Sons Of The Forestis the latest entry in the survival horror genre, dropping you on an island full of cannibals, mutants, and countless trees ripe for deforestation. It is the sequel to the popular and critically acclaimedThe Forest.

Related:Biggest Differences Between Sons Of The Forest And The First Game

One player sites on a crafted bench and another holds an axe while looking at the view from a mountain base

Being a successor that promises improvements, scares, and more lore, it’s expected that a lot of hype has surrounded its development. The game was one of the most wishlisted games on Steam before launch andsold two million copies within the first 24 hoursof its release. If you’re looking for the next survival adventure to sink your teeth into, read on to see if Sons Of The Forest will suit your tastes.

Review

Sons Of The Forest is still in Early Access but has already enjoyed a lot of positive attention due to a promising narrative thread, graphical improvements, and gameplay changes that build on the foundations of the first game. The devs at Endnight Games continue to update the title, introducing balance tweaks, story additions, bug fixes, and brand-new areas and creatures to check out.

News writerJoshua Henry has covered this barrage of approval from gamers, noting how the game already received over 18,000 positive reviews after just one day on Steam.

Player pulls out duct tape from roll while crafting a time bomb in the rolled out inventory pack

Even though the game is an Early Access title, meaning you may encounter some glitches, bugs, and whatnot, it is impressive to see how much enjoyment and positive interactions players are having with it.

As Joshua has covered, this is a very impressive feat considering how Sons Of The Forest is an indie title and happens to be in Early Access. Within its first week, the game garnered the 22nd-largest player count in Steam’s history. He wraps things up by how the game has proven itself as being worth the wait ever since it was first announced in 2019.

A dead resort guest sits on a chair with a guitar plunged through their mouth, with wads of paper money surrounding them on the floor

Time Expenditure

In its current state, Sons Of The Forest provides a very short experience if you are sticking to the main story and opt for the ending that has you leaving the island for good. You canfinish the entire game’s narrative in just three hours, and speedrunners have evenbeaten the game in just seven minutes and 38 seconds. You can expect this time to get padded when the full release comes, but it remains to be seen just how much will be added.

Even if you try to find all the possible unlockables and additional pieces of lore, you can expect to be done in less than 24 hours. If you’re in it purely for crafting and survival, you can choose to stay on the island and get countless more hours of gameplay.A single in-game day lasts a little over 36 minutesin real life (with about 34% of that being nighttime), so it can depend on how long you survive or still want to play.

Cost

You can purchase Sons Of The Forest exclusively on Steam for$29.99. The developers have announced that the price will not change even when the game exits Early Access. Considering the early nature of the game, there have been no official price cuts during sales so far.

What Players Are Saying

Worth It For The Potential - Sachi Go

In its current state, Sons Of The Forest is already enjoyable. That said, you may feel that it’s still a barebones version of the full package that would more suitably justify its price. For now, you’re jumping on a title that could pass as a prettier The Forest DLC. It’s not risky to bank on good faith, though, as the devs at Endnight have proven with the first game how reliable and dedicated they are in creating a polished and satisfying survival horror game once it’s out of Early Access.

Still A Work In Progress, But Worth Your Time - Harry Alston

Sons Of The Forest is a substantial leap forward in terms of graphics compared to its predecessor, The Forest. However, you might find that the lack of content in the game right now means your time exploring, killing mutants, and dealing with Kelvin, comes to a stalling stop. The game receives bi-weekly updates with new content, so you won’t have to wait long until the game is up to par with the previous title.

Not Many New Features - John Wildermuth

Besides a graphical overhaul, there are not many current changes that differentiate Sons Of The Forest from its predecessor. With that being said, the game is still in early access, so Sons Of The Forest has the potential to grow and change as development continues.