Developer: Merge Games
Platforms: PC (Reviewed), PS5, Xbox Series S/X
Genre: Action, Adventure, RPG
Publisher: Merge Games, Maximum Entertainment
Smalland: Survive the Wilds is an adventure multiplayer survival game. Smalland: Survive the Wilds is developed by Merge Games and published by Merge Games and Maximum Entertainment. Games similar to Smalland: Survive the Wilds would be Grounded and ARK. This game was reviewed on the PC, but the game is also available on the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Smalland: Survive the Wilds is a great multiplayer game that you can play with up to 10 players. The world of Smalland: Survive the Wilds is set in a fantasy folklore setting where you are fairy-like humans in a tiny wilderness. Fae like creatures who roam around a forest amongst many bugs, critters and fruits. The game consists of a lot of time for players to explore and fully get immersed in the world of Smalland. The game consists of the player gathering resources, hunting for food, fighting enemies and building shelter. You can craft a number of weapons, armour, and tools that each have different sets. In Smalland, you can explore the vastness of the world as you try to unravel the story whilst surviving harsh environments. Your main mission is to help find the cure for the queen who is sick, which was ordered to you by the king.
The controls of the game are very easy to get used to, and as you start off the game, everything is taught to you as you start and progress through the game. For instance, owl effigy statues are presented over the map, which gives you insights into how different mechanics of the game work. In addition to this, the controls are shown on the screen when able to interact with objects that make it accessible for players. When creating a world, there are many options to choose from. You can choose lengths for day cycles and season cycles. Give creatures certain health, etc. This gives players options to keep the world the way they would like.
The art style of Smalland: Survive the Wilds is similar to Grounded, where the characters are cartoon yet human-like, and the environment is built upon with great detail. The bugs, critters, and NPCs all look so real, which really puts the player into this unknown forest. Elements of the game have a folk-lore type of vibe, especially the map UI, which looks whimsical and mystique. The game is extremely colourful with great charm to it that comes from exploring the area. Everything about the game is so well-detailed, especially all the critters and items you encounter on your journey. By far, the best part about this game visually is the immersiveness the atmosphere around the character puts into play. Everything is also put into the right size in comparison to your character, and you can tell that you fit right into this tiny world. Everything about the game, from the dynamic lighting to the immersive atmosphere, is very fantasy-like. All the details put into this game really bring forth the wilderness of this game. The visuals do an amazing job of creating a cartoon yet realistic look to the various landscapes and creatures. Not just visually, but the game is extremely enhanced with the soundtrack and sound effects that are played throughout the game. The soundtrack consists of a blend of melodies with setting music such as mellow instrumentals to much more tribal beats, giving the game more amp to it. I like that when encountering hostile creatures, there is a change to the music, which is a great cue for players. In addition, the sound effects consist of great natural essence, from water streams to the running sound effect on the ground to the little noises the creatures you encounter make. It’s a range of music and sounds that go well with the various in-game occurrences that bring more exhilaration to the players on their adventure. Both the visuals and audio of this game do a great job of creating a whimsical journey.
As someone who has played Grounded, the game has many similarities, but the games differ in a large majority. The whole premise of being tiny and trying to survive in a life-sized wilderness is a similar concept. There are many things that I love about this game, which makes it immersive. To begin with, I would highly recommend playing this game with multiple people rather than yourself, as it’s much more fun and enjoyable. The game is difficult as it requires a good amount of building up to defeat enemies and progress through the story. What I really like about this game is the story that you can unlock by meeting up with various NPCs and completing quests. Just encountering creatures was so much fun, and having the ability where you can scan them with your antenna was a great way to collect information on them. I enjoyed playing the game with my two other friends as it made the overall experience so much more exciting. I did find that there was a slight issue with the combat, a noticeable delay, which took away from the fighting aspect and was not the best at times. Besides that, the rest of the game ran really smoothly, and most of the exploration was done at a good level.
Two of the people we played this game with had the following comments to say about Smalland: Survive the Wilds. First, Moody said the following, “I really liked playing this game mainly because there was so much to do, and there was never a reason to stop playing. I had tried playing this game by myself for a bit and found it to be quite challenging, so playing it with friends just made the playthrough even more exciting. I loved the way the game looks because it seems so real and makes you feel as if you are the tiny people in this big forest. My favourite part about the game would have to be the ability to ride some creatures, as I thought it gave so much more feel to the game. To the point we reached in the story, it was pretty decent as it gave us a good direction on what to actually do in the game with some, insight rather than aimlessly exploring. Overall, I really enjoyed the game, and I would definitely recommend it for a good group play!”
Second, Sapphire said the following, “To begin with, the first impression I had of the game was quite good. Upon starting, I was brought to a customization page where I was able to customise my character to my liking. I do wish there were a bit more options, but the options in the game are off good range. Now, I have played this game with two other people, and it was chaotic in a good way. At first, the game does a really good job of thoroughly explaining various quests, game mechanics, and overall utils. When going into combat with creatures, there was a bit of clunkiness to the attacks, which did get annoying at times, especially when taking on creatures that come in a group. The atmosphere of this game does a really good job of keeping the player invested because as you start to explore, you want to keep on exploring. The game is challenging, to say the least, and it is not as easy as you would think it would be, which I quite enjoyed. The reason being is because it allows for more gameplay and ways to overcome certain creatures or obstacles along the way. The point of the story we reached was not too bad either, as it kept us on track. I also liked the tree housing. The building in the game is quite simple, which is not too bad, but the idea of claiming a tree was quite fun. At first, it was confusing how to actually do so, but soon, we had figured out how to do it. The game does require patience as you cannot just run through the story; you really do need to build up on equipment. I like that; certain sets also help in different conditions, such as padded armour keeps you warm, etc. All in all, the game is enjoyable there; there are slight bugs here and there which take away from the experience, but the more you play, the more you get used to them. ”
If you want to play an immersive survival game that puts you into the world of tiny fae-like creatures, then this game is just for you. The game is suitable for everyone and creates an atmospheric adventure like no other where you can either play by yourself or up to 10 players! The game has outstanding visuals and with seamlessly exciting gameplay. You can build shelter, fight creatures, gather resources and hunt for food, all whilst trying to survive various conditions. While you’re at it, you can also progress through the story to find the end means of the game. If you think this is the game for you, then be sure to check out Smalland: Survive the Wilds!
Overall: 7.5/10
This is S & S. We are world game explorers. We play games. We have played over 10,000+ games! We travel, we write reviews AND we play more games!!!!
