“Explore, fight, level up, survive, craft, harvest, hunt, build, plant, solve puzzles, live, fish, cook,” and most importantly, “savor the bittersweet post-apocalyptic life”: that’s your agenda for the day in the magnificent survival game that is “Dysmantle.” To my taste, it feels like this game is a fusion of “I am Future” and “Undying.” So, lace up your sneakers, put on your cap, grab your backpack, and wield your crowbar as we dive into this quirky post-apocalyptic adventure.

The game’s story begins as a new catastrophe has once again devastated the world. Vile, skeletal creatures have emerged on this once flourishing island, where nature has now reclaimed its rights. Alone, our protagonist has spent a few years in an underground bunker. Unfortunately, a few years after secluding oneself in this secure place, supplies run out. There’s no choice but to emerge from the earth and try to survive in this hostile world.

Dysmantle stands out with its immersive gameplay mechanics. The exploration of the post-apocalyptic island is an adventure rich in discoveries, with diverse landscapes and well-hidden secrets. What makes the game particularly captivating is the dismantling system (hence the name of the game), where every object and structure can be demolished to obtain essential materials. This approach adds strategic depth to survival, urging players to carefully assess their resources. Character skills, crafting tools and equipment, and inventory management introduce tactical dimensions to the experience.

Regarding combat, it primarily involves melee encounters at the beginning of the adventure. Unfortunately, the bestiary is relatively limited. There are about ten different enemy types, excluding bosses, with variations in their running and attacking speeds. While they may seem challenging to defeat at the game’s first hours, encounters become quite manageable once your hero is upgraded and dodge rolls are mastered. Only the bosses might pose some difficulties, but rest assured, nothing insurmountable.

The game boasts a colorful cartoonish art style and adopts a classic yet effective isometric 3D view, and if you read my reviews on Gamoneer, you will know how much I love this visual genre!. In Dysmantle, players traverse several vibrant environments, ranging from suburban neighborhoods to tropical forests, frozen steppes in the north to inhospitable deserts in the south. The map is vast, and the numerous hours needed to explore it entirely are genuinely enjoyable.

Dysmantle distinguishes itself from most of its competitors by simplifying survival and crafting to the bare essentials. Here, there’s no concept of hunger or thirst, no endurance gauge to consider, the focus is on harvesting, destruction, and crafting. This casual approach is welcome, as it can quickly become tedious in most survival games. Who hasn’t cursed the constant hunger in “How to Survive” or the need to set up a campfire branch by branch in “Green Hell”?

While Dysmantle provides an overall immersive experience, some players might note a few areas for improvement. The repetitiveness of dismantling tasks, although central to the game, can become monotonous, but personally, the repetitive side of games never bothered me. The game’s bestiary may feel somewhat sparse, and the lack of diversity could be noticeable. Additionally, the game’s soundtrack seems a bit subdued. However, rest assured, these aspects do not significantly detract from the overall gaming experience.

In conclusion, Dysmantle offers an immersive and enjoyable gaming experience in a post-apocalyptic world, with good dismantling mechanics. Despite some repetitive elements and a narrative that could be more developed, the game manages to captivate players with its unique atmosphere. For survival and adventure enthusiasts, Dysmantle provides a stimulating experience, and most importantly, without much hassle. And for whom… euuh… Shhh, stop what you’re doing; I hear a strange noise coming from behind the trees…