The Forest was released back in 2018, and it quickly became a widely appreciated horror survival game for several reasons. Not only did it offer almost endless opportunities for base building, but it was also a genuinely terrifying game, boasting dark, dingy caves, horrifying mutants, and a sense of unnerving loneliness.
On the 23rd of February 2023, Sons Of The Forest, the highly anticipated sequel to The Forest, is set to launch, bringing with it an entirely new wave of terror for players to… Enjoy?
Recently, previews have begun surfacing that have revealed new elements in the game, such as a curiously advanced AI companion system that goes beyond simply having a friend to fight with.
Sons Of The Forest Looks Horrific
If The Forest was a ‘scary game’, then Sons Of The Forest looks downright chilling. In a vast, open world, players are charged with the need to fight for their lives, using resources that they find and collect to build up safe havens wherever they so desire.
There’s an immersive crafting system, a near-endless ability to build bases constricted only by the player’s imagination, advanced weather and day-night cycles, and more weapons and tools than you can shake a stick at. And, of course, there are cannibals – which you can literally shake a stick at.
In an exclusive preview of Sons Of The Forest, published by IGN and featuring developer input, several new aspects of the game are revealed:
For instance, it’s now known that in Sons Of The Forest, there will be an AI companion system, which wasn’t at all present in 2018’s The Forest. There will be an opportunity to ally with a deceptive mutant named Virginia, or buddy up with a brain-damaged human named Kelvin, who will almost silently work for you, constructing your base while you’re absent and exploring the vast world.
The developer, Endnight, has confirmed that there are more AI companions besides just these two characters, and in the true spirit of a violent and aggressive game, they can be permanently killed at any moment, should the player tire of their presence.
Next-Generation Terror
In concept art, trailers, and screenshots, we’re treated to the knowledge that Sons Of The Forest really isn’t for the faint of heart. From wearing skinned heads as masks to physically mounting decapitated bodies on spikes, and from fighting bloodthirsty cannibals to braving the most hostile environment imaginable almost independently, there’s plenty in this game to freak out the average gamer.
There are some scenes that see mutants quite literally throw babies at the player in an attempt to ward them off. It’s really, really not a lighthearted game.
Of course, one doesn’t have to go it truly alone. Like The Forest, Sons Of The Forest is a cooperative title, but as it’s being released exclusively on PC, there are no opportunities for cross-platform play.
—
For more Insider Gaming news, check out why Naughty Dog has said it won’t announce games too early anymore.
