About This Game

Features

• Unique Setting - Near-future, post-apocalyptic Michigan with local cryptids and folklore. And something else beneath the surface...
  
• Turn-Based Play - Take your time with each turn, and play at your own pace. Save and quit when you want, and resume later.
  
• Permadeath - If you die, that's it. NEO Scavenger is balanced around a single difficulty level: permadeath. Your save will be deleted if you die. So choose every action carefully!
  
• No Grinding - There is no XP in NEO Scavenger. No levelling-up. Instead, progress comes from learning how to play the game better, and using your strengths to your advantage.
  
• Semi-Random - Much of the map is randomized each game, including the location of ruins, creatures, weather, and certain quest branches.
  
• Sandbox or Story - Search for clues to your identity, what happened, and who's hunting you. Or simply test your mettle against man and nature alike. Play how you want!
  
• Abilities and Flaws - Choose abilities and flaws each time you play. Different combos unlock different abilities and quest branches.
  
• Crafting - Extensive crafting system which allows for substitutions of similar items. Make a rifle scope from half a pair of binoculars, or a noise trap from a pill bottle and pebbles.
  
• Desperate Combat - Detailed combat with moves like "Tackle," "Lure," "Kick While Down," "Demand Surrender," and "Threaten."
  
• Realistic Wounds - Creatures have complex wound simulation, with multiple wound locations, infection, bleeding, and pain management.
  
• Realistic Metabolism - Hypothermia, fatigue, thirst, hunger, disease, intoxication, shelter...everything is tracked.
  
• Realistic Inventory - Complex inventory system with slots for holding, wearing, containers, and more. Fit items in grid spaces, and manage encumbrance.
  
• Hex-Based World Map - Navigate ruins, hills, forests, and plains in a hex-based map. Line-of-sight, elevation, and daylight matters.
  
• Tracking - Creatures leave their tracks and spoor on the map, which can be followed by others. Players can also hide their tracks.
  
• Hiding - Players can use hiding to avoid being seen while traveling the map, as well as during story encounters.
  
• Hunting - Trap small game for food and fur, or track and kill larger prey on the map for butchering.
  
• Hacking - Use hacking skills to unlock scavenged laptops, cellphones, smartphones, and tablets. Mine them for paydata, or snoop through personal files.
  
• Foraging - Search for edible plants and water, and use special skills to identify what's safe to eat.
  
• Haunting Soundtrack - Music composed by Josh Culler, specifically for NEO Scavenger, plays periodically, lending an atmosphere of loneliness and desperation. (Also accessible as mp3s outside game.)
  
• Creature AI - Wandering creatures go about their own business, hunting, scavenging, and hoarding. Morale affects their choices, and some will gang-up and cause trouble.
  
• Dynamic Weather - Temperature, rainfall, and night/day are based on real-world data for autumn in the area. If you live long enough, you may see snow fall.
  
• Detroit - Take refuge from the wasteland in one of mankind's last bastions of safety. Buy supplies, get medical care, and seek clues in a cyberpunk-styled city.
  
• Trading Cards - Collect NEO Scavenger trading cards, badges, emoticons, and profile backgrounds!

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

Gore - Injuries to your character appear as realistic, low-res cuts, bruises, and blood on their body.
Violence - Fights in the game involve text descriptions of violent acts.
Alcohol Use - There are alcoholic items in the game that can be consumed.
Cannibalism - Descriptions of cannibalism are in the game, as is human meat.
Horror - Being a post apocalyptic setting, horrific situations and acts are described from time-to-time. Things like slavers, cannibals, violent gangs, being buried alive, etc.

Generally, the game paints a bleak picture of the world. And if you are easily upset by challenging content, you may want to watch any of the numerous playthroughs of the game online, to get a sense of whether it is a good fit for you.