Don’t Starve Shipwrecked DLC review: Get rekt.
The base game of Don’t Starve is survival simulator. Players are dropped in to randomly generated maps, to test their resource management skills. At the start you’re given a choice of characters all with different attributes and starting equipment. Once the game starts you are on your own to survive for as long as you can balancing your health, hunger, and sanity. In the beginning, you are allowed to craft basic tools, with more advanced items locked behind science and alchemy machines. Your first big obstacle is night, get caught without a camp fire or torch after the sun goes down and you’ll be dead within a minute. After learning the basics of crafting, hunting, and preparing food you’ll be well on your way to building your base of operations. From here you will strike out each day to tame the wilderness around you.
The original game places you on one landmass, the Shipwrecked DLC drops you in a archipelago. This cause the player to make decisions differently, taking note of what resources you have and don’t on your starting island. This makes striking out on boats, the biggest new addition to the game, an early necessity. There are a variety of boats along with accessories that include sails, cannons, and fishing equipment which can be added to your craft of choice. Sailing increases that feeling of exploration in an exciting new way. As you crash over waves looking for the next scrap of land you still have to manage your resources, and carry lanterns to keep you safe in the dark. You’ll also be getting most of your food from the sea. Fishing is an early option, but there is bigger game to be hunted from jellyfish to whales and everything in between.
Don’t let the tropical setting lull you into thinking it will be easy, shipwrecked is tough maybe the toughest yet. There are four new seasons. Aside from the mild starting season, they all bring there own unique challenges to prepare for and overcome. New dangers come in many forms, banana trees can now spawn snakes when cut down. Certain creatures will poison you and without anti-venom you’ll be dead in a few days. There are new boss monsters and some returning variants to challenge. This expansion feels fresh and fun a complete change of pace from the original and the reign of giants expansion. For anyone who’s a fan of the series there’s tons to enjoy. In the end if your like me you’ll be under prepared when some giant monster comes to ruin all your hard work, but it won’t stop you from starting over.
