Sons of The Forest PC Review

When The Forest first released, it felt like one of the most unique survival horror experiences around. Sons of the Forest had a lot to live up to, and after sinking serious time into the full release, I can confidently say it both expands on the original and stumbles in a few areas. This is not just a reskin of the first game. It’s a more ambitious, complex, and at times frustrating survival journey that constantly keeps you on edge.

It’s developed by Endnight Games and published by Newnight, the former known for detailed world building.

The opening immediately sets the tone. Crashing down in the middle of a dense, sprawling island, I felt that same mix of panic and awe that the original delivered. The scale is far bigger this time, and it shows. The island is massive, heavily forested, and layered with caves, cliffs, snowy peaks and rivers that feel alive. I lost hours just wandering, stumbling across hidden bunkers and strange cultist camps. That sense of discovery is easily one of the strongest parts of the game.

Survival mechanics are deeper than before. Hunger, thirst and weather now play more critical roles, forcing me to actually prepare for long expeditions. The crafting system has been refined. Building shelters feels more tactile than in most survival games: instead of simply placing prefab blueprints, I was physically snapping logs, shaping them, and piecing together structures. It’s more time-consuming, but it also makes every base feel like mine.

Combat has improved too. Enemies are smarter, less predictable, and much more varied. Cannibals don’t just charge blindly anymore. I saw them stalk me from the tree line, circle my camp, and even back off if they realised they were outnumbered. The mutants are grotesque in the best way, and fights feel genuinely tense, especially early on when resources are scarce. Guns do exist, but ammunition is rare enough that I couldn’t rely on them, which made melee weapons essential.

One feature that stood out immediately is the AI companions. Kelvin, the soldier with brain damage, is both a blessing and a liability. He’ll obediently fetch logs, fish, or set up fires, but he can also wander into danger and get himself killed if you’re not careful.

Virginia, with her three arms and three legs, adds more firepower later on if you manage to earn her trust. Their inclusion adds a layer of personality and unpredictability that most survival games lack.

Performance is a mixed bag. On a high-end PC, I had no major crashes, but frame drops in dense areas were noticeable. The full release has ironed out many of the stability issues from Early Access, but optimisation still needs work, especially in larger co-op sessions.

Initially, I enjoyed a smooth 120fps on high settings, but after a lot of construction and fighting cannibals, my fps had dropped to around 80-90.

Storytelling has always been a strange part of The Forest series. Here, it’s more elaborate, with underground facilities, mysterious cultists, and a deeper focus on the origin of the mutants. That said, the narrative can still feel fragmented. Much of it is environmental and left for you to piece together, which works well for immersion but might frustrate players who want a clear through-line.

Where the game shines brightest is in co-op. Playing with friends turns every tense cave crawl into an unforgettable experience. Solo play works, and I often enjoyed the isolation, but there’s something uniquely terrifying about splitting up to explore only to hear your friend scream through voice chat after a mutant ambush.

Compared to the original The Forest, this sequel is far more ambitious. The crafting is deeper, the AI smarter, the map larger, and the horror elements more polished. At the same time, its ambition sometimes overwhelms itself. The building system can feel clunky, resource gathering can get repetitive, and the story still struggles to land a satisfying punch. But despite the flaws, it’s an incredibly gripping survival horror that rewards persistence.

Sons of the Forest is a brutal, unpredictable, and often brilliant survival horror game. It pushes the genre forward with its AI systems, detailed world, and terrifying atmosphere. It doesn’t always hit the mark, but when it does, it delivers some of the most gripping survival experiences I’ve had in years.