Sons of the Forest Review
Sons of the Forest doesn't waste time with pleasantries. Within minutes of crash-landing on a remote island, you're thrust into a nightmarish world where every shadow could conceal death and every sunset brings fresh terrors. This sequel to 2018's The Forest amplifies everything that made its predecessor memorable while introducing new mechanics that deepen the survival experience in meaningful ways. The game strikes an impressive balance between accessibility and complexity, welcoming newcomers while rewarding veterans with intricate systems and hidden depths. What immediately sets Sons of the Forest apart is its atmospheric tension. The island feels alive with menace, from the eerie silence of abandoned campsites to the bone-chilling screams that echo through the forest at night. Endnight Games has crafted an environment that tells stories through environmental details, scattered notes, and the grotesque remains of previous visitors. The visual fidelity brings this horrific world to life with stunning detail, making every encounter with the island's inhabitants feel visceral and immediate. The game's greatest strength lies in how it seamlessly blends multiple gameplay elements. You'll spend mornings gathering resources and fortifying your base, afternoons exploring mysterious caves and abandoned facilities, and nights huddled around fires while unseen horrors prowl the darkness. This rhythm creates a compelling gameplay loop that keeps you constantly engaged, always planning your next move while reacting to immediate threats.
The core survival mechanics in Sons of the Forest feel refined and purposeful. Hunger, thirst, and rest management never feel tedious thanks to intuitive systems that telegraph your needs clearly. The building system has been significantly improved from its predecessor, offering more flexibility in construction while maintaining the satisfying physicality of placing each log and stone. Combat strikes an excellent balance between desperation and empowerment - early encounters feel genuinely threatening, but as you acquire better weapons and learn enemy patterns, you develop from prey into predator. The addition of AI companions, particularly Kelvin and Virginia, transforms the traditionally solitary survival experience into something more dynamic. These NPCs aren't just decoration; they actively contribute to your survival efforts, gathering resources, providing combat support, and even offering companionship during the island's darkest moments. The crafting system rewards experimentation and observation, with many recipes discoverable through logical combination rather than explicit instruction. Resource management feels meaningful without being overwhelming, and the seasonal weather system adds another layer of strategic planning to your survival efforts.
While Sons of the Forest doesn't rely heavily on traditional narrative structure, it excels at environmental storytelling and gradual revelation. The island's dark history unfolds through scattered documents, abandoned research facilities, and the increasingly disturbing mutations you encounter. The story respects player agency, allowing you to engage with the narrative at your own pace while ensuring that even casual exploration yields intriguing discoveries. The mysterious disappearance of a billionaire family serves as the initial hook, but the real story emerges through your interactions with the island's ecosystem of horrors. The AI companions deserve special recognition for their characterization despite limited dialogue. Kelvin's earnest attempts to help, even when misunderstanding your instructions, create genuine emotional investment. Virginia's more complex relationship with the player, shifting between suspicion and trust based on your actions, demonstrates sophisticated AI behavior that enhances rather than detracts from the experience. The narrative's strength lies in its restraint - it provides enough context to drive exploration while leaving plenty of room for player interpretation and discovery.
Visually, Sons of the Forest represents a significant leap forward from its predecessor. The lush forest environments showcase impressive attention to detail, with realistic lighting that dramatically affects both gameplay and atmosphere. Day-night cycles feel meaningful, transforming familiar locations into alien landscapes after dark. Character animations, particularly for the mutant enemies, blend the grotesque with the eerily human in ways that consistently unsettle. The weather effects and seasonal changes add visual variety while impacting gameplay mechanics in logical ways. The audio design deserves particular praise for its subtlety and effectiveness. Rather than relying on constant jump scares, the game builds tension through carefully crafted ambient soundscapes. The distant calls of unseen creatures, the crack of branches underfoot, and the whisper of wind through leaves all contribute to an atmosphere of constant unease. Voice acting for the limited dialogue is convincing, and the sound effects for combat and crafting provide satisfying feedback. The dynamic music system expertly ramps up tension during encounters while allowing for peaceful moments of respite during base-building activities.
As an Early Access title, Sons of the Forest shows impressive technical polish while still exhibiting some growing pains. Performance on mid-range to high-end PCs is generally solid, with consistent frame rates and reasonable loading times. However, players with older hardware may need to adjust settings to maintain smooth gameplay. Occasional bugs and glitches are present but rarely game-breaking, typically involving AI pathfinding or physics interactions during base construction. The developers have shown commitment to regular updates and bug fixes, with community feedback actively incorporated into ongoing development. Save system reliability has been mostly stable in our testing, though backing up saves remains a wise precaution.
Sons of the Forest succeeds in evolving the survival horror formula while maintaining the core elements that made its predecessor compelling. The game offers genuine scares, meaningful survival mechanics, and enough content to justify dozens of hours of exploration. While it may not revolutionize the genre, it represents a confident step forward that should satisfy both newcomers and series veterans. The addition of AI companions and improved building mechanics address many criticisms of the original while introducing new dynamics that enhance the overall experience. Some technical issues and the inherent limitations of Early Access prevent it from achieving true excellence, but the foundation is remarkably solid. For players seeking a survival experience that emphasizes both horror and hope in equal measure, Sons of the Forest delivers a memorable journey through one of gaming's most unsettling environments.