Throughout my tenure at PCG, I have often found myself starting articles with the admission that I am not particularly drawn to survival games. Yet, here I am again, embracing this familiar refrain, albeit with a newfound appreciation for the genre’s nuances.
My hesitance towards survival games stems from a few key factors. Primarily, the challenge of navigating real-life survival is daunting enough without the added pressure of managing a virtual existence. Additionally, many survival games tend to follow a predictable formula: players typically find themselves stranded on an island, often without clothing, and must engage in a repetitive cycle of gathering resources—punching trees and rocks until they can eventually usher in an industrial revolution, a process that can consume hundreds of hours.
Innovation in Survival Gaming
Sergei Bezborodko, the solo developer behind The Last Plague: Blight, shares my sentiments regarding the genre’s formulaic nature. He observes, “A lot of the survival games coming out these days follow a fairly specific formula that has shown to have success time and time again. Elements like crafting, inventory management, base building, and hunger or thirst management feel quite similar across many titles.”
In his endeavor to break away from this mold, Bezborodko has consciously avoided the common tropes associated with survival games. “I tried to be very conscious of these commonly seen elements in the genre and avoid them in my game,” he explains. This approach means steering clear of simplistic crafting systems, generic resources, and, notably, the ubiquitous presence of zombies. Instead, he has opted for a crafting process that mirrors real-life labor. For instance, creating bronze blades involves making a mold and pouring molten bronze into it, rather than merely clicking a button to transform ore into tools.
This intricate crafting system may either entice players who revel in detail or deter those who prefer a more streamlined experience. Personally, while the added complexity of crafting may not align with my gaming preferences, I found several aspects of The Last Plague‘s demo to be quite engaging. Bezborodko draws inspiration from non-survival games, citing the radiation mechanics in titles like Fallout as a creative influence, which is reflected in the game’s central theme of a spreading Blight.
For those curious to explore this unique take on the survival genre, the demo is currently available on Steam, inviting players to experience Bezborodko’s innovative vision firsthand.
