Most video games are for most players, that’s just the state of things and the industry. Some games, though, like Forever Winter, aren’t that. Having just released in Early Access, Forever Winter is still in a rough spot, yet there’s the faintest glimmer of something special present, even now.
Forever Winter is a co-op extraction shooter with no PvP elements. Set in a world that’s literally in a state of perpetual warfare, this game is about as awfully bleak as it gets. Those who are familiar with media such as BLAME! or the works of Mike Mignola and Katsuhiro Otomo will have a pretty good idea of what to expect out of Forever Winter. The big catch is that you, the player, do not take control over one of the super-special cyborg field operatives chewing their way through the trenches (sometimes literally). Instead, you’re the poor sod attempting to salvage what you can from their leftovers.
Forever Winter is a terrifyingly brutal vision of a permanent state of war, but it’s still a tad rough
In broad strokes, then, Forever War puts you into the rotten shoes of a survivor stuck deep between two extremely militarised nations that have been at each other’s throats for 40-odd years. Your job? To make it out alive, slowly upgrade your hideout, and maybe even try to make life a tad less miserable for the people in your hidey-hole. Generally, though, you’ll mostly be trying not to get eaten by killbots.
It’s all great on paper, and I’m honestly a huge fan of both the concept and the artwork on show in Forever Winter. In practice, this is a prime Early Access release with all the caveats that it brings with it.
Forever Winter is currently stuck with a ‘Mixed’ review rating on Steam due to how rough it is. Expect oodles of jankiness and some questionable gameplay decisions. Like, for example, one of the things you’ll constantly be doing in Forever Winter is sourcing water for your hideout, which is sensible enough. Yet, should your water level drop to zero, your entire stash will be cleared out for good. Combine this with the fact that your water level will continue to drop even when you’re not logged into the game, and you get the idea of what’s up.
Forever Winter is also beset by other, less specific problems. Enemies will sometimes spawn out of thin air just to grind you down to bits in seconds, for example, and the AI struggles to keep up with the giant battles that are supposed to be happening all around you.
It’s great to see Forever Winter in a playable state, as I’ve been keeping a close eye on it for literal years now. I’m a huge fan of the game’s broad concept and would love to play it once it’s closer to the full 1.0 release. For the time being, however, the fact that it’s toying with FOMO to such an aggressive extent has put me off, and the general grit of being in Early Access will take a while to clear up. Do I still recommend you keep an eye on this one, though? Oh, for sure. There’s something genuinely special about Forever Winter, now we just have to see if it’ll materialize over the course of its Early Access stint.
Published: Sep 25, 2024 08:22 am