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8 Reviews
I spent a good chunk of time with Smalland: Survive the Wilds, and it’s a game that surprised me in both good and frustrating ways. From the start, it follows a familiar survival loop of gathering, crafting, building, and staying alive, but it wraps all of that in a charming world that feels different enough to stand out.
The first thing that worked for me was how approachable it feels. You’re not overwhelmed with complicated systems right away. You start by collecting basic resources, crafting simple tools, and slowly learning how dangerous the world can be. Progress feels steady, and there’s always a clear short-term goal, whether it’s upgrading your gear or finding safer places to build.
Exploration is one of the stronger parts of the experience. The map encourages curiosity, and I often found myself wandering off just to see what was around the corner. Discovering new areas, resources, and creatures kept things interesting, especially early on. Crafting and base building are simple but satisfying, and putting together a small shelter that actually feels useful added to the sense of survival.
Combat, however, is where the game feels less polished. Fighting creatures can be clunky at times, with awkward hit detection and stiff animations. Some encounters felt more frustrating than challenging, especially when movement or attacks didn’t respond the way I expected. Sound design also becomes repetitive during longer sessions, which slightly hurts immersion.
There are also pacing issues. At certain points, progression slows down and the gameplay loop starts to feel repetitive. Without strong narrative direction, it can feel like you’re just grinding resources until the next unlock. Multiplayer helps here a lot. Playing with others makes exploration, base building, and survival feel more dynamic and enjoyable, and it’s clearly where the game shines most.
Overall, Smalland: Survive the Wilds is a solid survival game with a lot of charm and potential. It doesn’t try to reinvent the genre, and while it has rough edges, its accessible systems and inviting world make it easy to enjoy. With more polish and refinement, it could become something truly special, but even now, it offers a satisfying survival experience if you’re willing to look past its flaws.
I spent quite a lot of time playing Smalland Survive the Wilds and I have to say I really enjoyed it. At first I was mostly just walking around looking at how huge everything felt and it was pretty fun to see the world from such a tiny point of view. I really liked the exploration and progression, all the way from climbing plants, gliding around, getting mounts and slowly getting better gear as you explore more of the map. It has a calm feeling at times but the world can also surprise you with sudden danger, and if you are not well prepared it can get quite stressful too. I really enjoyed taming creatures because riding around on a big bug or a lizard never stopped being funny in the best way, but my personal favorite was the grasshopper as I never knew where I would end up after a charged jump. Building a base is also nice once you start collecting the right materials, and it feels good when you turn a little patch of grass into your own space.
There were a few things that I felt could use more work though. The combat feels a bit stiff at times and even though I got used to it, it never felt fully smooth. Some quests also send you running long distances and after a while it gets really boring. I had a couple of moments where I was not sure what the game wanted me to do next and I had to wander around until something clicked. And of course occasional performance issues, but nothing too serious. Even with those small problems, I still found myself wanting to jump back in because the world is fun to explore especially if you are playing with friends.
By the end I felt like Smalland is a game that is easy to like if you enjoy survival games that lean more toward exploring and experimenting. It has rough edges but it also has a lot of charm and I had a good time getting lost in it.
When i first picked up Smalland: Survive the Wilds, my immediate thought was “oh, this looks a lot like Grounded”. On the surface, the two games share a very similar idea: you’re shrunk down to tiny size, surviving in a world where grass is as tall as trees and insects become massive threats. But once you start playing, you quickly realize that while they may look similar at first glance, the two games are actually very different.
To be honest, i personally prefer Grounded. Obsidian’s take on the “tiny survival” theme just feels more polished, with tighter mechanics, better progression and overall a smoother experience. However, i’ve met plenty of players who actually like Smalland more and i can see why. It has its own style and approach, leaning more into exploration and giving you a slightly different feel when it comes to crafting and survival. For some people, that looser and more relaxed style might be exactly what they’re looking for.
Graphically, Smalland looks solid, though it doesn’t have the same level of charm or atmosphere as Grounded. What it does have, though, is a big, vibrand world to explore with a unique perspective that still feels fresh, even after playing similar games. The survival mechanics are straightforward and approachable, which makes it easy for new players to get into without feeling overwhelmed.
At the end of the day, i wouldn’t call Smalland a worse version of Grounded – it’s more like an alternative take on the same concept. Which one you like more will depend heavily on what you value in survival games. For me, Grounded takes the crown, but if you want a different spin on the “shrunken survival” idea, Smalland is worth checking out.
I have been watching this game for a while and reading reviews that seemed like the game was not that great, BUT the game finally came on sale with a 59% discount so I said why not for that price and I am SOO glad I did. The game plays great! The biggest negative feed back I saw on this game was how long you have to wait for crafting, but they give you the option when you start your world to change the wait of the time for crafting so their is literally no issue with that. I played with friends and we had no issues with co-op online playing. I recommend this game, but I do believe the basic price tag is too high so I would wait for a sale.
Game with a lot of potential but it needs more content. It could be finished in less than 30h and the last 10h were not so enjoyable. I would still recommend it for survival-rats like me.
This is a beautiful survival game with hints of rpg and fantasy… It is compared ad nauseam with the game Grounded, but although they share some similarities, both are looking for something different, which is why neither is better than the other.
Smalland is a fun adventure with a story to know and whose survival aspects are more of a complement than a main mechanic. The creatures seek to provoke emotions such as terror, fear in most cases, and amazement in a few others. Exploring their world is a rewarding experience and having the freedom to do what you want favors and enriches its story and although the combat system is not the best and is often too simple, it fulfills its purpose.
Without a doubt, this survival is a gem which can be enjoyed equally in its solitary mode or in its cooperative mode.
“Is it better than Grounded?” That the question everyone asking about this game.
I will answer you : It’s not better, it’s different.
The vibe is the same, little beings surviving in the small world but both are really different. Smalland is that kind of game who runs in the same field like others did but with his own style and mechanics. Very surprising game with great and passionate devs who listen players.
You are clearly in a fantasy rpg world mixed with modern things surrounded by ton of tiny wild life.
The game design is a like an Ark mixed with Valheim.
Crafting armors and weapons are really great. The base building is lovely and various.
Taming and managing your insects are excellent. It feels really rewarding to own mid/end game armors and insects
The progress is great.
I recommand to play in a group, but playing solo is fine, it demands just more focus and farming. Things can be really tough.
Devs added a lot of content since the beginning.
Overall, Smalland is a good survival game who is going to be excellent in 1.0.
Let’s go fly Smallfolks!
This is a game that is excellent in the survival and crafting genre. It has its own feel, so it’s not imitating anyone else.
You can create your own character, and really go to town building and gathering resources. With the building structures you can make masterpieces.
I love the option to move your tree base, that’s rare.
All around, I love the game and the way it plays.