NEO Scavenger Reviews

the game finally putting the hobo in murder hobo

This has been a lot of fun to play. With over 412 hours on it, its my go to when I want to relax. Some may think that worrying about losing your game due to the many many ways you can die isn't relaxing, but just use the spear or ranged as your weapon and you're good.

This game is definitely worth the price in my opinion, very simple art style, and challenging learning curve. If you're unsure about whether it's your style of game I recommend waiting for it to go on sale, because it's already cheap so no lose on your end.

Its bullshit, but addicting bullshit

I was unable to get the game to work beyond the first hex of travel. I got stuck in a battle with a wraith but couldn't retreat or fight. I'm guessing a bug? - the game could probably use a quality of life update to make more accessible maybe, or just make it more obvious what I was supposed to do.

Died of hypothermia while sleeping in a sleeping bag and wearing three shirts and pants. What a stupid game.

Too random. You can have the best build but then the game just decides your next 17 moves are all misses. UI is also kinda shit. Fascinating concept, great core, execution is meh.

interesting game but the encounters(both story encounters and random encounters) suck, all have one "right" option, and practically require you to look them up to not lose your character. good game otherwise though thats just too much for me.

EDIT: The game is better with the "Neo Scavenger Extended mod", but it's a pain to acquire it, since you have to either get into their Discord, or find a dropbox with a version that works. It solves many issues and adds some cool new events and options, but arguably makes certain things worse. Having durability on *everything* adds an extra layer of tedium beyond what was already in the base game. If you want to want to save scum by editing the files, I wouldn't even blame you. It gets old restarting over, and over, and over, and over due to RNG. The story's cool, but it's a pain to uncover it. ----Original Review Below:---- I enjoyed a few runs and got a decent length into the story. However, the game feels unfinished and abandoned. Additionally, the manual and site for mods are now defunct, unless using the Wayback Machine. There's an ingame link to an unincomplete wiki, and most of the game is played through Trial-and-Error. It was fun six years ago. Not anymore. Hurts to thumb down.

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 287: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ (8/10) [i]NEO Scavenger[/i] is a game that drops you into a post-apocalyptic wasteland with little more than a hospital gown and a hunger you can’t ignore. It’s brutal, obtuse, and occasionally unfair but also richly rewarding if you’re willing to learn its strange, haunting rhythms. I spent hours dying in bizarre ways and still came back for more. 🩹 [b]Pros:[/b] [list] [*] Incredible emergent storytelling. One of [i]NEO Scavenger's[/i] greatest strengths is how it generates gripping little narratives out of seemingly random systems. You might wake up cold, scavenge a ruined home for shoes, fight a feral dog with a broken bottle, and limp to safety only to die from a foot infection two days later. Every run feels like a desperate, lived-in story of survival, one you earned through smart (or dumb) decisions. [*] A brutal but fair turn-based combat system. At first, the combat UI is incomprehensible. But once it clicks, it becomes this tense, tactical dance of positioning, posture, and pure desperation. Every fight feels like it could be your last, especially when you’re injured, under-equipped, or just trying to avoid being seen. It's rare to find combat that sells the weight of life-or-death decisions so well. [*] Deep survival mechanics. You have to manage hunger, thirst, sleep, temperature, illness, injuries, and even your own hygiene. And it’s not just “eat food = full.” You need clean water, calories, shelter, antibiotics, warm clothing. It can be harsh, but when you survive a cold night in a self-built shack, you feel like you earned it. [*] Satisfying crafting and scavenging. Duct tape, broken glass, tattered jeans—everything feels useful, and crafting something as simple as a makeshift spear or a water filtration system feels like a huge win. There’s a real joy in cobbling together the bare minimum needed to live another day. The UI isn’t the most intuitive, but the depth is impressive once you get the hang of it. [*] Atmospheric, lo-fi visuals and haunting sound design. The art is mostly static, but the style works: bleak, grainy, and functional. It’s not flashy, but the cold, clinical visuals sell the harshness of the world. The eerie soundtrack—punctuated by silence and distant howls—does a lot with very little. [/list] 🧷 [b]Cons:[/b] [list] [*] Steep learning curve with little guidance. [i]NEO Scavenger[/i] doesn’t explain much. The game assumes you’ll learn through trial and error—lots of error. This makes discovery exciting, but it also means early runs can feel like cruel jokes. Expect to die repeatedly before you even figure out how to purify water or heal wounds properly. [*] The UI is functional but clunky. Inventory management, combat controls, and crafting menus are all manageable once you learn them, but they’re far from intuitive. The game feels more like a passion project than a polished experience, which might put off new players. I would love a remaster. [*] Not much long-term progression. Outside of unlocking different starting traits or occasionally getting further into the world’s hidden lore, each run starts you back at square one. There’s no skill tree or permanent upgrades—just your own accumulated knowledge. That’s compelling for some players, but others might crave more structural progress between deaths. [*] The plot is interesting but hard to access. There is a mystery and worldbuilding buried in the ruins of this world, but most players will go many hours without seeing more than a sliver of it. If you don’t chase down specific story paths, the narrative can feel like background noise to your scavenging. [*] Difficult to “win” or even finish. While the game technically has an ending, most players will never see it. Surviving is hard enough, but completing quests or advancing the plot requires serious time, luck, and mastery of the mechanics. It’s a game that demands a lot and doesn’t offer easy closure in return. [/list]