Recent reviews by AmandaBC

It's not often that you find a game, a free game on Steam, that looks this polished and this cool. Gameplay-wise it's pretty intuitive even if you don't have that much experience with turn-based combat, the level design is quite charming and easy to navigate without being too obvious with its' secrets; difficulty-wise its' a touch daunting as you start but it doesn't take long to build some confidence and as you progress through the game you don't find yourself in tight corners (at least not any that the game doesn't offer solutions for); as for mechanics it really offers a lot of choices and I can see how it accommodates different playstyles in that way (though admittedly you can be fairly straight forward with it). Story-wise it is a delightful journey through and through, a heartfelt and charming blend of silly and serious without being too over-the-top on either regard (quite careful and friendly with its' subject matter at that), to put it simply, a journey worth having- The game doesn't take long to complete and quite honestly it's worth every minute you give it.

PS. If you want some heartstrings pulled, even more so, I recommend playing with The Evil Within's version of "Clair de Lune" in the background, it adds a whole different atmosphere specially towards the end.

Finding games that keep on captivating you after that initial excitement stage when you get to experience it for the first time are hard to find. More often than not you end up exhausting your enjoyment and simply move on to the next thing - Don't Starve on the other hand is one of those.

Gameplay and mechanics-wise it's a game that wholly benefits from uncertainty, sure you may poke around the wiki and more or less get a pretty good idea of what the game entails watching playthroughs, however, once you actually jump into The Constant and embark on your own, everything and anything can and will happen. It doesn't matter if you are brand new to it or a seasoned veteran coming back for more, the game keeps you on your toes. Each and every single run teaches you something new, and it truly highlights your personal play-style and the ways in which you relate to the game. And while it can be quite daunting, specially if you go in blindfolded, the game can be as forgiving as it is challenging, from the characters to the world settings, you are the master of your experience.

It is important to disclose that if you want to get the most out of the Don't Starve experience proper, the DLCs are an important element to it, the base game itself is a lot of fun but the craziness and the charm shines the most through the DLCs. They add both tons of new content and a whole new way to play the game, for all the hours I've spent in each one I can say they're all worth it, you may find that one charms you more than the other but they never fail to deliver. And as a special treat you can connect all 3 DLCs, jump between them seamlessly and even export exclusive items from one to the other as you please.

All in all, and in this reviewer's personal experience, Don't Starve is a game that's always there for you however you need it, from a chill and almost hands off experience, to the invested survival thrill and even the mega-builder sandbox. To this day I can confidently say that coming back to it from time to time always puts a smile on my face and rewards the time I give it.