Smalland Survive the Wilds Review – Small Life, Big World

Indulge into a bright, comical and fantasy world through a unique perspective

Smallland Survive The Wilds Review
Overall
3.5
  • Story And Setting
  • Gameplay
  • Visuals And Performance

Verdict

Smalland Survive the Wilds have done astonishingly well for a survival and adventure game with its mixed style between comical and realism.

Pros

  • An Immersive Open-World
  • Good Controls
  • Highly Interactive with Surroundings
  • Tame Bugs and Insects of Various Capabilities

Cons

  • Respawn Mechanics are rough
  • Storyline doesn’t feel Engaging
  • Equipment Durability is very annoying

Crafting, combat, survival, and exploration. There are numerous ways in which “Smalland Survive the Wilds” will keep you committed to its gameplay. There are quite a few appalling features in the dynamics of this game. Still, I admit this game is positively addictive and offers a breathtaking, open-world experience.

Key Takeaways
  • Publisher: Merge Games, Maximum Entertainment
  • Developer: Merge Games
  • Date Released: February 15, 2024
  • Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5. Xbox Series X and S
  • Game Length: 14 hours
  • Time Played: 25 Hours
  • Editors Note: Our writer extensively played Smalland Survive the Wilds on Steam, trying out its various mechanics and elements.

Story

Smalland's Story
Smalland Survive the Wilds Story – Image by eXputer

Smalland offers a decent story campaign; however, I consider that rather trifling. This is because following the storyline will only enable you to discover the locations of various NPCs. Interacting with these NPCs will surely allow you to benefit from their expertise in certain crafts, which they will likely share with you.

Apart from that, I do not value the story as much as any other possible activity in the game. Lore-wise, the game is hardly satisfactory. Venturing through the wild and having a different purpose are things I have relished most in this game.

Venturing through the wild and having a different purpose are things I have relished most in this game.

All in all, the story behind the whole adventure is to open a Walnut Chest, which contains a cure for any possible ailment. This motive binds the Smallfolks to struggle hard since the cure is for their Queen, whom they all wish can be cured at any cost.

Now, if you are willing to conclude your remarks about the game following its storyline alone, then I suggest you retake your decision. The most captivating and enticing aspects of this game are cherished apart from its story.

Gameplay

Crafting in Smalland
Trying to Craft a Bed – Image by eXputer

The most compelling facet of this survival game is its challenging gameplay. However, this challenging plot has also irritated me from time to time.

The vastness of the world complements well its interactive surroundings and new bugs to face in every corner.

The respawning mechanism of this game is quite ridiculous. Players are supposed to respawn at the location where they last crafted their bed and interacted with it. And if you have made an enormous mistake by crafting a bed, then you will spawn back to the beginning of the game. This is considerably tedious as Smalland Survive the Wilds features a vast map.

Yet, another rough mechanic of the game is that the player will drop all of their loot at the dying spot. This hurts me the most as if you die at the far corner of the map, you will have to make your way back to your loot, and the game does not have any fast travel options.

How Rewarding Is Smalland’s Gameplay?

High Reward-giving game
Gliding Freely Out in the Open – Image by eXputer

The game’s core dynamics heavily depend on the exploration. My honest opinion is that this makes the game worthwhile to play. The world’s vastness complements its interactive surroundings and new bugs to face in every corner.

Moreover, crafting is quite basic in this game, which makes things a lot easier to understand and much more engaging. However, the concept of certain items’ durability is quite tedious as they must be repaired or crafted again and again to use after one is broken.

Understanding how the combat works in the game can enable you to tackle high-level foes at early stages.

The combat dynamics of the game are more satisfying than most survival games. Understanding how the combat works in the game can enable you to tackle high-level foes at early stages. Of course, I haven’t done such a thing myself, but it is worth trying.

Yet, the most compelling part of the game is Taming the wild bugs. Exploring the new sites will reveal new types of creatures. Some of these creatures can be tamed, each with its unique trait to display (such as hoping, climbing, flying, etc.). I see this as an exquisite approach to reward the player for his explorings.

Overall, the game highly encourages its players to spare no effort in discovering even the dangerous areas of the map, and I completely adore such a challenging approach.

Multiplayer Has More Potential Than Single-Player

To start with the game, a player must create a world or join one online, something similar to Minecraft. In Smalland, a world can have a minimum of one player up to the limit of ten players. 

I suggest that playing with a high number of players will deliver a more exciting experience in your survival.

Overall, the game highly encourages its players to spare no effort in discovering even the dangerous areas of the map, and I completely adore such a challenging approach.

The game also allows you to toggle the “Friendly Fire” option while creating your World. This can shape the Multiplayer, whether you want to adventure with your friends or create a surviving battleground.

Visuals And Performance

Smalland's awesome Visuals
Glistening rays of Sun brightening the World – Image by eXputer

The game’s funky-looking graphics and captivating, bright-colored flora are quite complementary. I truly admire the game’s pre-defined FOV and Depth of Field settings. 

Every insect and animal is described with the utmost detail. From bustling grasses to tiny ants, everything demonstrates the hard work done on the visuals of Smalland Survive the Wilds. 

Running this game on a high-end PC was quite remarkable for what I have experienced. Despite the high-level draw distance, lighting, and reflection quality, the game was consistent with high FPS.   

Arachnophobia In The Game

Arachnophobia in Smalland
A Giant Lizard Slithering towards Player – Image by eXputer

Due to the game’s compelling graphics, textures, and details, things might be hostile for players or younger audiences who suffer from Anarchophobia.

The game’s funky-looking graphics and captivating, bright-colored flora are quite complementary.

Observing the ferocious insects charging at you aggressively might not be a joyful moment for some. Furthermore, the fact that the size of these bugs is considerably enormous compared to the size of your character makes things much more intense.

Luckily, the game allows you to counter this situation by turning the value of Arachnophobia in the settings. This removes the fangs and legs of certain bugs without damaging the base game outlook.

Verdict

Smalland Survive the Wilds have done astonishingly well for a survival and adventure game with its mixed style between comical and realism.

The combat and survival mechanics of the game are kept to a basic level and are quite engaging. Following the dodge and striking combat mechanic, the game offers a pretty decent advantage of lurking in dangerous areas while only relying on your skills.

I would recommend this game to anyone who loves to explore and grind in an open-world survival fantasy game. 

These are all the factors I consider in my review for Smalland Survive the Wilds. Check out more of our reviews on the most recent and most popular game titles.

This is box title
Get This Game

If you love challenging survival games with grinding and exploration dynamics.

Dont Get This Game

If you are eager to play story-related content.

Do I Need To Get This Game

Most certainly. If you prefer a game that always keeps your focus on the line.

Alternative Games
  • Nightingale
  • Rust
  • Ark: Survival Evolved
  • Raft
  • Conan Exiles
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Moiz Banoori is the brains behind eXputer. Having worked at various Video Game sites, with 8 years of Content Writing Experience and a Journalism Degree at hand, he presently monitors teams, creates strategies, and publishes qualified pieces through his aptitude at eXputer. Feel free to get in touch with him through his gaming profile on Steam and PSN.

Experience: 8+ Years || Manages Teams, Creates Strategies, and Publishes Guides on eXputer || Education: Bachelors in Journalism.

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