My emotions about Forest Reigns are equal components enthusiasm and disappointment, inflation and deflation, straight off the again of the announcement trailer. On the one hand, as a fan of bizarre forests, which is to say all forests, I am eager on the prospect of an FPS set in a post-apocalyptic Paris that has been overrun by sentient, pissed-off bushes. It is from a group led by a former S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. developer, too, and people S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. alumni actually know how one can put up apocalypse. Alternatively, the announcement video suggests a sport wherein you’ll principally deal with the frenzied flora as a supply of “emergent” cowl and terrain traps. Take a look.
The sport’s reigning forest is not “simply a part of the setting,” intones the Steam web page, however “a acutely aware entity with its personal wishes and intentions”. You’ll “work together with it to disclose its mysteries, use it for defeating enemies, or face its wrath because it reacts to your decisions”. To this point, your decisions appear principally to include “shoot it/do not shoot it”. The bushes don’t love being shot, which appears a bit elementary as “wishes and intentions” go. I do not need to discuss to them, essentially, however their objecting to being pumped stuffed with AK47 rounds would not really feel very mysterious.
There’s the suggestion of some Gaia principle occurring right here, however the act of blasting unstable glowy bits or luring vegetation into strangling foes simply appear to be variations on Far Cry‘s exploding oil drums and baitable predators. Nonetheless, that is not essentially a foul factor in itself, and it is doable you will develop extra of a relationship with the bushes than can actually be proven in an edited gameplay overview. Fingers crossed.
I do not suppose that is open world, but it surely’s marketed as non-linear and mission-based, with factions you possibly can cooperate or compete with to unlock completely different story outcomes. There’s additionally a crafting system and a wide range of weapons to switch and coo over. Hah, I guess a few of these weapons are made out of wooden, aka bushes. I guess the bushes don’t love that both. So unreasonable.
Forest Reigns would not have a launch date. Whilst you anticipate one, let me attempt to lead you into the undergrowth with discuss of different tree-themed video games. The apparent and most horrible one is Darkwood. It makes the bushes in what I’ve seen of Forest Reigns appear to be the lovable, geometric palms from Sonic The Hedgehog. There’s additionally Witch Strandings, a curious Kojima homage from Unusual Scaffold, and the forthcoming Roots Devour, wherein you’re a tree that drinks blood.
