The Wild Eight is a top-down survival RPG that pits players against a devastating winter climate, Alaskan wildlife, and bouts of Lovecraftian horror in a challenge to uncover a unique story and surmount the even greater trial: survive.
You play as one of eight characters, each with distinct backgrounds and perks. Chang, for example, has a strong academic background which is reflected in his passive ability to learn new skills more rapidly than his peers. Anna has medical school experience which bolsters her ability to craft medical supplies from raw materials.
Survival plays out much like Don’t Starve. A contest against cold, hunger, and sleep meters will motivate players to craft, hunt, gather, and build. Alaska’s harsh environment will have players dying again and again, pushing further with each new life.
As in the case of most survival games, gameplay can too often feel like meter patrol. Rarely did the opportunity to explore or gather under optimal conditions. While this suits the game’s hardcore aims, makes simple curiosity about the world a difficult task to resolve.
The Alaskan landscape is creatively stylized with polygon-esque graphics that nicely portray fine details yet infuse the world with unique naivety-esque color.
After a bout on the market, Russian developer Eight Points reeled The Wild Eight back into Steam Early Access for content updates, user feedback, and refining, despite being fully playable in its current state.
I’m hopeful for the full release. If developers can hit the right mark with meter management, this may be a title that sticks in the long run. More once The Wild Eight finds its full release.