Smalland: Survive the Wilds Reviews

played this game over 2 years ago before they had all the new updates and it was fun. now that they have end game content and more bosses this was another great playthrough. I started fresh playing with my son and we both really enjoy all the new things you could do in this game. the revive a guild mate still does not work, but that really didnt matter, we just tried everything new that was out. the larger pets do make it annoying when walking up stairs and narrow pathways because they will spawn on you and knock you off most times, but other than that really great game and i hope they continue to update and add more

Its almost definitely not the game you think its gonna be, but I like the taming system, imo the player bases are super gimmicky with being up in the trees. overall a really cool game tho

Buy it!!!! It took me 50 hours to beat it. Hit Max level right before Boss. I would say its on par with grounded, just not the story. I'm just sad its over... I would Buy a #2 in a heart beat!!!!

10/10 I highly recommend this game! I'm an open world survival fanatic and have played similar games to this! Just beat the game. First play thru. I took my time and enjoyed the game, 60 hours over 5 days. Its addicting, but in a good way! Its what I wish Grounded was like. Going to restart now that I know the game and do another play thru!!! Pros: Its a Grind, keeps your attention and lots of farming and leveling. (if that's your thing, like me). Nice quest line, keep you focused moving forward thru the story (LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!) A nice assortment of companions with different qualities and attacks. Even at end game, you still have things to do; lvling, perfecting gear & camp reputations. Cons: Map needs some work, while its a blank canvas, there is no label for the zones you are in. No mods for the game, which is sad....well, very few, very minor mods that haven't been updated. Creature control could be better with more functionality. Armor & weapon stats kinda blah, they are all the same with a few exceptions. Missing and incomplete codex info; some things can't be unlocked or just not found with no data or info online to help you find the things you are missing. Food recipes could be switched up, so much different food to craft and almost all do the same thing, be nice if food gave buffs to player and/or creature stats. Camp Reputations and frequency of events SUCKS. You get so little points and the frequency of the events is terrible! I wish there was a setting or mod to change the interval of this but sadly there isn't. While all the cons are more than the pros, I still like the game and will be playing it again. I look forward to future updates and hopefully more content?

Does a really poor job of on-boarding, and the first 30 minutes is just 'run here, talk to this guy, run there, read this.' Joining friends doesn't join friends. Mechanics aren't consistent, there's fall damage sometimes but not others. You spawn with half health. You can't respawn at guild buildings by default. I spent almost an hour just wasting time and being aware that it was a waste of my time. Bought at 60% off and still refunded. Play Grounded instead. That game is a masterclass for Merge how to do all this right.

Wow! This game must have been overshadowed by Grounded. I had not even heard of it until recently. Its a fantastic little survival game. Pun intended! There is a lot of content here. I put in around 60 hours. It has everything that Grounded should have, creatures you can ride, a decent glide system and fully movable bases with one click. This is a gem of a game. I hope the devs of this game don't get discouraged from working on this or a sequel.

Amazing graphics, fun story-line, and just when you think you're OP there's a new section with even more difficult enemies. So much to explore. Loving it so far!

Honestly, what is keeping this from being a good game is the weird mechanics and small things that for the life of me i can't figure out the thought process behind them. No swimming in a survival sandbox? Like you literally just sink to the bottom and die. The companion controlling mechanic is abysmal. You have to craft specific whistles that command specific actions that you don't have immediate access to. Soooooo many bugs you can tame but not ride. The little flies and ladybugs i understand, but there are several that are easily big enough to ride that you just can't. Getting to places starts to get really tedious early and it became something i dreaded alot. Most of these complaints are just weird mechanics, but if there was anything i would really like to see added, even more than swimming, is wall crawling. Even if its just while riding your bugs. im a tiny man on a spider. why can't i climb walls? Just copy Dune or Peak mechanics for that. Traversing this landscape (while it is truly beautiful) becomes a nightmare of weird collisions and falling down a slight slope and suddenly having to take the most obscure route to get where you originally were. LET ME CLIMB WALLS WITH BUGS Ultimately everything needed to make the game truly good is basically all in the kit. I tried to adjust map and server settings to try and compensate and keep me playing, but eventually i ran out of ways to stomach the annoyances and had to uninstall. Not a terrible game, and honestly i enjoyed it more and played longer than Grounded (gameplay loop a little too boring and not enough fun mechanics like flying or riding bugs or w/e), but i'm reviewing it based off the default price and it's not worth it imo. The sale i bought it during brought it down to $14 and I can't say i regret the purchase at that price.

Smalland: Survive the Wilds is a survival adventure game that captures a sense of wonder by shrinking the player down to the scale of an insect in a massive, untamed world. As one of the Smallfolk, you explore dense forests, towering grasslands, and forgotten ruins that loom large from your miniature perspective. The feeling of venturing beneath giant mushrooms or climbing the roots of immense trees creates a unique atmosphere that sets it apart from other survival games. The visual style, paired with ambient sounds and shifting weather, makes every journey through the wild feel both enchanting and dangerous. Survival in Smalland revolves around familiar mechanics like resource gathering, crafting, building shelters, and fighting hostile creatures, but it adds some creative twists. Players can tame and ride bugs like grasshoppers or fly on damselflies, which opens up exploration in meaningful ways and gives a refreshing spin on mounts in survival games. Combat, however, is one of the weaker points. It feels clunky at times, with inconsistent hit detection and sluggish dodge mechanics, making battles feel more like an obstacle than an engaging part of the gameplay. Tamed creatures can help in combat, but their usefulness is hit-or-miss, often leaving you to rely more on your own gear than your insect companions. One of the standout features is the base-building system. Players can claim Great Trees and construct elaborate treetop homes that can be moved between different areas of the map. This mobile base system is smartly designed and avoids the frustration of starting over with each relocation. Building tools are flexible and forgiving, with options for rotation, scaling, and re-editing without penalty. The crafting system is extensive, though not overly complex, offering a satisfying progression as you gather rare materials to upgrade armor, tools, and structures. Still, the absence of features like detailed character customization or voice-acted dialogue does make the world feel a little less personal. Exploration is rewarding, though not always straightforward. The game avoids cluttering the map with markers, encouraging you to find NPCs and quests through environmental cues and stone owl effigies. This design promotes discovery and immersion, though it can lead to moments of confusion if you're unsure where to go next. Environmental threats like storms, seasonal weather changes, and temperature shifts—especially during harsh winters—add layers to the survival experience. You're forced to adapt, find shelter, and craft the right gear to stay alive, keeping the game world dynamic and reactive. Multiplayer is supported for up to ten players, and exploring with friends adds a new layer of fun to the experience. Enemy strength scales with group size, which keeps the challenge balanced. However, progression is server-based, so your personal equipment and mounts don’t always carry over if you’re joining another host’s world. This can be frustrating for players who prefer to develop characters across different sessions or playgroups. The lack of grief prevention tools and limited coordination systems in multiplayer also makes teamwork more cumbersome than it should be. Despite its rough edges, Smalland has a lot of potential. The grind to gather certain materials or level up factions can be time-consuming, and some gameplay systems—like taming or inventory management—feel like they need more polish. Yet the developers have laid out an ambitious roadmap that includes better taming systems, new biomes, and quality-of-life improvements. Performance is mostly stable, but the game still has some bugs and mechanical awkwardness that occasionally disrupt the flow. In its current form, Smalland: Survive the Wilds offers an imaginative and relaxing take on survival gameplay. It thrives in its ability to create a world that feels both massive and intimate, with a strong emphasis on exploration and base-building. While the combat and systems could benefit from refinement, the core experience is enjoyable and full of charm. For players looking for something different from the typical survival formula, or those who enjoy co-op building and exploration in a fantastical setting, Smalland provides a refreshing and worthwhile adventure. Rating: 8/10

This game gives you a sense of nostalgia, but for what I am not sure. It's whimsical, charming and pulls you in. It does have flaws. but I really hope it gets lots of love as this is a brilliant game! The game is a blend of RPG and survival craft. It has quests, mostly in the go here and do x thing style but it also has statuses, hunger, weather effects, building, taming and exploration. The gameplay loop (so far) seems to be moving into areas to craft different sets of tools and armors. But it's not as aggressive as something like valheim or enshrouded presents this idea. The world itself is really not grounded in any reality here, but isn't high fantasy either. It works really well and alongside the music it really makes you feel like you've been put into some kind of animated movie from the 90's. It has a lot of whimsical charm in this way. When I saw the graphics and the gameplay on the storefront, I wasn't sure but it really works. The graphics remind me a little bit of guildwars 2 but without all the sparkle and shimmer. The game makes you move around the map in a non tedious way, which not many survival games pull off well. There are lots of quality of life features that this game has that other survival games have in part. Automatic pulling from chests, with the ability to prevent this when crafting is one. The base system is great, mostly you will want to build in a 'great tree' which are trees with jumping puzzles around them. When you get to the top, you can use the flat area and surrounding branches to build in. If you are moving to another area of the map you can simply get to the top of the local great tree and claim it. Your base transfers, exactly as it was. Genius. You can also claim areas in the wilds, to make stationary outposts too. The taming is interesting. There are two ways to do it, so far, with one being battling the creature and getting it to a taming trap and the other being lucky enough to get an egg drop. When you hatch the egg a mini tower defense game is played, where winning allows you to collect your new companion. Companions have their own stats and traits and can level up. You can take a party out with you, which really makes exploration easier and more engaging. There are some downsides to the game though. The building isn't fantastic. Its snap points, which work for the most part but to build anything not blocky (at this early stage at least) is hard. Building rooftops in this game makes me want to commit crimes. There's decor but sometimes the collision on the items stops you from decorating easily. You can however, have anything you take down refunded in materials, which is nice. The tames could be better in terms of how you interact with them, it feels a bit clunky and menu based, they lack a little personality at times. I've not discovered any huge amount of glitches in the game though, so that's good. I just think it needs more love to have it reach its full potential. More quests and greater variety of creatures as well as improvements to the building side of the game and I think this would be a big seller. I think games recently have been very focused on the monetisation side of things, this game really gives me the sense of an old game that I used to cherish. I'd really recommend the game to anyone who enjoys survival crafters, its full of nostalgia, whimsy and exploration. I bought this for 11 quid on sale and it was certainly worth more than that!