Sons of the Foresthas finally been released into early access after a long wait, and it has all been worth it as the game that the developers over at Endnight Games promised was more than true.Sons of the Forestis just as haunting and thrilling as its predecessor,The Forest.
Players are thrown into a survival map with different areas, and just likeThe Forest,this location is composed of more trees than they can count, caverns awaiting exploration, animals running around the environment, and, more importantly, cannibalistic enemies that may be seeking a feast in the player. With so many brand-new things added toThe Forest’ssequel,it’s good to get a head-start in knowledge before diving into the vast game.
10The Map Is Much Larger
The Forestmap wasn’t extraordinarily large, but it was extensive enough to not make players feel crammed. In fact, the original map had so many cave systems and areas to explore that the furthest reaches of the island didn’t necessarily matter.
RELATED:Great Horror VR Games That Are Not Too Scary
To almost everyone’s pleasant surprise,Sons of the Forestis much larger than the original game. In fact, Endnight has stated that thesequel’s map is aboutfour timeslarger than the one inThe Forest.
9Why Are The Players In A Forest?
So, some players, especially ones new to Endnight Games' releases, might be wondering why they have been thrown into a survival scenario with cannibals all over the island they’ve been stranded upon.
Well, there’s actually a good reason for that and just about everything makes as much sense as it could. In order to really encapsulate the feel forSons of the Forest, players should know the story ofThe Forestand its inhabitants. In the sequel, players are sent to locate a billionaire who became stranded on the island.
8No One Has To Play Alone
The Forestcan be played with up to eight different people in a single lobby, but players could also just test their survival inThe Forestcompletely solo. It could get fairly lonely playing alone despite the mutants and cannibals wishing to eat the player.
Luckily inSons of the Forest, there is a new AI companion system that helps out solo players.Kelvin is an NPCthat will do tasks for the player. Not only is he incredibly useful, but it is also nice to have a friend around while surviving the island. Players can also play with up to seven other friends!
7The Building Overhaul
The Forest’spopularity rose so highdue to the fact that it had a pretty enjoyable building mechanic. Players needed to chop down trees and fill in ghostly blueprints to build. InSons of the Forestthough, the game almost completely overhauls the building system, and in a much better way.
Sons of the Forestditches the ghost-like buildings and integrates realistic structures, in the sense that players will be doing almost all the work needed to build whatever they wish. Of course, players can switch toThe Forest’s old style if they wish.
6The GPS Map And POIs
The Forestincluded a map of the island that players could eventually completely piece together by exploring. InSons of the Forest, the developers have taken a little more of a dip into technology advancement, as players are now geared up with a GPS map.
RELATED:Horror Games That Make Great Use Of A Day And Night Cycle
The island is already mapped out. Not only that, but the GPS also has points of interest pointed out. These points are generally bunkers that can be found, as well as the occasional cavern to explore.
5How To Unlock Virginia
During theSons of the Foresttrailer reveals, fans could notice an odd companion helping out the player during one of the trailer’s combat scenarios. This companion has been named Virginia. Virginia is a friendly local resident of the island inSons of the Forest.
At first, Virginia will be afraid of the player. In order to gain her trust, players will simply need to refrain from harming her and act friendly towards her. After a while, Virginia will become, according to developers, “a cat-like companion.”
4The Seasons Are Changing
The originalThe Forestgame didn’t particularly have seasons integrated into its features, but it did have the occasional rainfall. InSons of the Forestthough, players will notice the completelydetailed season-changing featurethat has been included in the already highly detailed game.
The season mechanic inSons of the Forestis fairly complex. Seasons progressively change between the four different seasons. This also means that in the winter, food and vegetation may be harder to come by.
3The AI Are Learning…
The Foresthad a fairly impressive AI system when it came to the cannibals, and not so much so when it came to the animals in the game.Sons of the Forestnot only enhances their AI system with enemies around the island, but the animals have a complete AI overhaul as well.
According to Endnight, AI in the game are much smarter than before. They’re so smart that they have emotions that play out according to judgments made by themselves. This can be anything from anger and fear, to how religious and passive enemies are.
2The Bunkers
A brand-new feature of the sequel is bunkers, which are sprawled out throughout the island. They host the player and its many other inhabitants. These bunkers are crucial so that player(s) progress further into the game.
Not only that, but players can find resin in these bunkers, which is what is used in the 3D printer, also located in a bunker. The 3D printer is capable of printing many essentials for survival, with the most important being the mask that players can use to pacify cannibals.
1How To Get That Blasted Shovel
Players starting out inSons of the Forestmay have done so just as they have inThe Forest. This could be chopping down trees for a base, securing as much food as possible, or most likely, exploring the island before it gets too dangerous.
While exploring, players will come across many patches in the ground that requires a shovel to dig into them. The shovel, though, is tedious to obtain. In order to do so, players will need the rope gun and the rebreather to access a cave on the west side of the snowy mountains.
