Mist Survival (Early Access)
Rati Wattanakornprasit
I must begin this review by stating that while there are tons and tons of apocalyptic zombie survival games out there, every time I see a new one pop up I at least try to give it a chance. After all, we’ve all discovered a few diamonds amongst all of the multitudinous heaps of coal.
Personally, I’ve discovered quite a few good games within the oversaturated market that I would never would have tried, had I not taken the chance. For instance, when I first watched gameplay videos of 7 Days to Die, I said to myself: “Good Lord, those graphics are ugly.” However, after giving it a chance I realized how intricate and fun it was.
That was also pretty much my impression of zombie-slaying newcomer, Mist Survival. The premise behind Mist Survival is completely boilerplate rubbish. Some sort of viral pandemic has spread throughout the world via a mysterious “mist” that your character is somehow immune to. Now, you must gather your wits and…wait for it…survive the mists (get it?).
If you’ve ever played SCUM, DayZ, or any of these sorts of games, you’ll know what to expect when you begin a game of Mist Survival. You spawn in with some clothes on your back, a little bit of food and water, and perhaps a tool. From there you have to scrounge around for resources and gear in order to have a better chance at survival.
During normal daytime hours you’ll think that you’re safe as you run around and try to find survival supplies. However, the titular mist can make an appearance periodically at random points. When the mist begins to surround you, your best option is to shack up somewhere because with it comes a whole lot of hungry zombies who will want to dine on your innards and have your brains for desert.
Thankfully, there is somewhat of a base building system present in Mist Survival that gives you a fighting chance against the legions of undead. As you’re scouring the countryside for supplies you’ll inevitably come across different sorts of dwellings. When you near them, a house-looking icon will flash on your UI which indicates that it’s available for hunkering down within. But once you make a place your home the fun times really start to percolate.
For instance, my first game of Mist Survival involved me running around in a feverish bid to gather as many supplies before the much-feared mist made its appearance. I had no intention of being caught out in the open with nary a weapon when the zombie hordes introduced themselves to me via their foam-laden maws.
I soon came across an abandoned garage which had some basic building tools in it such as a saw, hammer, and nails. I also found some car parts which allowed me to refurbish one of the sedans sitting right outside. In a matter of a few hours I was rolling down the road in my newly acquired rust bucket.
As I drove on I noticed that my fuel was low and of course that’s the time when that ominous mist decided to show up. With it brought lots of zombies who I either drove around or over. I spied a two-story house atop a forested hill and drove my car right up to its front door. I jumped out and ran inside via the front door as quickly as I could and could hear the zombies growling just outside.
You may have assumed that I immediately put on a Sinatra record and uncorked some scotch, but I resisted that temptation because several of the downstairs windows were not boarded up. I ran over towards one of the windows but a zombie began scrambling through it before I got there. I shot that one with a pistol I’d picked up earlier but then a few more began boosting through other windows.
I tried to shoot them but all that emitted from my pistol was “click.”
This forced me into tactical withdrawal mode (i.e. retreat) which consisted of quickly moving my derriere up the stairs and into one of the bedrooms. Luckily, there was a bed there (most rooms in houses are bare) so I pushed it up against the door. I managed to blockade the door just in the nick of time because I could hear the zombies feverishly snarling just outside the door. They must have known where I was because the pounded and scraped on the door relentlessly.
Mist Survival is full of these types of scenarios, and they always unfold organically which allows for a bit of emergent storytelling. You’re also able to recruit any friendly NPCs that you come across. NPCs can help you in building up your base and can also help in defending it as well. However, NPCs aren’t the only AI humans left in Mist Survival post-apocalyptic world.
Bandits can be found all over the map. Sometimes you’ll see them roving in wandering bands; other times they’ll be guarding their very own bandit camps. The game’s decent stealth mechanics work well in allowing you to sneak into these camps and assassinate bandits from the shadows. Mind you, this doesn’t have anything on a Tom Clancy-level game but does allow you to do a bit of sneaky ninja stuff.
Overall, Mist Survival is a pretty decent single player, zombie survival, sandbox experience. Its graphics may not be as pretty as Miscreated’s or Dying Light’s but for a ultra-indie effort it scores pretty high marks considering its limited budget.
SCORE: 78%
Mist Survival features pretty great graphics that make its zombie survival gameplay truly shine. However, you want to have a pretty beefy gaming PC or gaming laptop in order to play it at a decent framerate. So, you may just want to invest in a decent gaming rig:
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