Unreal World is a survival roguelike that will test your skills as a gamer. It’s one of the oldest survival games around sans Rogue, Nethack and Slashem. Originally released in the nineteen-nineties, Unreal World revolutionized the genre with its hardcore gameplay and large maps. Like most roguelikes, the player starts the game with just enough equipment to survive. Surviving the first year happens to be the most challenging part of the game. Once you have an understanding of how to prepare for the coming seasons, the game becomes a tad easier.
The in-game crafting system is the most versatile of any roguelike. While some games require the player to combine a few key ingredients together to create a unique item, Unreal World has them harvesting their own materials such as trees to build fires and other useful items. Nothing goes to waste; even animals can be used for more than just food. Animals can be broken down into different cuts of meat, furs, fats and other materials for crafting tiers such as leather, hide, and even cookery skills.
The game world is randomly generated every time a new character is created. And since permadeath is a feature in Unreal World (or any roguelike for that matter), dying will happen often until you learn how to survive in your surroundings.
Combat uses the mechanics of most roguelikes. Since combat is turn-based, the player can only attack an animal and/or enemy when they are in their ‘point of view’. Moreover, the player must adhered to the same ‘turn’ system while moving. For example: each time the player rotates their character to face a different direction, the game will count it as a turn. This is why it’s important to have a strategy in place while exploring — bandits, thieves and even wildlife can ambush you at anytime.
This is why it’s highly recommended that you play through the extensive tutorial at the start of the game. If you accidentally skip the tutorial after creating a character, you can access it later by pressing the F5 key. The provided tutorial system not only caters to beginners and veterans alike, but it covers topics that range from the basics of survival to advanced crafting. The difficulty for most of the tutorials range from easy to moderate. But once the tutorials are completed, you will have a better understanding of Unreal World’s gameplay.
I can’t stress enough how important the tutorial is. It is also worth mentioning that the player is given tools to make survival somewhat easier during the early stages of gameplay. This eliminates the issue of having to harvest materials to create your own tools, which is common in most roguelike survival games.
Unreal World provides ‘starter’ friendly scenarios that can make the game easier. These scenarios provide more gear and towns are much closer. More advanced scenarios (as the name implies), provide less gear and most towns are a good distance off. The game’s difficulty varies based on the scenario chosen. It is worth mentioning that simple things like getting a character wet can lead to hyperthermia, and eventually death, no matter which scenario the player chooses. So while the main objectives are made easier, the survival aspect of the game remains the same.
Combat is not as straightforward as some roguelike games. While fighting an enemy, the player can target specific body parts, including the head, neck, body, etc. Different weapons can also be used to give your character different abilities. For example: a sharp-edged weapon will grant your character the ability to blunt, edge, and parry, to name just a few. The player also has control over blocking and dodging.
Unreal World’s game environment gives the player freedom to do whatever they want. If they want to be a Lonely Farmer, a Hunter or even a murdering Bandit, they can. The player can hire NPCs (Non-Player Characters) from town to assist on expeditions or hunting trips. It is also possible to murder these companion NPCs for their items, but the towns where they were hired from will realize these NPCs didn’t return with the player. If the NPCs inhabiting the town(s) suspect foul play, they will attack the player. It can take months or even years of in-game time before the NPCs will trust the player again. Aside from human NPCs, the player can also rent animal companions (i.e. dogs, etc.) to assist during combat.
Unreal World’s graphics have received a complete overhaul since version 3.30 debuted on Steam. They have remained true to their 2D roots, and they look incredible for a game of this caliber. After all these years, I continue to be impressed by how fantastic of a game Unreal World continues to be, despite it being the oldest running rogulike survival game on PC.
If you are looking for a roguelike survival game that is guaranteed to give you a challenge – and also push your skills as a gamer to their limits – then Unreal World is that game, bar none.
James ‘Daripp3r’ Pittaro
Platform: PC
System Requirements
Minimum:
OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10
Processor: 1 GHz
Memory: 512 MB RAM
Graphics: 800×600 minimum resolution
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Storage: 1 GB available space
Developer: Sami Maaranen (Creator), Erkka Lehmus (co-designer)
Publisher: Enormous Elk
ESRB: N/A
Price: $10.99
Unreal World Steam Link: http://store.steampowered.com/app/351700/
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| The redesign graphics for Steam look incredible. | |
| Sound | |
| Some of the best music ever heard in a roguelike. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Complex survival at its finest. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Unreal World is the best survival roguelikes to ever grace Steam. The game’s ever-changing world guarantees a different experience every time you play, adding endless replay value. | |
