Don't Starve: Console Edition

A very addictive roguelike that we’ll happily recommend to anyone who owns a PS4.

We expected big things from the studio behind Mark of the Ninja and Shank, and in Don’t Starve, we got them. It’s a wonderfully dark survival-craft game with great scope for emergent, unique experiences, even if it will make you rage occasionally.

Learning is half the fun and even the smallest victory makes you feel like you’re winning with a capital FU.

Don't Starve is an incredibly satisfying survival-exploration game that understands how to foster the joy of discovery.

Don’t Starve is all about trial and error. The first few play throughs often ended quickly; but with each passing game I learned something new and this, in turn, fueled my interest in the game and my desire to get it right the next time.

Don’t Starve isn’t perfect, but it brings something to the PS4 that is sorely needed. Its addictive qualities keep you playing, forcing you to lose hours of your life to dodging Pig Men, hunting rabbits, and gathering supplies to see how long you can last.

Behind the Edward-Scissorhand-esque look of this apparently innocent game, lies one of the most unforgiving and thrilling roguelike. The game works great with the dualshock 4.

Don’t Starve is an original survival adventure that surprises because of its many game options and its amazing art style.

No doubt, Don't Starve will split opinion squarely down the middle, but for those willing to put the man hours in it there's undoubtedly a proverbial treasure throve of depth at hand. Either way, Klei Entertainment's offering is a refreshingly robust and intriguing title which sets the wheels of Sony's PS4 indie proclamation firmly in motion.

Very unique and, above all, very addictive. The concept of surviving becomes fun and engaging, and makes the players think and plan their next move if they want to see another day.

A seamless port. [March 2014, p.85]

Gloomy, tricky and endlessly punishing. [Issue#240, p.64]

Probably not a game for everyone. The pace can at times be very low, and the developers could've thrown in more surprises. But it's a title that is hard to put down once you've gotten into it.

Don’t Starve is wonderfully unforgiving, proudly unhelpful and sometimes (“How bad could something called the Deerclops be…?”) just downright mean. And it’s all the better for it.

Your only goal in Don't Starve is to survive. You do this, primarily, by "not starving", though you'll be fending off creatures and looting the graphically unique environments as well. It's a nice survival simulator that is highly recommended to everyone looking for a nice change of pace.

Don't Starve delivers a unique, deep and compelling survival experience. If permadeath is not a huge problem for you, then you'll enjoy this game so much.

Don’t Starve is a fantastic, huge, deadly ball of entertainingly gothic survival.

It's never stronger than in its opening hours, and if it never quite recaptures that first heady whiff of discovery, it at least keeps you on the edge of your seat thanks to its punishing design, the stakes rising in tandem with your achievements.

Don't Starve is a tremendously addictive game where the fight for the survival, mixed with exploring several places with its own magic, throw the player into searching every corner of the map. However, it is extremely hard from the very beginning, so there will be many players thinking twice before going on with their adventures.

Don't Starve's overwhelming difficulty and complex crafting make for a stressful and gruelling experience. Embrace its charms, and you'll be rewarded with the joys of exploration and discovery.

A good conversion for a great game. It's impossible not to notice all the gameplay and the features brought by the growing mod community on PC, which of course are not supported by this console version.

If you don’t want to do the same thing over and over, you hate a game over screen and need a tutorial to understand what you’re doing, Don’t Starve isn’t the game for you. It’s difficult, challenging and divers, which makes it a great experience.

The ecological system as well as the crafting are cool, but the need for useless repetition gets on your nerves after a while. Nonetheless you can expect a merciless fight for survival with a captivating art design.

Don't Starve is still an excellent game on the new Sony console, which, however, is not used in its technical potential. For the same price, this PS4 version is as good as the old PC version, as long as you don't want to play the great mods available on PC. In that case (and in the case of Steam sales), it's better to buy the version for Windows, Mac and Linux.

While I appreciate the world, atmosphere, and mechanics, I can't help but wish that there was a light at the end of Don't Starve's dark and lonely tunnel.

When that little curiosity stays and gets you back for creating more items to survive another day, you get addicted to the game, transforming irritation into determination.

On the PS4, it remains a frustrating, fascinating, and beautifully grim experience that controls nicely and packs the same absorbing punch as the original.

Don't Starve can be a real pain. But if you know what you're getting yourself into, you'll not regret answering the call of this cute, but somehow distressingly terrifying wild.

Don’t Starve may make your stomach rumble in frustration if you’re not willing to invest the required time to master its complex systems, but triumph over its crushing difficulty, and you may find a satisfactory dish here.

Uncovering the secrets of Don’t Starve’s oppressive world is gratifying, but the basics of gameplay get too mindlessly repetitive once you’ve figured out what you’re doing.

Don't Starve flies too low to take advantage of all that's good in its gameplay, but is a good game anyway, recommended to all those looking for a challenge despite a depressed world and the lack of a true goal.

Don't Starve is a gorgeous, terrifying, often funny game, albeit one that can chew away at the player's morale with its constant demands and willingness to undo hard work. Provided you go in willing to work hard and take punches on the nose, there's plenty of reward to be had.

Don’t Starve’s singular focus, wrapped up in a deadly dance between threat and empowerment, is also its biggest flaw. There is no horizon to strive for. The attrition-based gameplay is initially interesting and temporarily engaging, but lacks any lasting impact on the world.

The tedious "trial and error" design will make you want to bang your head on to the nearest wall. But if you have patience there are a lot of interesting things you'll find in Don't Starve.