Living in the Ending World Reviews

This is like Oregon Trail.

Bullshit right there. Don't touch it.

I like games with some trial and error, stuff like "The Oregon Trail" or "Death Road to Canada." I was initially attracted to "Living in the Ending World" because of the anime style, the creepy apocalyptic theme, and my personal love of the aforementioned games. However, even after struggling to play this game for 6 hours (at the time of this review), I cannot, in good faith, recommend this game. Why? It is an infuriating experience because not only do the many items you obtain and events that occur are almost completely RNG, it doesn't give you any feedback on what you're doing right, or any real hints to guide you in a better direction. Hints appear on the Game Over screen like "With any misfortune, there are options to minimize the damage," after I've survived 57 days with full health and I just happened to pick the instant death option (with no return save point available). With these totally vague hints, the game is forcing you to learn what benefits you by experiencing death again and again, but instead of making it fun or engaging, it becomes infuriating because of the RNG. To try and obtain what I've learned, I've started taking extensive notes for each playthrough, and the amount of knowledge I've obtained is absurd for a game that appears so simple on the surface. I don't think the average player would be so engaged to try and learn a game's trial and error like this so extensively; if anything, I think they would just look up a guide. At least a guide would give them some core knowledge of what events to avoid, or how to strategically plan for enduring with no food (but of course, also not too much food because the game punishes you for that too). Certain items can be crafted to make even more useful items for your journey, but if you have a multiple of each item, you will craft them ALL. For example, seaweed can be crafted to make food, but if you have 3 seaweed? You will craft them ALL at the same time. So if I find the game frustrating, why am I still playing it? I've taken so many notes and I've been too stubborn to quit. I find the mystery behind what exactly caused the catastrophic event interesting, even if it feels a little predictable. If there is anything this game gets right, it's revealing the mystery story elements piece by piece. The way the characters' sanity breaks down to the point it affects their speech and actions is also entertaining, but if you know how the daily routine choices go, it gets old after a couple playthroughs. So basically, unless you want to spend a while doing trial and error, I can't recommend this game. At least in "Death Road to Canada" you can make your own characters and have fun with the writing; this one feels robotic by comparison. At least in "The Oregon Trail," you can have someone in your party die and you can continue forward without them. I think the core of a strong game is here; it's just an extremely challenging journey.