is missing for now.

Regarding the story, oh boy, how should I put it? I personally was really eager to explore the secrets of the island and got some nice "Lost" vibes right from the start. The atmosphere and the design of the

[spoiler] high society bunkers [/spoiler]

are really nice and I read every notice and mail I could find. But till the end I personally don't know what the heck is going on. So I really hope that there will be more info regarding the background coming with the next updates.

And I personally hope that the end is just a placeholder for now, so that everybody who has finished the game already, has a reason to come back after the full release.

[spoiler] The books already give the hint that the story writer is a great fan of the movie Event Horizon, but the current conjunction does not make any sense to me. A virus that infected the complete island, that came through an inter dimensional door? So, seeing the alien city at the end within the golden cube shows, that it is something extraterrestrial. But then it doesn't make sense, that they are "demons" that start burning when you are holding a cross. So I really hope, this part just gets a bit of a rework with more explanation to it. For now, it doesn't make any sense to me and feels really rushed. [/spoiler]