Darkwood
Developer/Publisher: Crunching Koalas/ Acid Wizard | Genre: Horror | Release: July 24, 2014 (May 16, 2019 for Switch) | Players: Single-player | Shop: Darkwood in the Nintendo Store
What kind of game is it? Darkwood is a top-down roguelite where you are to explore a randomly generated dark forest. During the day, you gather resources and must protect yourself from “nightmarish” horror foes at night.
While playing, you unlock skills and traits that can change you. Since you acquire these through injecting dubious substances, there can be side effects.
During your exploration, you also encounter NPCs with whom you can interact and learn their stories. The decisions you make can also impact their fates.
How hard is survival? Darkwood seeks to be difficult and shows that. You don’t have to worry about things like food or water but also have no assists like quest markers.
During the day, you must make use of the time to gather resources and find a hideout for the night. At night, you then battle various monsters that become particularly dangerous if you are not well-prepared.
Even during the day, things are not entirely safe. The NPCs you interact with are not always friendly and the developers warn: “Trust no one.” Since Darkwood is a roguelite, dying is part of the experience. Be prepared to start over repeatedly.
How does it play on the go? In Darkwood, you are more reliant on controls, as you must defend yourself all around. However, according to many reports, Darkwood is easy to handle, fitting well into the handheld mode.
Graphically, you experience little loss even on a small display, as the visuals have a pixelated look anyway. However, there are instances when performance may suffer and lag occurs in situations with many enemies or near fields.
Bonus: Forager
We offer a small bonus on this list with Forager. The game is not a classic survival game, but an indie adventure with simulation and survival aspects.
What is Forager about? You start the game with a small island with few resources available. With these, however, you can gradually build a small base.
As you expand your base by purchasing more islands, acquiring more resources, and defending against monsters, you gain experience points. When you reach a new level, you always receive a skill point that you can use in the extensive skill tree.
You can freely choose whether to pursue the agricultural, logical, industrial, or economic path. Depending on your choice, this affects your gameplay and bonuses.
This is what makes Forager so great:
- Dungeons with challenging boss fights
- Tricky puzzles that provide valuable rewards
- Comprehensive skill, weapon, and crafting system
- Small side-quest system
Who is Forager for? Forager is a game that keeps survival fans on their toes with monsters that constantly respawn on the islands. It also introduces players to the building strategy genre and gives you free rein in how you play the game.
You can find Forager here in the Nintendo Store.
Which of these games do you like best on the Switch? Which other survival titles would you still recommend? Discuss with us in the comments! If you prefer to play with friends, you can find the best games for Nintendo Switch that you can play together here.
