Just when you thought you’d explored every nook and cranny of Don’t Starve‘s nightmare otherworlds (plural), a new set of porcine problems present themselves. Hamlet, begining a quick spin through early access today, is another expansion for Klei’s survival action RPG sandbox. This one takes Wilson and his sketchy pals to a new, far more civilised> land. There’s a town run by aristocratic pigfolk, trap-laden ruins, the usual bundle of massive new boss monsters to tussle with and the looming threat of a coming Aporkalypse. The launch trailer is hamming it up below.

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We ve been battered by wave after wave of survival romps since Minecraft popularised the genre, with its deadly nights and groaning zombies, almost a decade ago. In its wake, we’ve been introduced to a cavalcade of punishing, persistent environments intent on putting us in an early grave.

The masochistic impulse to put ourselves through the wringer for entertainment has spread to RPGs, management games, cosmic sandboxes and more than a few horror games, so even if you don t fancy punching rocks and trees while wandering around in the wilderness, you might still find a survival game to tickle your fancy. (more…)

You summer holiday to a tropical city populated by aristocratic ambulant ham, I’m sorry to say, must become a winter vacation. Don’t Starve developers Klei Entertainment this week announced that they have delayed the launch of its Hamlet expansion from June to December 2018, saying “we’re not quite where we want Hamlet to be yet.” Which is fair enough: better late than rubbo. In the meantime, you can see more of the possibilities and problems of posh pigpeople in Hamlet’s new E3 trailer. (more…)

If you’ve got the hang of not starving with your pals in multiplayer survival sandbox Don’t Starve Together, it’s time for a new challenge: not getting kicked to bits in a gladiatorial arena together. Don’t Starve Together has launched the first of its new time-limited events, a trip into a fiery world to fight the Battlemaster’s army. Still, maybe you’ll get to drink your own spilt blood, eat your own smashed-off limbs, and die sated.

Klei Entertainment are holding a big sale this weekend too, including their own (Invisible Inc, Mark of the Ninja…) as well as those they’ve published (Darkest Dungeon, Crypt of the NecroDancer…). Good video games.

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You are the only survivor of a plane crash. The only things you have with which to stay alive are the 98 different-but-similar survival games installed on your laptop. Which one will you play until hypothermia takes you?

The Wild Eight is the latest addition to those swollen tree-feeling, rabbit-hunting ranks, but while the setup is familiar – plane crash, cold, angry wildlife – there are a couple of enticing twists to the formula. … [visit site to read more]

After a journey spanning close to a year and a half, Klei’s buddy-boasting survival ‘em up Don’t Starve Together [official site] has dragged itself from the icy grips of Early Access, and has now crawled into the barren plains of full release. As Klei’s longest-dwelling Early Access-er, the co-op standalone ships with the Reign of Giants expansion in tow, as well as a handful of new features – not least the debut of a long-awaited character.

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*checks date*

It’s all just bloody lies, isn’t it? :(

Let’s write about something that happened at the end of yesterday instead. Yesterday is safe. Don’t Starve’s [official site] single-player expansion Don’t Starve: Shipwrecked came out of early access.

I feel like coming out of early access is a symbolic thing, mostly. Like, it’s the games equivalent of a debutante ball. You get a launch trailer and people say your name on websites and you’re a grown up game now. With that in mind, let us watch Don’t Starve: Shipwrecked glide down the fancy staircase in its launch trailer and do whatever else you do at debutante balls. Probably try and choose between dancing with Nate or Dan or Chuck Bass? ANYWAY:

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Exploring a tropical archipelago sounds ground, but it’s never that easy in Don’t Starve [official site]. Shipwrecked, the latest expansion for Klei’s open-world crafty survival game, arrived last night with a boatload of new treats and threats in new lands. Also, boats! I don’t know what drives you to place these sweet little computer people in such hazardous situations, you monsters.

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The latest Don’t Starve [official site] expansion, Shipwrecked, will crash headlong into Steam Early Access in December. If you are perhaps fond of not starving and are looking forward to not starving again maybe while drinking fruity cocktails on a desert island then you’d better mark your calendar for December 1st.

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If you haven’t been paying attention to Klei Entertainment’s creations for the past few years, you’re missing out on some of the best games in the world. This year’s Invisible, Inc. [official site], recently expanded in fine style, might be the best turn-based game I’ve discovered since I joined the Chess Club all those years ago, and Mark of the Ninja is a completely different but almost equally brilliant rewrite of the stealth genre. All of the studio’s games are free to play on Steam this weekend, starting right now>, with discounts should you wish to buy them after having a taste.

… [visit site to read more]