Ark Survival Evolved: A Dino-mite Review
By now it should be clear that I really enjoy survival games as it’s the only thing I seem to be playing and talk about.
Ark as been HIGH on my playing list ever since I saw one of my friends playing it nearly 4 years ago. It’s the kind of game I looked at and thought “Hmm that could be interesting”, however at that time the laptop I had was unable to run it and so it kinda just drifted to the side line for a few years.
That was until I saw the game on Steam again, I said to myself “ no I can’t afford that right now.” I decided to save it on my wish list and I would wait for it to go on a MASSIVE sale before I would think of buying it.
Finally when Steam had it’s special I knew it was now or never, I closed my eyes and hit the buy now button and honestly I can tell you I haven’t looked back since. This is a fantastic game!! At first I died a lot, I didn’t understand how the game worked and I was constantly picked off by Dino’s. But this was what I wanted, I had been wanting a game like this for so long. It’s a completely different kind of FPS than I’m used to and I love it!!
The title ARK: Survival Evolved says it all, you are stranded in a remote area far far away from anyone or anything that may be able to help you, called The Island (I think you can start in different places if you get all the DLC for the game) and you immediately NEED to survive. At first, you see a few harmless Dodo’s walking around and you think “Hey this isn’t so bad” but as you play the game the difficulty keeps ramping up at a rapid pace. By being lulled into a false sense of security the moment you come across your first life or death encounter it really makes you realise that you’re well and truly on your own. My survival instinct clearly did not kick in and I had to google the simplest of stuff just to survive (for example gathering wood and berries 0_0) For those who don’t know it yet i’II tell you. Simply stand in front of a tree and hit it until you manage to gather some supplies to help you craft more items. Berries are easy, find a bush and press E. Simple yes, but finding meat was yet another challenging task since I didn’t want to really kill anything BUT after I started picking off some of the Dodo’s (I believe this is why they are actually extinct) I still had no idea how to get the meat. That’s until I had to read on google (which made me feel rather dumb) that all you needed to do was hit the now dead body of the dodo to get meat and hide, same goes for the other dinos but unlike the dodo some of them hit back.
Although I am still in the beginning stages of the game I find it extremely fun!! Seriously I am addicted to playing this game in my spare time right now! In the past week that I’ve had it I swear I’ve spent roughly about 24 to 28 hours in it, resulting in me going to bed at 2AM some mornings… oops!! Of course it’s not good for me the next day, but the game just keeps me entertained with its beautiful landscapes and such an incredible diversity in dino’s that I could never have imagined.
When I was younger I wanted to become a palaeontologist. I love history and the wonders of the world, I would have loved to discover new things and to be the first to name something unknown. Sometimes I feel like I could sit in front of my laptop and research video’s or articles about the wonders of the world all day. In some small way playing this game fulfils my inner child’s dream as I get to see a T-Rex chomp down on some other unsuspecting dino. As soon as I’m done marvelling at it I then suddenly remember that I’m going to be dinner next and I have to run as fast as I can!
ARK is both exciting and scary. Running into a new location and not knowing what will come for you is rather exhilarating!! It is important to try and LVL up your movement speed because you will easily get picked off by hungry sharp clawed dino’s. For a starter I watched a few beginners tips that said that movement and weight are the best to start off levelling first since you don’t want to get stuck with good loot and equipment and can’t move because you are over packed.
I still have yet to explore the depths of the ocean floors in ARK and it will probably be a while before I test those waters, as for now I cannot imagine any scarier fish that the piranha. To add more danger to it all the land and sea creatures aren’t the only thing that can kill you in ARK. I have yet to play PVP as I am still learning a lot on PVE, but if you do open up your game to the rest of the world then definitely wary of other players as they might be out for your blood as well!! Hold on to that loot the best you can!!
ARK truly is a survival game in many forms. Everything and everyone is trying to survive and outsmart their opponents. Mother nature also has her hands in the mix as if the dinosaurs and the other players don’t get you then you can still easily die of hunger and dehydration. There is so much to consider and take into account while you play. This truly is a game that pushes you to the limit!
The only downfall about ARK is that there is not enough hours in a day to play it. ARK is the kind of game that gives us an idea of what it would have been like to live our lives amongst Dino’s. A game that teaches us to overcome the survival challenges, dominate and escape. Not only the Island but our own reality by taking us back to a place where dino’s once roamed the earth.
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