Developer Odinsoft is preparing to fully release their challenging open-world game, Survival: Fountain of Youth. The new update will introduce a brand new region, a massive ship you can call home, the conclusion of the game’s story, and more.

Survival: Fountain of Youth was released on Steam a little over a year ago and has received multiple major updates during its early access period. Each update expands on its story as you explore the Caribbean islands in search of your captain, Juan Ponce de León, and the fountain of youth, as the title of the game implies.

As you explore the game world, you will find remnants of an ancient civilization that was divided into three groups. The challenges you face in their dungeons reflect what each group was known for. One tribe focused on strength, while another was interested in alchemy. Every location is home to unique resources that are used to craft new sea vessels, tools, and weapons you need to survive.

Where this game shines is in its relentless difficulty. Similar to Green Hell, nearly everything is trying to kill you—not just the animals, but also the environment, as there are many afflictions you can get. Curing these can be as simple as bandaging the wound with a specific flower, or later, more complex ones through the medical creation system. Crafting a selection of clothing items or masks will go a long way to avoiding some bad effects, such as wearing a sun hat to protect yourself from getting sunburned or a makeshift gas mask to survive long enough in the sulfuric clouds to grab what you need.

As this is a story-driven game, the world will slowly open up as you progress through the quests. To help you ease into the world and understand how the game functions, the developers recently reworked the tutorial to make it feel less hand-holdy. While this might sound like it restricts freedom, the game has systems in place so you can explore each island in a region out of order. While finding your way to a new area can be done through the main quest, there are ancient map pieces you can find that will show you the way once combined. This allows you to completely skip the story if you so choose.

In the 1.0 update, we can expect the grand finale of the storyline, with new voiced cutscenes. It will take us to the fifth area through the Bimini belt and hopefully to the Fountain of Youth. One of the old Spanish ships can be rebuilt, called the ARK. This beast of a boat can be used as a mobile base once it has been repaired. Unlike the current ships in the game that come with storage or a sleeping station built in, you will be able to customize the ARK and build whatever you want on it. This one also comes kitted with cannons, allowing you to break your way into some areas by firing cannonballs, which, among many other new items, can also be crafted.

The update will go live on Steam and the Epic Games Store on the 21st of May. The console release will follow a little later and is planned to be released in the summer.

Are you looking forward to exploring the new region? Let me know in the comments.