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8 Reviews
Subsistence is one of those survival games that feels harsh right from the start. I spent a lot of time just trying to gather basic resources while keeping an eye out for animals and hunters. Building up a base slowly feels rewarding, but the game can be pretty unforgiving if you make mistakes. What makes it interesting is the AI hunters who actually build bases and sometimes raid you, which adds tension to the world. It’s definitely grindy at times, but surviving long enough to expand your base feels satisfying.
I’ve put a decent chunk of hours into Subsistence and I’ve got mixed feelings about it. The game is all about grinding but not just in the usual “chop tree, mine rock” sense. It’s more strategic. You end up splitting your map into four quadrants and each day, you head out into a different one, scavenging whatever you find along the way. It’s a loop that feels semi-realistic, kind of survivalist and honestly pretty immersive at first.
But than the grind catches up to you. Everything you build takes a ton of effort and planning. Arrows feel precious early on – like, every single one counts – and that never really goes away. In fact, it gets more intense later. Some people might love that sense of challenge, where survival feels earned. Personally, I burned out. I’ve tried to reach endgame a few times but never made it past midgame. Eventually, the “grind>build>survive” loop just stopped being fun.
What kind of wore me down was the pacing. You can spend two real-life minutes walking just to find one bush or plant. And late game? You use up a bunch of rare resources to craft a lockpick… just for a chest that might spawn. The only real “big thing” left is scuba diving into some underwater cave for minerals. It’s cool, but not quite enough to keep me hooked.
That said, I’m not calling Subsistence a bad game. It’s actually a super unique survival experience with a gritty, grounded vibe. It’s just not for everyone – especially if you’re someone who wants faster progress or more obvious rewards. Still, if you’re in between games and want something different, this might be worth a try.
Well I have to say, i am impressed with the quality of the game in graphics and it’s crafting. On the other hand, promoting a hard core survival game without the basics of actually surviving kind of takes the shine off of it. It’s survival game without zombies or mutants. You actually have to survive the wild. This game is great for just that. Finally i can play single player and focus on surviving then thriving. If you like the genre, give it a chance.
Subsistence starts out strong… You’re dropped into a wild, untamed world with nothing but your wits and a trusty multi-tool. It’s got that raw survival vibe where every stick, berry, and bullet feels earned. At first, it’s exciting : crafting shelter, hunting wildlife, and defending yourself from the occasional rogue bear or wolf. The atmosphere nails that lonely wilderness feeling, and there’s a definite sense of satisfaction when you manage to stay alive another day. You feel like a true survivor, clawing your way through the challenges nature throws at you 🙂
But here’s the thing :/ that initial excitement starts to fade over time. The grind is real. Resources are painfully scarce, and it feels like you’re constantly scrambling to gather just enough to stay afloat. Every small accomplishment, like crafting a new weapon or upgrading your base, takes a lot of effort. Building anything substantial takes ages, and the payoff doesn’t always feel worth it. The AI hunters, while initially interesting, tend to become more annoying than enjoyable as the game goes on.
Combat? It’s okay, but not great. Guns feel underpowered, and ammo is so rare you’re often better off avoiding fights altogether. While this adds to the survival tension, it also makes many encounters feel like a chore rather than a fun challenge. There’s a delicate balance between tension and frustration, and Subsistence doesn’t always get it right.
The game does have its moments, like when you finally fend off a bear attack by the skin of your teeth or manage to finish an ambitious base project. Those moments of triumph feel amazing, but they’re spread too far apart. After a while, the repetition and lack of progression start to weigh things down. It’s as if the game is missing that “something extra” to keep it engaging for the long haul
If you’re a hardcore survival fan who enjoys a tough grind, you might find a lot to like here. But for most players, me included, Subsistence feels like it’s trying hard without fully delivering. It’s an idea with potential, but it just doesn’t quite stick the landing :/
It’s the best clean crafting survival game that does not have zombies or other unnatural stuff.
Want to survive against the wild? Grab this game and have time to collect resources and build items to prepare for the wildlife or elements in the game. This game is able to provide you meaningful experience with a huge range of possibilities.
Is Subsistence subpar?
Let’s look at the pros.
It is a survival game in the rawest sense. By this I mean, there is no extras. It’s you and the animals, unless you have the “Hunters” on. There is no planes, no boats, no far away lands to escape to. This is it, the last place you have to build your home in the woods. To me, this is a great concept for a survival game. I think Coldgames has done a good job of capturing that aspect.
There are many different weapons you can make, or acquire while raiding NPC bases. From the basic bow to the double barrel shotgun. You can find or craft weapons to fit the situation you are in. Remember, you are in the woods with nothing but scraps and what you find or take.
Given there are many games with the ability to build freely, this one doesn’t do it any better or worse. Just different. I was happy to see that you can place your foundations almost anywhere. It truly does give you the ability to build near anywhere on the map. Also, building with glass, wood, or metal, gives you the freedom to customize your base for you.
There are a lot of zombie type games out there. The ‘Hunters’ in Subsistence could be replaced by zombies pretty easily. But they are people, hunters living in the woods trying to take what you have and get you out of their Forrest. They progress as you progress. If you have land mines, they have them. If you have shotguns, they do too. It’s worth mentioning that. Because there is no ‘Level’ progression. Just You vs Them.
Now, there are some pros that others may have mentioned, but I see it this way. Just my opinions.
On to the Cons.
Scarce Materials. It is sometimes difficult to find enough scrap or nails. Even getting wood together is a long process. Not that it needs to be easy. But it should be obtainable without hours of grinding. Some of the crafting recipes are way out of balance in my opinion.
Having said that about materials. You can now see why I think it is not for single player. The more people, the more materials you can gather. The more food you’ll need, but that won’t be an issue with the amount of animals around the map.
Not having any background on your character or no story line to really draw you in. It really is just you running around the woods chopping trees and avoiding bears and wolves for hours. All so you can make a 2×2 base. There’s not a whole lot more to it than that.
I don’t think the game is bad. I actually quite like the concept and idea. I in no way could have done better, as I’m not a developer. I am just putting my opinion out there. There are a lot more things you can build and make in the game than I have mentioned. But without the base materials being balanced, it’s very time consuming to get there.
Coldgames is doing great work on the game he wanted to make and put out. Just be ready to chop trees and open chest for days to find nails, scrap, and electrical components.
These are just my opinions.
I’ve tried several times to “get into” subsistence. The game has a lot to offer while also holding you back. My main complaint about the game is its overall clunkyness and lack of creativity. One of the biggest things I do not like is how you must find nails and other building supplies via looting containers which sounds good at first except there is no kind of rhyme or reason to these loot containers they simply spawn on the ground at complete random with completely random things inside, while you cannot build anything until you find a sizable amount this leads to a VERY VERY annoying gameplay loop of getting about half the nails needed to just build basic storage and then dying to an animal that agreed you from farther than you could see it. There is NO viable way of fighting back in the early game against ANYTHING. After you have a small base, best be ready to have it wiped out, if you do not advance fast enough you will not be able to protect your base from the AI hunter gangs. They will come after you and kill you repeatedly.
The game still has a lot of merit IMO; it just needs a few core changes to really turn it into a Gem.
There is a lot to build and progress through, but at the end there is nothing to do.
The main complaint from the small community is no end game content.
I think given more time and hopefully some direction, Subsistence could be a really good survival game. In its current state it leaves much to be wanted…. And I think the player base is directly related to that.