The Forest (computer game)

This article covers the computer game The Forest . For the film of the same name, see The Forest (2016) .

The following parts of this article appear since 2018 is out of date to be : now in version 1.0+, parts of the description of the games mechanics are deprecated since release in April 2018, for. B. there has been a game story since then.
Please help to research and insert the missing information .

The Forest
Studio	Endnight Games
Publisher	Endnight Games
Senior Developer	Ben Falcone
Erstveröffent- lichung	Windows April 30, 2018 (full version) PlayStation 4 November 6, 2018
platform	Windows PlayStation 4
Game engine	Unity 5
genre	Survival horror , open world , action adventure , indie , simulation
Game mode	Single player , co-op mode
language	German, English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Chinese (traditional), Russian, Spanish, Chinese (simplified), Czech, Italian, Polish, Finnish, Swedish, Turkish
Current version	v1.12
Age rating	PEGI
information	Only the version for PS4 has been rated by PEGI.

The Forest is a survival horror - computer game , which of Endnight Games was developed. The alpha version was released on May 30, 2014 as an Early Access game on Steam . The game was released for PlayStation 4 on November 6, 2018 .

Game mechanics

The Forest is played from the first person perspective . The goal is to be the only survivor of a plane crash on a wooded island by building huts, weapons and tools. Meanwhile there is a perfect end to the plot; The story is told through cut scenes at the beginning (plane crash, own son kidnapped by a stranger) and at the end of the game as well as through images, photos and technology that the player can find.

The primary inhabitants of the island are a tribe of cannibalistic natives who live in tents made of wood and in caves. They move around the island almost exclusively in patrols of four to seven men and occasionally occur in caves. They're usually aggressive, especially at night. However, the behavior of these opponents occasionally raises questions in the player: At the first encounter between the player and the native, the latter does not attack directly; instead, he observes him from a safe distance so that he can decide what to do next. Later in the game, they set up a form of effigies here and there on the island (made of wood, fabric, ropes, bones, tennis balls, various technologies such as flashlights or cameras and human body parts), which may represent a kind of communication or divine worship. In combat, they try to protect other natives from injury, remove torches, surround the player, hide, pull injured natives to safety, keep their distance, make tactical decisions and temporarily leave the fight. They also have a limited fear of fire and therefore often stay away from the player if there is a campfire near them.

As the development phase progressed, more opponents were added to the game. So you can find six-legged spider mutants and mutants with tentacles in the game's caves. In the first trailers for the game you can see that the mutants have the skills to tear down walls and damage structures built by the player in a very short time.

With version 0.03 the peaceful mode (also called vegan mode ) was added. In this mode, the player will not encounter enemy islanders. This gives the player the opportunity to explore the game world freely or to build building structures without being attacked.

With version 0.06, the developers integrated hungry cannibals as a new grouping into the game. They also attack their fellow species and eat their injured comrades.

With the update to version 0.08, a stealth mode has been integrated into the game. This allows bushes to be used as camouflage, to sneak past opponents and to deceive opponents, for example by throwing away a stone. The opponents react to sounds and look for the player. Other animal species have also been added, such as deer, raccoons and wild boars.

The developers attach great importance to making the game world look dense and realistic. Hunting is said to be an important factor in the game. The player should have the opportunity to use a hunted animal. So you can z. B. skin a hunted deer and process its fur into clothes to protect yourself from the cold. Furthermore, the heads of hunted animals can be used as trophies by hanging them up. The animal world is to be provided with an extensive artificial intelligence (AI) equivalent to other, classic non-player characters . A behavior adjustment of the AI ​​to the player behavior is planned. Although no missions have been added yet, an optional ending will be available soon.

Since the native cannibals cannot be seen around the clock, the player has a lot of time to roam the landscapes with their diversity, to explore caves and to build up his fortress for defense. The cave exploration is also another important factor in this game, as there are better equipments and secrets to be found that add a lot to the game. Diverse landscapes with forests, clearings, coasts, rivers and lakes, as well as a large variety of species with birds, rabbits, deer, raccoons, crocodiles and other animals contribute to the atmosphere of the game.

The game offers a day-night cycle: During the day, the player can build a hut and traps, hunt animals and collect supplies; at night he has to assert himself against the cannibals or mutants. However, this distinction is not generally valid: During the day the player can also be attacked and there are seldom quiet nights.

The survival game can be played in both single player and co-op mode.

Inventory and crafting

The Forest has an inventory system in which the player can find everything he picks up during the game. However, there is a carry limit depending on the item the player picks up, but this can be extended by making other items. It is shown - when opened - as a kind of blanket or cloth, on which all objects that are in the possession of the player are spread out categorically but without a grid. If you die in co-op mode, a backpack remains in the same place, symbolizing the inventory. This can then be collected again. The active weapon / tool / etc. can be changed using the inventory.

In the middle of the inventory view is the crafting interface. You use this to combine items from your inventory and build tools, weapons or clothing. If you select an object in the crafting menu, descriptions for possible combinations appear below it. If you add more suitable parts, a gear appears above the raw materials. if you click on this, you get the crafted product. A few crafting recipes are written down in the Survival Guide.

Survival Guide

The Survival Guide is a book which

1. provides some basic information about the game.
2. contains a to-do list.
3. offers the possibility of planning a structure that can be produced outside of crafting (e.g. hut, wall, water collector, transport sledge, etc.). If you place the structure, you can now build it by placing the necessary raw materials there.
4. takes found photos and drawings that provide information about the plot and thus makes it possible to look at them later.

development

The Forest was inspired by movies like The Descent and Naked and Mangled, and video games like Minecraft and Don't Starve . It's been available on Steam since 2013 . Endnight Games said Disney was an inspiration for the game in that it wasn't just "dark and oppressive". The developers are in the process of making the game compatible with Oculus Rift . They also want to add a multiplayer mode and a co-op mode to the game, but no multiplayer feel like DayZ or Rust is planned. The co-op mode was added in version Alpha 0.09.

Endnight Games began development with a four-person workforce, and the indie studio now employs more than ten people. The development team previously worked on visual effects for films like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Tron: Legacy . As of version 0.16, The Forest uses the Unity 5 engine instead of its previous version .

At the PlayStation Experience, Sony and the developers Endnight Games presented a version for the PlayStation 4 . The version was released on November 6, 2018.

Web links

• Official website
• The Forest on Steam

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Michael: The Forest: PS4 Release (2018). In: GAMEYARD. November 19, 2018, accessed on July 21, 2019 (German). 
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Jeffrey Matulef: Ambitious open-world horror game The Forest detailed . In: Eurogamer . January 13, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
3. ↑ The Forest - Enemy Guide & Close-ups of the Enemies . The Forest - Enemy Guide & Close-ups of Enemies Published June 22, 2014.
4. ^ The Forest - Homepage, Page 15. (No longer available online.) In: The Forest. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017 ; Retrieved May 3, 2017 (American English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ↑ German changelog for version 0.06 . German changelog for version 0.06. Published on August 27, 2014.
6. ↑ German changelog for version 0.08 . German changelog for version 0.08. Published on October 8, 2014.
7. ↑ Weekly Questions & Answers / October 24, 2014 . Weekly Questions & Answers / October 24, 2014. Published October 24, 2014.
8. ^ ^{A b c d} John Robertson: The Forest: survival, horror and the guilt of killing - interview . In: VG247 . January 29, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
9. ↑ Jeffrey Matulef: First-person open-world survival horror game The Forest looks brilliant . In: Eurogamer . May 8, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
10. ↑ Entry on steamcommunity.com . Published June 14, 2013.
11. ^ David Hinkle: Explore virtual reality horror game The Forest in new screens . In: Joystiq . January 24, 2014. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 24, 2014. 
12. ^ The Forest - Interview with Endnight Games . The Forest - Interview with Endnight Games. Published on October 4th, 2014.
13. ^ The Forest - Interview with Endnight Games . The Forest - Interview with Endnight Games. Published on October 4th, 2014.
14. ↑ v0.16 - The Forest Unity 5 update! . In: The Forest . April 16, 2015. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 17, 2015.