It's unfortunate there was so much pressure to release this game early, as it's clearly not finished. I am a big fan of the first game "The Forest". What they are trying to do with this game is great, and when complete I think it will be a fantastic sequel. In it's current state it's very empty/lacking details and doesn't do a good job of telling the story.

It has a new building system which is really great. It has blueprints like the first game, but also an interactive building system. You also get an NPC which can do tasks for you, so you don't need to do the tedious tree chopping and can do other things while the NPC does that for you. However, it doesn't feel satisfying to establish a base in this game as it's just not really needed. Once playing a bit you kinda have everything you need, and a base with established storage etc. just isn't that necessary. I hope this will change as the game is completed and things you need are harder to come by and the AI is more interesting in the way they attack your base. The game also currently has very few traps which was a fun part of basebuilding in the first game.

The game still has exciting exploration which reveals really interesting and surprising things about the island and makes you wonder about the storyline, which is something I really liked about the first game. But again it just feels lacking from being an unfinished early access game. The various caves need more to them, and the cut-scenes don't really tell the story very well at this point.

I will be replaying this later when it's finished. I would not encourage anyone to buy this game now but re-visit it in the future. I do think the devs will finish their vision for this game.

It's unfortunate there was so much pressure to release this game early, as it's clearly not finished. I am a big fan of the first game "The Forest". What they are trying to do with this game is great, and when complete I think it will be a fantastic sequel. In it's current state it's very empty/lacking details and doesn't do a good job of telling the story. It has a new building system which is really great. It has blueprints like the first game, but also an interactive building system. You also get an NPC which can do tasks for you, so you don't need to do the tedious tree chopping and can do other things while the NPC does that for you. However, it doesn't feel satisfying to establish a base in this game as it's just not really needed. Once playing a bit you kinda have everything you need, and a base with established storage etc. just isn't that necessary. I hope this will change as the game is completed and things you need are harder to come by and the AI is more interesting in the way they attack your base. The game also currently has very few traps which was a fun part of basebuilding in the first game. The game still has exciting exploration which reveals really interesting and surprising things about the island and makes you wonder about the storyline, which is something I really liked about the first game. But again it just feels lacking from being an unfinished early access game. The various caves need more to them, and the cut-scenes don't really tell the story very well at this point. I will be replaying this later when it's finished. I would not encourage anyone to buy this game now but re-visit it in the future. I do think the devs will finish their vision for this game.