This War of Mine
Developer/Publisher: 11 bit/Deep Silver | Genre: Simulation/Drama | Release: November 14, 2014 (November 27, 2018 for Switch) | Players: Single-player | Shop: This War of Mine in the Nintendo Store
What kind of game is it? This War of Mine takes place in the fictional city of Pogoren, devastated by war and impoverished by a siege. The story is inspired by the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War between 1992 and 1996.
You play from the perspective of the civilian population, suffering from the war and the destruction of their homes and cities. In doing so, you control the fate of a group of survivors who are trying to get by somehow in the ruins.
The game conveys a depressing, dystopian atmosphere. Emotional players might quickly reach their limits here, as This War of Mine confronts you mercilessly with the consequences of war.
How hard is survival? In the game, you manage your “base,” a destroyed house, and upgrade it as far as possible. You’ll also frequently send people outside into the city to find supplies and keep everyone alive.
Thus, you need to pay attention to basic needs like nutrition, sleep, and health for all characters, while also making tough decisions. Many of these lead to the death of one of your survivors. You must:
- decide whether to help children knocking at your door – but they can also betray and rob you
- give medicine to the seriously ill mother or to the strong fighter who can continue looking for supplies
- take the risk of being killed by enemies while looting, or return empty-handed, which may lead to someone starving
The most significant survival factor in This War of Mine are the generally scarce resources and the risks involved in looting the city.
How does it play on the go? Like Terraria, This War of Mine utilizes a 2D or 2.5D look and a side-view perspective. Since you mostly make various decisions through dialogue, the gameplay is also easily manageable on the go.
However, This War of Mine can truly test your nerves. If you are easily overwhelmed by heavy fates, it may happen that you shed a tear right in the bus or train.
Don’t Starve
Developer/Publisher: Klei Entertainment | Genre: Adventure | Release: April 23, 2013 (April 12, 2018 for the Switch version) | Players: Single-player | Shop: Don’t Starve in the Nintendo Store
What kind of game is it? As one of many playable characters, you find yourself in Don’t Starve in the hand-drawn world of the antagonist Maxwell, who apparently kidnapped you. Your goal: Do not starve and somehow escape.
The game principle is a so-called “roguelite,” where you restart each run in a randomly generated world. However, progress to unlock new characters is carried over between runs.
A special feature: the characters are “voiced” by brass instruments. Combined with the lovingly designed environment, this creates a unique charm.
How hard is survival? Don’t Starve is a classic survival game with values such as hunger, health, and sanity. All three need to be adequately managed to survive.
You start in Don’t Starve by gathering stones and twigs, building the first tools and a shelter, and steadily progressing. The world to explore becomes increasingly dangerous and poses more threats as you descend into madness.
Deaths are almost permanent. When you die, the round is over – unless you can escape death through special items. However, Don’t Starve relies on you making progress further with each attempt thanks to your experience.
How does it play on the go? Since Don’t Starve particularly shines with its hand-drawn style, some of the gameplay feeling can be lost on the smaller display. However, the controls should work without any issues, given that Don’t Starve has very few functions.
Only with the small texts and descriptions might you have some difficulties if you have issues with your eyesight. The same goes for dusk and night in the game when your brightness settings on the Switch are too low.
