Sons of the Forest is a sequel to developer Endnight Games' The Forest, tasking players with surviving on a cannibal-infested island as they search for clues surrounding the location of a missing billionaire. While its core narrative and visuals appear quite similar to The Forest, in which the main character searched for his lost son in the titular forest, Sons of the Forest - now the most-wishlisted game on Steam - features improvements in nearly all of its core gameplay elements. Given the shift produced by these changes, Sons of the Forest appears more like a horror-infused Don't Starve than a direct sequel to The Forest.
Nearly everything that fans enjoyed about the first game has been markedly improved, from the world itself to the dynamic AI of Sons of the Forests' NPCs. Many of the changes bring to mind elements of Don't Starve, which features a greater focus on surviving against the dynamic forces of nature and time, both alone and with companions. Dropping the sanity meter from The Forest, while adding advanced options for building and crafting, shifts the focus away from making it back to a single safe space and toward creating shelters along the journey, much like the gameplay in Don't Starve.
Sons of the Forest Features Multiplayer and NPC Companions
Endnight Games has confirmed fans will have the option to play solo or multiplayer, with up to eight players surviving together at a time. Multiplayer was added to The Forest six months after launch, but its inclusion from the start in Sons of the Forest brings to mind the shift in focus between Don't Starve and its cooperative sequel Don't Starve Together. Full details on how this changes the gameplay in Sons of the Forest have yet to be released, but there are sure to be unique elements.
In perhaps its biggest change to gameplay, Sons of the Forest gives solo-players the option to have an NPC companion. From the outset, players have the option to recruit a fellow crash survivor named Kelvin. Similar to Don't Starve Together's Followers, Kelvin will help to gather resources, battle, and build as the player attempts to survive. Also like Followers, Kelvin will respond dynamically to players and the environment, meaning they will need to be aware of Kelvin's needs as much as their own.
There are differences, like Kelvin needing to be recruited using food, but details have not been shared about how a player's relationship with Kelvin can change him. Sons of the Forest is set to include a complex AI system called V.A.I.L., which will give both companions and enemies the ability to approach situations dynamically. NPCs in Sons of the Forest will experience different survival states, but V.A.I.L. allows them to go further and attribute emotion to their experiences.
This means NPCs will pursue goals that are directly tied to their "emotions" and experiences; Kelvin will not only be thirsty or hungry, but can react to feeling scared or bored. Enemies will pursue their own survival and use advanced methods to discreetly steal resources or directly attack the player. It remains to be seen if Kelvin's emotions and experiences can result in aggression toward the player, as exhibited by some of Don't Starve Together's Followers, but signs point to his relationship with the player being important for their joint survival.
Sons of the Forest's Open World Features Dynamic Seasons and Survival Mechanics
Sons of the Forest features a map 4x the size of the original. The Forest featured a base camp from which the player sets out on their journey each day, one that has to be defended from enemies. With the massive expansion of its map, Sons of the Forest will put a greater focus on finding or building shelters in addition to a home base. This component of survival is common in Don't Starve, though it also leans heavily on the concept of "sanity" which Sons of the Forest is set to drop.
In another parallel to the Don't Starve series, Sons of the Forest will up the challenge with dynamic seasons, during which a player's survival skills will be put to the test. The original title featured a day and night cycle, as well as rainy weather, but depending on the season Sons of the Forest fundamentally alters both combat and resource gathering. Food may not be as plentiful in the winter, but frozen bodies of water would allow for rapid traversal over certain areas. Enemy routines and approaches will change as well as they share similar advantages and disadvantages to the weather.
Seasons in Don't Starve task players with planning ahead, and the same will be required of those who take on Sons of the Forest. Players will need to choose whether to stockpile resources in the calmer seasons or face the elements in harsher ones. Unlike Don't Starve Together, Sons of the Forest will feature deeper horror elements in addition to this challenging gameplay loop. Survival is just part of players' objectives as they attempt to complete the game's narrative, and they will not be able to choose between characters best-suited for survival in certain conditions as in Don't Starve Together.
Sons of the Forest looks to take the foundations set forth by The Forest, and doubles down on its survival elements to draw comparisons with the Don't Starve series. Though not much detail is known about the title's later segments, upgrades to Sons of the Forest's core gameplay look promising. Time will tell if Sons of the Forest can live up to expectations, but luckily fans have only a few more days to wait.
Sons of the Forest releases for PC on February 23, 2023.