As is industry tradition at this point, IGN recently got a hand-on look at the upcoming Sons of the Forest, sequel to the terrifying (and similarly named) survival game The Forest. While much of the preview merely served to confirm that SotF is going to be a bigger, better version of The Forest, we did learn a few new things. In perhaps the largest known departure yet from the previous game, Sons of the Forest will have AI companions, including a soldier with a serious head injury, and a more human-looking Virginia (the mutant type from The Forest).
We also received details on how base building will work — while the “adding resources to a ghost structure” version of construction will still be an option, a new, more involved system will be the default construction method in Endnight’s latest title. Check out the full preview below, or read on for a brief overview of what the preview reveals!
Here’s what the preview either revealed, confirmed, or suggested:
AI Companions
Much of the preview was dedicated to showing off Kelvin, one of the game’s new AI companions. These helpers can be controlled by simple commands written on a notebook, and are able to fetch resources for you — one of the biggest slogs in The Forest was simply collecting wood, and it appears Kelvin is pretty darn good at doing exactly that.
If Kelvin is the “dog” of companions, then Virginia the mutant is a cat. Skittish and shy, she’ll nonetheless apparently be another form of assistance players (solo or otherwise) will be able to rely on in SotF.
Even Smarter Enemies
The enemies in the original The Forest already seemed spooky-smart at times, and this should only be improved upon in SotF. According to the devs, enemies can have “tastes, desires, and proclivities”. There are even supposedly some enemies with “Leadership qualities”, who can change the behavior of surrounding characters. The previewer noticed enemies consoling fallen friends, changing their clothes based on the weather, and attempting to break his base when his back was turned.
Seasons
Speaking of weather, another thing we saw in today’s preview was the changing seasons. There’s at least “warm” and “cold” seasons (we saw snow on the ground at points throughout the preview), though we don’t know if where the game takes place will have four distinct seasons. At a minimum, colder weather will mean players need to worry about staying warm; it also seems likely that farming and general food availability will change depending on time of year.
New Base Construction
More free-form base building will be present in SotF, with the player able to create completely customized structures (instead of simply loading ingredients into a pre-set blueprint). For people who liked how it worked in The Forest, the devs have confirmed you can do it the old way if so desired.
A Bigger Island
SotF’s island promises to be four times larger than the island in the original game.
“Bigger, Crazier” Story
This is merely implied by the previews and other info we’ve gotten previously, but considering that the rest of the game is bigger and better, it’s likely the story will follow suit.
The new companions should make collecting resources less of a grindConstruction is looking detail-oriented — here, the player splits logs to create a floor
While we’re trying our best to learn our lesson from recent launch debacles, it’s hard not to board the hype train, given just how great SotF is looking so far. If the preview is any indication of the game’s quality, it looks like Endnight have outdone themselves with their latest title.
Thoughts about Endnight adding companions to the game? Wondering what is up with the apparently useless crucifix weapon? Let us know in the comments! Sons of the Forest is set to release February 23rd, 2023, on Windows PC.
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DanielD
Unabashed FromSoftware fanboy still learning to take his time with games (and everything else, really). The time he doesn't spend on games is spent on music, books, or occasionally going outside.
