How to Survive

How to Survive is an isometric action shooter where players choose from three characters stranded on zombie-infested tropical islands, navigating four distinct locations while completing quests from survivors and battling hordes of undead. Combining intense combat with survival mechanics, players manage hunger, thirst, and exhaustion by scavenging resources, crafting weapons and armor from everyday items, and using light sources to deter stronger nocturnal zombies, all while leveling up customizable skill trees to enhance their chances of escape.

How to Survive: Review

Introduction

Imagine washing ashore on a sun-drenched tropical archipelago, the wreckage of your ship still smoldering in the distance, only to realize the real horror isn’t the isolation—it’s the shambling undead emerging from the palm groves, their groans harmonizing with the crash of waves. This is the visceral hook of How to Survive, a 2013 indie gem from French developer Eko Software that strands players in a zombie apocalypse where every sip of water and swing of a machete could mean the difference between life and undeath. Released amid a glut of zombie media, from The Walking Dead dominating TV to Resident Evil reboots saturating consoles, How to Survive carved a niche by blending lighthearted survival mechanics with twin-stick shooter action, proving that even in a oversaturated genre, clever crafting and co-op camaraderie could breathe fresh life into the undead trope.

As a game historian, I view How to Survive as a pivotal artifact of the early 2010s indie survival boom, bridging the gap between arcade-style action-RPGs like Diablo and the emergent sandbox survival wave epitomized by Minecraft and Don’t Starve. Its legacy lies in democratizing zombie survival for budget-conscious players, offering bite-sized thrills on digital storefronts at a mere $15, and influencing a wave of co-op focused titles like State of Decay. My thesis: While How to Survive excels as an accessible, replayable co-op experience that masterfully integrates resource management with zombie-slaying spectacle, its solo campaign falters under repetitive fetch quests and shallow progression, marking it as a flawed but fondly remembered stepping stone in the evolution of survival horror.

Development History & Context

Eko Software, a small French studio founded in 2009 by industry veterans including director Chris Shalendra, entered the scene with family-friendly titles like the physics-puzzle game Storm (2012), showcasing their knack for intuitive mechanics on limited budgets. For How to Survive, Eko shifted gears dramatically, embracing the zombie genre’s commercial allure while drawing from their roots in accessible gameplay. Publisher 505 Games, fresh off successes like Payday: The Heist (2011), saw potential in Eko’s prototype—codenamed Monster Island—and greenlit it for a multi-platform release. Development, supported by French government grants from the CNC (Centre National du Cinéma) and the Ministry of Economy, emphasized co-op from the outset, with lead designer Brice Poncet and art director Éric Chantreau prioritizing modular islands for replayability.

Technological constraints of the era played a pivotal role. Built on a custom engine optimized for Xbox 360 and PC, the game targeted 720p resolutions and 30fps stability, limiting graphical fidelity to stylized, colorful cel-shading that masked hardware strains. The isometric top-down view was a pragmatic choice, echoing Diablo II‘s efficiency while accommodating dual-analog controls for twin-stick shooting—a nod to arcade shooters like Smash TV. However, this led to compromises: no dynamic lighting beyond basic day-night cycles, and inventory systems strained by the era’s 9th-gen hardware limits.

The 2013 gaming landscape was a perfect storm for How to Survive. Zombies were inescapable—Dead Island (2011) had popularized melee-crafting hybrids, while DayZ (2012 mod) ignited survival sandboxes on PC. Indies like The Binding of Isaac proved top-down action could thrive digitally, and digital distribution via Steam, Xbox Live Arcade, and PSN democratized releases. Yet, the market was crowded: Resident Evil 6 (2012) had alienated fans with over-the-top action, creating space for Eko’s grounded, humorous take. Released on October 23, 2013, for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 (with Wii U following in 2014 and next-gen ports as Storm Warning Edition), it arrived as a budget antidote to AAA excess, buoyed by 505’s marketing tying it to “Kovac’s Rules”—a fictional survival guide adding meta-humor. A brief controversy arose when Kickstarter backers of a similar project accused 505 of idea theft, but Eko clarified Monster Island predated it, diffusing the issue and highlighting indie dev vulnerabilities in a post-Minecraft world.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its core, How to Survive‘s narrative is a taut, twisty tale of betrayal and resilience, unfolding across four zombie-riddled islands in a Colombian archipelago. Players choose from three survivors—Kenji (balanced everyman with pyromaniac tendencies), Abby (agile chemist crafting buffs and explosives), or Jack (brawny brawler favoring heavy melee)—each washed ashore after a mysterious shipwreck. The plot kicks off with scavenging for a bitten fellow survivor, Andrew, before enlisting the aid of the one-legged fisherman Ramon, who provides a boat for island-hopping. Their goal: repair a beached seaplane for escape, gathering parts amid undead hordes.

The story’s emotional anchor is Kovac, a enigmatic mentor in full-body armor, scribbling “Kovac’s Rules”—humorous survival tips scattered as collectibles (e.g., “Rule #1: Don’t be a hero. Heroes die.”). His gravelly voiceovers and folksy wisdom inject levity, contrasting the gore: “Zombies hate light like cats hate baths.” Supporting cast adds texture—Carol, a frantic mother searching for daughter Emily; senile Martha and her cat Enzo; drug-smuggler pilot Sanchez—delivering dialogue that’s equal parts schlocky B-movie camp and poignant human drama. Quests like reuniting Emily (revealed alive but imprisoned) build tension, culminating in a revelation: Kovac orchestrated the wrecks to “train” survivors for his guide, with Ramon as accomplice. The finale pits players against a horde as the plane revs, ending on Kovac luring another ship to doom, whispering, “Ready for another round?” This cyclical twist thematizes exploitation, turning survival into a perverse game.

Thematically, How to Survive explores isolation’s fragility and humanity’s dark ingenuity. Zombies symbolize inevitable decay, but the real horror is interpersonal betrayal—Kovac’s “rules” mock self-reliance, echoing Lord of the Flies amid undead. Dialogue shines in its wit: Kovac’s quips (“Molotovs: because fire solves everything”) poke fun at genre clichés, while characters’ backstories humanize the apocalypse—Abby’s student optimism, Jack’s brute vulnerability. Yet, flaws emerge: fetch quests dilute tension (e.g., collecting Sanchez’s drug packages feels rote), and voice acting veers from stellar (Kovac’s grizzled charm) to wooden (NPCs’ accents). Pacing falters in act three, prioritizing exposition over escalation, but the narrative’s brevity (6-8 hours) suits its arcade roots, leaving players with a satisfying, if bittersweet, meditation on survival’s cost.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

How to Survive‘s core loop is a masterful fusion of survival simulation and action-shooter, demanding players balance immediate threats with long-term prep. Daytime exploration yields resources—chopping bushes for sticks, hunting deer for meat—while feeding hunger, thirst, and fatigue meters. Neglect them, and health drains; overindulge, and waste space in the limited 20-slot inventory. Nightfall amps danger: elite “ghost” zombies spawn, repelled only by flashlight beams, forcing retreats to bunkers for sleep or barricades.

Combat blends twin-stick precision with RPG flair. Move with left analog, aim independently with right—hold to charge shots for critical hits on zombies’ heads, exploiting weak points (e.g., leg shots on armored soldiers). Melee demands timing: light swings for crowds, charged heavies for stuns leading to gory finishers. Ranged options evolve via crafting: combine string and branch for a bow, feathers for accuracy boosts, gasoline for incendiary arrows. Guns (pistols to chainsaws) guzzle universal “grapeshot” ammo, encouraging bows’ reusability. Bosses like the towering Tyrant require strategy—luring into traps or exploiting fire weaknesses—while animal zombies (e.g., undead ostriches) add chaos.

Progression ties to XP from kills and quests, unlocking skill trees per character: Kenji’s fire mastery (double Molotov capacity), Abby’s alchemy (potion buffs), Jack’s brute force (explosive yields). Respeccing is free, fostering experimentation. UI is functional but clunky—inventory auto-sorts poorly, map lacks dropped-item markers—yet innovations shine: co-op (local split-screen, later online patch) lets partners share loads (one scouts, one crafts), amplifying replayability. Challenge mode’s timed escapes (e.g., “Build a chainsaw and flee”) add variety.

Flaws mar the polish: fetch quests devolve into tedium (20 luggage pieces? Yawn), repetition creeps in across similar islands, and Ironman mode’s permadeath punishes without depth. Still, the systems cohere into addictive loops, where crafting a reinforced vest feels empowering, turning vulnerability into zombie-shredding dominance.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The archipelago’s world-building is a vibrant, claustrophobic paradise-turned-nightmare, with four islands varying biomes—lush jungles, military outposts, cliffside ruins—each teeming with lore via Kovac’s 48 rules, unlocking journal entries on zombie behaviors (e.g., “Bloated ones explode—stay back!”). Safe houses double as hubs, fostering a lived-in feel: monkeys dispense side quests (craft a handbag from deer hide?), while wildlife (zombie deer as apex threats) integrates dynamically, sometimes distracting undead. Atmosphere builds through cycles—day’s scavenging yields to night’s primal dread, flashlight as lone bulwark—evoking Lost‘s isolation with zombie flair.

Art direction favors bold, accessible visuals: cel-shaded zombies burst in colorful gore, from shambling walkers to explosive fatties, with animations (finishers like chainsaw spins) adding visceral pop. Character models evolve visibly—Abby in feathered armor looks badass—though islands blur into sameness, with pop-in foliage betraying budget limits. Sound design amplifies immersion: ambient waves and rustling leaves build tension, zombie moans escalate to guttural roars, and melee crunches satisfy. Kovac’s baritone narration grounds the chaos, but weaker VO (e.g., NPCs’ cartoonish yelps) and mismatched soundtrack (upbeat rock amid horror) occasionally jar. Overall, these elements craft a cohesive, atmospheric escape, where tropical beauty underscores apocalyptic peril.

Reception & Legacy

Upon launch, How to Survive garnered mixed reviews, averaging 60 on Metacritic (PC), with praise for co-op fun and crafting eclipsed by gripes over repetition and brevity. Outlets like Worth Playing (91%) hailed it as a “$15 gem outshining full-price titles,” lauding combat flow and survival tension, while IGN (5.4/10) dismissed it as “duct-taped half-ideas” amid zombie fatigue. Hardcore Gamer (3/5) noted fetch quests “kill the flow,” yet commended its gateway appeal for survival newbies. Commercially, it succeeded modestly—over 1 million sales via digital platforms—buoyed by DLC like character packs (Heat Wave) and expansions (Storm Warning Edition, bundling extras for next-gen).

Reputation evolved positively: post-2013 patches added online co-op, boosting scores (e.g., Wii U’s 55% Metacritic reflected port issues, but fan patches helped). By 2015, sequels (How to Survive 2, set in New Orleans with four-player co-op) and spin-offs (Third Person Standalone) expanded the brand, influencing indies like 7 Days to Die in blending crafting with horde defense. Its legacy endures in accessible survival: popularizing “Kovac-style” guides in games like The Forest, and proving co-op zombies could thrive post-Left 4 Dead. In a genre now dominated by Back 4 Blood (2021), How to Survive remains a cult classic, its influence evident in Steam’s zombie tag proliferation.

Conclusion

How to Survive is a resilient survivor in its own right—a compact, co-op-driven zombie romp that nails the thrill of crafting amid chaos, yet stumbles on solo depth and repetition. From Eko’s visionary pivot to its thematic bite on betrayal, the game’s strengths in mechanics and atmosphere outweigh UI quirks and short campaigns, delivering 8-10 hours of addictive play (more in co-op). As a historian, I place it firmly in early 2010s indie canon: not revolutionary like DayZ, but a bridge to modern survival hits, reminding us zombies endure when wrapped in humor and ingenuity. Verdict: Essential for co-op fans; a solid 8/10 in video game history’s undead annals—grab it on sale and summon a friend.