How to Survive

 PC
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 306 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 144 out of 306
  2. Mixed: 122 out of 306
  3. Negative: 40 out of 306
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  1. ernuk
    Nov 1, 2013
    6
    This game is good, IN THEORY. Survive against zombies while exploring four different islands! Uncover a mystery! Keep track of your physiological needs! How long will you last?

    Well the answer is; forever. Or at least for as long as the campaign lasts, which is to say only a few hours. See, the premise is all fine and good. You shipwreck into a random island somewhere, which happens to    This game is good, IN THEORY. Survive against zombies while exploring four different islands! Uncover a mystery! Keep track of your physiological needs! How long will you last?

    Well the answer is; forever. Or at least for as long as the campaign lasts, which is to say only a few hours. See, the premise is all fine and good. You shipwreck into a random island somewhere, which happens to be full of zombies and there's some creepy dude helping you survive. Only a few minutes into the game you realize the combat system is primitive (although it admittedly works) and the islands themselves are more like tunnels than sandboxes.

    An hour into it you realize the food/drink/sleep system is almost inconsequential, the writing is pretty bad, moving around the islands feels like a grind and that the creepy dude is mainly there to be a funny gimmick you can show off in trailers. Nonetheless, there was something about the game to keep me going. Although, the way I played it was mostly one hour at a time. I'd fire it up, play for an hour, get bored but come back eventually.

    If anyone's planning to get this for the co-op, don't. It's even more pointless than the single player. There's no "surviving together", it's just running through hordes figuring out an overlying puzzle to complete the the challenge. Again, in theory it's great that the different characters have different skill sets to complement each other, but it never comes down to that. If you're having a hard time, just go play single player to gain some better equipment and levels. Oh, and you can only play story mode in local co-op.

    Anyhow, it can be somewhat amusing, but it all comes down to the fact that this game is like 3/4 of a really good game. It's relatively close, but no cigar. Maybe a tobacco. A sequel expanding all of this could be worth it. I don't expect DLCs to amount to anything.    … Expand
  2. Seryin
    Oct 28, 2013
    6
    Quick Review:
    Cons: Lame combat system, effects, and a laughably horrible animation quality. Since you spend 90% of the game hacking a path through crowds of zombies, they could have dramatically increased the quality of the game if they would have given much needed attention to simple things like the melee swing animation.
    Pros: Kovac; He adds much needed personality and humor to the    Quick Review:
    Cons: Lame combat system, effects, and a laughably horrible animation quality. Since you spend 90% of the game hacking a path through crowds of zombies, they could have dramatically increased the quality of the game if they would have given much needed attention to simple things like the melee swing animation.
    Pros: Kovac; He adds much needed personality and humor to the game. The environment is creative and worthy of exploration even if there were not a plethora of lootable items to scavenge as incentive to do so.

    At only 4-5 hours to complete the campaign, this game is overpriced at 15 dollars. Though intuitive in concept, this game fails to deliver anything that is actually new, and does not get in depth enough to really let players feel like they were learning "How to Survive."
    If this game were priced more adequately to its content, I would have given it at least an 8/10.    … Expand
  3. MiBz0r
    Nov 25, 2013
    9
    Whilst not perfect this game is wonderfully entertaining, first play of this game was 2 hours of immersion into the Dev's world of Zombie survival and I only stopped then for something to eat IRL. I am enjoying this game so much I am almost tempted to install it at work and try to snatch a game whilst here.
  4. Mehve
    Nov 4, 2013
    7
    More linear than sandbox, but does a decent job of disguising it. Crafting system is good, but it's interaction with the limited inventory space comes across as 1 part authentic, 3 parts annoying.

    Overall a good game for fans of the zombie or top-down shooter genre, a great game to pick up on sale.
  5. Kommar
    Nov 5, 2013
    9
    It's a simple but very fun game. The story could be better, but the gameplay is great and the graphics are good. Most of all it's very funny and addicting. Recommended!
  6. Liteit
    Nov 17, 2013
    7
    Was really impressed by this game. first i thought that's just new zombie crap, but I was wrong. Nights in the game are awesome. The game's atmosphere of survival is really nice made. Totally worth playing, but with the gamepad, tried with key+mouse and it was much harder, especially shouting,
  7. delta9
    Nov 9, 2013
    5
    It's not a good game, but t's not a bad game either... it's a fun game full of design flaws. The story sucks, your character is nothing you can get to like or feel identified with at any point. The survival elements are crappy and ridiculously easy to ignore, the UI is bad, specially the inventory system.. You can stack 24 truck tires in your inventory but "nop! you cannot grab that oneIt's not a good game, but t's not a bad game either... it's a fun game full of design flaws. The story sucks, your character is nothing you can get to like or feel identified with at any point. The survival elements are crappy and ridiculously easy to ignore, the UI is bad, specially the inventory system.. You can stack 24 truck tires in your inventory but "nop! you cannot grab that one feather!! no room sorry!!"... that sort of game, so don't expect realistic survival elements at all besides the silly hunger/thirst/tiredness meters.

    Sound elements are pretty bad. With some random wannabe-scary piano sounds going on every once in a while... just bad in general. Voices of characters are ok, as are the graphics in general.

    The only really good thing about the game is its game-play, which turns out to be fun enough for you to probably finish the game (in 10 hours max). Coop is an option but the challenges end awkwardly and abruptly, and I can't be bothered to restart one when that happens.

    It's a solid 5.5 in my book.    … Expand
  8. roxanna
    Dec 13, 2013
    10
    I love Z Games. And this is so fantastic. Hack n Slash...Chainsaw, Bow, Self Made Weapons! Skill Trees! And bis Islands to explore. Thats what i need. How to Survive....10 Points!
  9. samuelmason900
    Dec 25, 2013
    9
    i don't know why peoples rating this game bad.this game is different experience with good survival tactics and great crafting system though map is little bit of small and some animation may wanna be worked
  10. Othrandur
    Oct 25, 2013
    7
    "How to Survive" is basically "Dead Island" packaged as an isometric perspective twin-stick shooter, but it doesn't take itself as seriously. The gameplay is good and responsive and the fighting feels right: you're tough and fast, but by no means invincible. There's no camera control and no way to rotate the view, which is primitive by today's standards and leads to parts of the map that"How to Survive" is basically "Dead Island" packaged as an isometric perspective twin-stick shooter, but it doesn't take itself as seriously. The gameplay is good and responsive and the fighting feels right: you're tough and fast, but by no means invincible. There's no camera control and no way to rotate the view, which is primitive by today's standards and leads to parts of the map that are permanently hidden. The crafting adds nice variety without overly complicating the game like in "Far Cry 3". The skills aren't very exciting, but they don't hurt the game either. The humor is cutesy, but forced and unoriginal. Kovac, the author of the survival manual, is a blatant rip-off of Marcus in Borderlands. I have two complaints. The first is that you can't remap the controller buttons. Only laziness can explain this in a game that's released in 2013. The second is that it uses checkpoints instead of actual saves. Again, that's just pure laziness. But what's worse is that it's not clear where and when the checkpoints occur, so you don't know when it's safe to exit the game. But overall, while this game isn't stellar, looks and plays like a game from 10 years ago, and won't win any GOTY awards, it's still well made enough that someone who likes the zombie genre (and isn't fed up with it) will enjoy it.… Expand
  11. Skelworath
    Oct 26, 2013
    6
    This game is fun in coop and a bore in solo campaign. Graphics are decent but not great, the crafting system is quite fun. It has no random generated content unfortunately which gives no replay value. A down-flaw is that you can't play the campaign in coop online (only local with an additional gamepad).
  12. Cytokinesis
    Oct 23, 2013
    5
    Disclaimer: I've played this for 2 hours as of writing this. I will continue to play it and will adjust the review/score accordingly if something major changes. This games premise is pretty good. The execution leaves something to be desired, however. The controls on PC are just weird at the start; although aiming is easy the movement feels more like you are controlling and old nes gameDisclaimer: I've played this for 2 hours as of writing this. I will continue to play it and will adjust the review/score accordingly if something major changes. This games premise is pretty good. The execution leaves something to be desired, however. The controls on PC are just weird at the start; although aiming is easy the movement feels more like you are controlling and old nes game with a dpad. Movement is much more fluid with a controller as you don't "steer" with the mouse unless you are aiming so it gets some getting used to. It's quite linear so far with a bit of sandbox. You move from island to island (as of writing this I'm on the 3rd island) and do (sort of) what you want on each island. The downside is you really don't have much time with the respawning enemies and how obnoxious it is to explore at night. I applaud the premise of this but the execution just makes exploration very menial and more high risk low reward. Resources seem to respawn every once in a while meaning it's basically impossible to run out of ammo. Fatigue is particularly annoying because you can only rest in designated areas and sometimes that means going back from where you came and the enemies respawn and now it's night so you have more annoying enemies after you too. They needed to either implement more rest areas or allow you to construct your own rest areas. The crafting system is decent but it only allows you to combine when there is something to combine so there isn't any experimentation. If it says combine when you select something then you can combine. I have been playing on ironman and the difficulty is lacking but the tediousness is quite high, so maybe if you play on a lower difficulty it would be more enjoyable. Overall it's an extremely mediocre title so far with nothing exceptional. It's repetitive and tedious at times and the best it has to offer is the feeling of getting some parts and making a cool new weapon. I'm glad I bought the game at a heavy discount with store credit rather than paying money. Could be worth a few hours romp but lower your expectations coming in and you might enjoy it more.… Expand
  13. biffeh
    Oct 31, 2013
    7
    "Oh god not another zombie game"- I said to myself. But i was clearly mistaken. Although pretty obvious from it's indie developer origins, How to Survive provides the player with simple, but yet complex crafting system, addicting battles, a variety of zombies to fight and collectibles to get. Also COOP and different difficulty levels and characters provide some value of replayablity. This"Oh god not another zombie game"- I said to myself. But i was clearly mistaken. Although pretty obvious from it's indie developer origins, How to Survive provides the player with simple, but yet complex crafting system, addicting battles, a variety of zombies to fight and collectibles to get. Also COOP and different difficulty levels and characters provide some value of replayablity. This game may not be the prettiest, and have a couple of annoying features( as in a locked in camera, which alters your FOV making you fall off a bridge and etc A still kinda broken Coop system, sometimes unclosable "tip screens"). Overall, it is an interesting perspective on a drained out topic, that provides the player they haven't really seen before. With some kinks here and there "How to survive" provides many hours of entertainment.

    TL;DR BUY IT

    If you're not convinced to pay the full price, get it at a sale it is really worth your money.    … Expand
  14. AgreedSA
    Oct 25, 2013
    7
    I can understand the criticisms of the game, but to me it represents less a "missed opportunity" than a fun, well-realized game on its own merits. It's got more freedom than the PSN's "Dead Nation" or the lacking "Zombies Must Die," and while it definitely borrows elements from other games (crafting is basically Dead Island style, as is weapon durability, etc.) it nonetheless presents aI can understand the criticisms of the game, but to me it represents less a "missed opportunity" than a fun, well-realized game on its own merits. It's got more freedom than the PSN's "Dead Nation" or the lacking "Zombies Must Die," and while it definitely borrows elements from other games (crafting is basically Dead Island style, as is weapon durability, etc.) it nonetheless presents a fun, if somewhat casual, survival game in a zombie setting. Yes, it is easy and gets easier to survive; yes, playing to min/max means you'll probably end up just using some super-weapon that kills everything easily instead of experimenting with the broad variety of craftable weapons. The difficulty curve is much less steep than the rate at which you learn the mechanics of the game. It isn't hard, but it is, and this is why I believe it deserves a rating "in the green," quite fun. It's clearly an independently developed title, there's no mistaking that, and perhaps it's moderately overpriced for the level of content it will offer most players, but it's still a fun experience in that sort of smashing-bubble-wrap kind of way (to borrow a term from IGN's review). It won't change your life or ask much of you; and some will be put off by the very idea of a casual survival game. But if you have half an hour to kill, you can spend it killing zombies in a sandboxy world with a lot of variety in ways to inflict final death onto those temporarily only mostly dead; and that's enough to make it worth the price of entry for me.… Expand
  15. PoWn3d_0704
    Oct 25, 2013
    9
    Top down Zombie shooter with a craft system. I prefer this to Dead Island, and the 2 player Co-Op is hilarious because friendly fire cannot be turned off. Crafting doesn't pause the game in Co-Op, and really I wouldn't even bother with the game if there wasn't Co-Op. First map (out of 8 I believe?) took me 44 minutes with a friend.

    Seriously fun with a friend. Grab it while it's on sale.
  16. ryanschwarz
    Oct 25, 2013
    9
    I'm big on zombies movies and games and How to Survive really impressed me. It immerses you in a zombie infested world and goes beyond simply killing zombies to stay alive. Although there is a lot of zombie killing action (and it's done very well), you also have to take care of your character by eating, drinking, and sleeping, as well as upgrading your character's skills and buildingI'm big on zombies movies and games and How to Survive really impressed me. It immerses you in a zombie infested world and goes beyond simply killing zombies to stay alive. Although there is a lot of zombie killing action (and it's done very well), you also have to take care of your character by eating, drinking, and sleeping, as well as upgrading your character's skills and building weapons and other things out of items you find. The game goes from day to night, and it's important to keep in mind what time it is. Go out when it's dark and there are other monsters besides the zombies that will hunt you. Shine a light in their face and they will retreat.

    I like that there are tons of zombies and that they are slow moving, but there are other enemies as well. This is good and bad. It adds variety to the game, and adds greater challenge, but I like the idea of fighting zombies and zombies alone. In zombie movies there generally are no other creatures. They're about surviving the zombie apocalypse, not the zombie other monsters apocalypse. Maybe this is unimportant but it's a thought I have whenever I see any baddies beyond zombies in a zombie shooter.

    Still, if you want to slay zombies this game still delivers. You have to wait a few moments for your gun to auto-aim at the zombies. If your shot is accurate you will hit them in the head and usually kill them with one shot. If you're firing arrows you can go and collect the arrows after killing a zombie with them. This helps make sure that you always have ammo. There are also a variety of hand to hand weapons, like machetes and axes. If you craft them you'll always be making new weapons from the materials you find.

    The graphics are excellent and the sound is too. The quests are fun and exploring the maps and finding shelter (safe rooms with electronically operated doors), food (hunting deer and fishing), and water (from wells) is satisfying and realistic. The game has been well thought out and for the price it is more than worthwhile. If you want to live in a zombie filled world with tons of action and lots to do I recommend checking this out.    … Expand
  17. dunkace
    Oct 24, 2013
    7
    A fun zombie survival shooter/slasher. Pros: Fairly easy to pick up and play, good story, a creative crafting system and good survival mechanics with hunger/thirst/tiredness. Cons: Single player can be a bit dull at times and co-op online is limited to only 2 players.
  18. bat2com
    Oct 26, 2013
    4
    This is a solid game, dont expect a triple A game because it is not, but it is fun while you play it, the leveling up system and crafting makes the game interesting sadly the save system is atrocious, really it is the worst I've seen in quite some time (matching the silent hill downpour) the games only saves when you complete a quest or travel to another island, this is not a big problemThis is a solid game, dont expect a triple A game because it is not, but it is fun while you play it, the leveling up system and crafting makes the game interesting sadly the save system is atrocious, really it is the worst I've seen in quite some time (matching the silent hill downpour) the games only saves when you complete a quest or travel to another island, this is not a big problem when you begin the game(the island is rather small) but after a while you will need to play at least 40 min for a quest for example so you cant quit or anything or you will start all over again!! Dont let me save all the time well fine, but let me save when I sleep or when I put up a fire...
    A good game ruined by the save system..    … Expand
  19. Yddraiggoch
    Nov 1, 2013
    8
    Plus points -

    Tutorials are amusing!
    Easy, casual fun
    Crafting system is decent

    Negatives

    Linear
    Smallish play area
    Short

    But... I see a lot of potential for a sequel. I will be keeping an eye out for sequels, or other titles from this developer!
  20. dsj556
    Nov 2, 2013
    2
    just buy Dead Island instead. The "crafting" is tedious and the inventory is insanely small for a survival type game. I would suggest the developers make the inventory something like 50-60 slots instead of the 16 you get. It really gets old dropping items you may or may not need later. Overall it just wasn't fun and seemed more tedious than anything. I really wanted to like this gamejust buy Dead Island instead. The "crafting" is tedious and the inventory is insanely small for a survival type game. I would suggest the developers make the inventory something like 50-60 slots instead of the 16 you get. It really gets old dropping items you may or may not need later. Overall it just wasn't fun and seemed more tedious than anything. I really wanted to like this game but sadly it didn't happen.… Expand
  21. sean_vikoren
    Oct 30, 2013
    0
    This game was advertised as multiplayer co-op and it's not. May all liars burst into flame; they stole my money.

    The idea of surviving by making cool things from items found in the environment is great, but the execution on this idea is abysmal. It really has the feel of a High School project. The gameplay is dull and repetitive, the spawns are infinite giving everything you do a    This game was advertised as multiplayer co-op and it's not. May all liars burst into flame; they stole my money.

    The idea of surviving by making cool things from items found in the environment is great, but the execution on this idea is abysmal. It really has the feel of a High School project.

    The gameplay is dull and repetitive, the spawns are infinite giving everything you do a pointless feel.
    Building things might be interesting, except they managed to take all mystery out of that process.    … Expand
  22. blackbird1
    Oct 27, 2013
    7
    Ist one of the best entertaining Indi Games i bought the last time.
    Its a 7+ not lower .
    Maybe its technical not the best but you can easly get 10 hours of fun of the solo Story mode,
  23. Vixi
    Oct 23, 2013
    8
    Great game. There is some space to make it better,but is very good,fun.
    Playing for some time now and everything works just fine.
    If you like it,buy it!

    Recommmended!
  24. MaxPay
    Mar 29, 2014
    6
    It's a twin-stick shooter that could've been much better if it didn't have auto-aim and such a silly story to tell. Maps are kinda average and they give this game a very linear overall feeling. Crafting system is the best thing I could point out. Fun in co-op, decent in solo.
  25. Startrance
    Oct 28, 2013
    10
    i dont understand why this game have gotten such a bad score, sure it's nothing revolutionary but for the low price and overall good gameplay i find this worth it's money, you can get it for 9€ at Steam, totally worth it
  26. Jericho663
    Oct 24, 2013
    9
    I have played this game for 6 hours straight and i love it, its a classic zombie top-view shooter and at a good price too. If your not into this kinda of play style then you shouldn't pick it up. I never encountered any bugs or glitches that could ruin my experience playing this game. The game's characters are likable, voice acting is sub par, the animations are rugged, but the game playI have played this game for 6 hours straight and i love it, its a classic zombie top-view shooter and at a good price too. If your not into this kinda of play style then you shouldn't pick it up. I never encountered any bugs or glitches that could ruin my experience playing this game. The game's characters are likable, voice acting is sub par, the animations are rugged, but the game play is really nice and smooth, the aiming function is very well done, however; some bad things are that the CUSTOMIZATION is not really there... it feels more like upgrades and small crafting bonuses, and the game is fairly linear. If you are looking for a game that can last you a good few days then this game is your man. Now the most amazing part of the game that amazed me was the variety of zombies and zombie spawns. Zombies feel easy and laughable at the start but near the middle of the game it gets INTENSE and you feel very accomplished when you destroy a hoard of zombies. I never felt safe in one place in this game and i wish they had more zombies they can fit in this game. love it!… Expand
  27. xinsanex81
    Oct 23, 2013
    10
    Disclaimer: after 4 hours of playing! Amazing survival game with a lot of amusing moments and more than a decent crafting system!! Some animations could use a bit of a work, but everything else is just there! I haven't had such fun for quite a while!!
  28. SouljaSteve
    Oct 23, 2013
    9
    I didn't know about this game until I saw it pop up on steam, I'm glad I bought it because it's a blast. The controls are nice, visuals are great and runs smooth. The game play itself is pretty unique, I like the fact that you can think outside of the box in some situations. Example, one of your early quests you receive a flashlight you're supposed to use to scare off special zombies atI didn't know about this game until I saw it pop up on steam, I'm glad I bought it because it's a blast. The controls are nice, visuals are great and runs smooth. The game play itself is pretty unique, I like the fact that you can think outside of the box in some situations. Example, one of your early quests you receive a flashlight you're supposed to use to scare off special zombies at night. I ended up creating a torch, that way I could scare of the specials and attack the normal zombies and set them on fire. Some areas it tells you to hack away with your machete to clear the brush, I just set it on fire with one hit and let it burn.
    I really like the way you can upgrade each weapon and constantly be on the look out for new items to create new ones. The story is what you'd expect for a zombie survival game but the humor in the survival guides is what I find enjoyable. I'm used to your FPS/TPS games (170+ games on steam alone) so I might not be the best person to base your decision on but I do know I liked Torchlight II a lot and I'm enjoying this one too. I can't really say anything negative about this game because come on, it was 12 dollars on Steam. I've paid a lot more than that for a total piece of garbage.
    It was cheap, I haven't ran into any bugs, the game play is smooth, looks great, fun and it has COOP. That's a win for me.    … Expand
  29. Diablo92
    Oct 27, 2013
    10
    505 Games at their best.. I'm having a very good experience just like i had with one of the first Fallout games by bethesda. In how to survive its not like rolling dice and then move a little closer each time to your enemies but its got the looks. You can do wild animal hunting, explode the big enemies, search places for goods. Eating, sleeping and drinking is required to stay alive and505 Games at their best.. I'm having a very good experience just like i had with one of the first Fallout games by bethesda. In how to survive its not like rolling dice and then move a little closer each time to your enemies but its got the looks. You can do wild animal hunting, explode the big enemies, search places for goods. Eating, sleeping and drinking is required to stay alive and stay alert, also finding your own weapons and armor is required to stay alive. I can't seem to break my weapons or armor as i would in any of the diablo's so i guess they toke that out (awesome)

    The game doesn't seem very difficult. I got past the first act without dieing once so i gaurentee you wont have a rough/difficult time with difficulty.

    Happy gaming and have fun    … Expand
  30. PVG
    Oct 30, 2013
    3
    This game fell short. For a game that markets itself as a survival game feels much more like a poorly crafted RPG on some serious rails. There is no replay value and the combat system feels extremely repetitive after you cut through your first couple of mobs of zombies. The crafting and talent tree system seem like they were thrown in to just try to add depth to a very shallow game.This game fell short. For a game that markets itself as a survival game feels much more like a poorly crafted RPG on some serious rails. There is no replay value and the combat system feels extremely repetitive after you cut through your first couple of mobs of zombies. The crafting and talent tree system seem like they were thrown in to just try to add depth to a very shallow game. The amount of positive user reviews is quite suspicious. Your money is honestly better spent elsewhere.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

77
#77 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 19
  3. Negative: 2 out of 19
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Mar 11, 2014
    80
    Surprisingly entertaining to play, it it just too easy. [Dec 2013]
  2. GameFront
    Dec 30, 2013
    62
    Other rickety spots aside, How To Survive’s biggest issue is that it doesn’t do enough to keep you engaged across its short, repetitive campaign.
    Read full review
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Dec 28, 2013
    60
    Solid action RPG with some survival aspects that might help you make it through a boring day – but not any longer. [Issue#237]
See all critic reviews »