There are plenty of survival games on the market, nowadays. With everyone attempting to be the next Don’t Starve, how do you stand out? Butterscotch Shenanigans took a good, hard look at that question and came up with Crashlands, one of the funniest, most intuitive iterations on the tried-and-true formula to date.
If you hate having to rifle through your belongings, switching from tool to tool depending on what you need to harvest, then you’re in luck! So does Crashlands, and they make the job of gathering endless amounts of supplies a breeze, as the game always knows what tool to use for the job so long as you own it. There’s also no limit to the amount of things you can carry, so never say no to that next pick up!
Traveling the massive map is a cinch as well thanks to the simple-to-use teleport system. You’ll come across what is effectively a check point in the shape of a telepad every so often on your journey, which allows you to teleport back to that location from anywhere on the map. Finding new and interesting ground more rapidly is not the burden it can prove to be in its contemporaries.
But lets not get ahead of ourselves, though. Every beginner needs the basics of survival, and I think we can help you with that.
Take in the Story
More unusual than a tip that tells you to enjoy the story of a game is a game in this sub genre – roguelike action survival – with a story worth enjoying. The plot is coherent, the writing is funny, and the overall art and style is charming. With so much to kill, collect, and craft, it’s easy to overlook maybe the most impressive thing about the game.
Fight Smart, Not Hard
Like other games in the genre, there are many wild creatures roaming the different biomes of Crashlands who would more than love to rip your face off. Unlike other games in the genre, enemies in Crashlands have pretty predictable attack patterns. When an enemy attacks, you can see exactly where they plan to do so, thanks to a red “danger zone” that appears next to or under them. So long as you avoid this zones, enemies can’t actually hurt you. Beware though, monsters find sneaky ways to do damage, like attacking multiple times in quick succession. Play a bit more conservatively, only swinging when you know they can’t attack. Also, try to avoid fighting multiple monsters at once. Their constant jabbing can be pretty overwhelming as their numbers grow. Also: every opportunity you have to stun an enemy with the Wrench before engaging, you should take.
Do Story Quests
As much as it’s fun to run headlong into the wild frontier, hunting and gathering to the bursting content of one’s heart, it can be an early distraction that hurts more than helps. It’s very important that new players follow the early missions of the story mode before setting out on their own, as the story missions provide crafting blueprints, healing items, and food sources that are otherwise difficult or impossible to come by otherwise. Don’t screw yourself out of an early game Pickaxe because your sense of adventure is simply untameable.
Pursue Armor Sets
Equipping the strongest armor you have is a good early game strategy, but always be aiming to wear full sets of the same armor, as the bonuses they give are greater than the sum of their parts. It also allows you to build the sort of character who can capitalize greatly on focusing around very specific sorts of attributes, like the life stealing Vampire ability, for example.
Be Prepared
Crafting is a huge part of this game, as with exploration. To stay organized and get the most out of your adventures, it may be wise to always have a short list of particular things on your person. Signs allow you to label your environment, so you can leave yourself footnotes about the area as your travels expand. Bombs are good for adhering to the earlier tip of fighting smart. No need to engage a giant Wompit when you can blow it up from a safer distance. Sticky bombs and Gravel bombs are among the most useful. The various consumable potions help you even the odds in battle. Healing potions are the most common and come in many varieties, but keeping a Brain Boost or a Speedy potion on hand wouldn’t hurt as well. Oddly enough, floors can be an important take along item, too. Not just any floor, though. Thatched Sawfloors can keep monsters out of your house like any other floor, but it can also double as a bridge, allowing you to make paths to islands and other hard to reach places.
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