Surviving in Sons of the Forest can be cruel. Players have found this out and are increasingly surrendering to their dark side. Sometimes significantly more than they would like.
Sons of the Forest is a huge hit on Steam, primarily due to the many ways the game can be played. At its core, the game is still a survival game, meaning: you have to face dangers, and manage hunger and thirst.
But how you do that is up to you. Are you trying to make your way peacefully through the woods without drawing attention? Or do you slaughter everything you find to get food – including other people?
Some players have apparently discovered the path of violence and are now marauding through the woods, spreading fear and terror. This raises moral concerns.
Video producer Anna Alberg from MeinMMO was also quite reckless. Her crew even has the friendly mutant Virginia on their conscience:
“I started doing terrible things”
User Bamfcah started a thread on reddit, listing his misdeeds. He reports how he mutilates human opponents in Sons of the Forest or even lets them watch while he eats their body parts – while they are still alive.
(Other) cannibals seem to be his preferred and only targets. The player explains that he frees mutants that are locked up somewhere in cages and watches as they destroy the humans’ camps. He then leaves the mutants alone.
The reason: the cannibals have apparently attacked or even killed his Kelvin. The companion is an absolute favorite in the community. And apparently, many other players agree with Bamfcah that they would react similarly.
I would never let anything happen to Kelvin – I would even resort to disobedience:
Others report that they deal with cannibals in a similar way. Maybe not as extreme, but still quite ruthless and brutal. Some at least ponder their actions afterward.
By the way, if Kelvin or Virginia have died on your end: You can resurrect the companions with a trick.
“Are we the bad guys?”
The thread is one of the larger ones in the subreddit of Sons of the Forest with 79 comments. A question that many apparently ponder is: “Are we actually the bad guys?” Another user responds:
“I asked my crew the same question last night. We stormed through a camp and slaughtered everyone. As we ran away, we heard a whimper and saw a woman mourning over a corpse. I shot her in the head and realized… yes, we are the bad guys. But hey, I now have three new, fancy watches and some extra ropes.”
One of the major features of Sons of the Forest is the AI. Opponents react according to your behavior. This means: as long as you leave them alone, they usually don’t attack you either. At least up to a certain point.
They also mourn for killed friends, return to corpses and weep over them – or come to you and take revenge. While this can be mechanically exploited, some apparently find it quite burdensome.
Moral decisions, like how cruel one must be to survive, make the appeal of Sons of the Forest. Even if the game offers little in terms of story content, such tales are the reason why it is so hyped:
