'The Forest' Screenshots and Trailer Tease the Horrors of…

Survival games have seen a sort of renaissance in the past year. From DayZ hailing as the resident zombie survival simulator to Rust acting as the premiere caveman-with-a-rock survival title, developers are ensuring that every facet of the genre is covered. Putting aside fear of other human players though, few open-world survival titles have managed to nail the horrors of an ever-present enemy force. This is where The Forest comes in, looking like The Blair Witch Project of survival titles.

Behind insane asylums and abandoned castles, forests are one of the most certifiably creepy locations a person can find themselves in. It’s thanks to this fact that the upcoming Oculus Rift-centric survival game The Forest stands a good chance of being one of the creepier gaming offerings of late. More

Developed by SKS Games, the focus of this open-world experience will be on survival of all kinds. While players will have very good reason to fear the things that go bump in the night, they will also have to contend with now-familiar survival mechanics. From standard fare like chopping down trees in order to get wood to scavenging the surrounding environment for supplies, gamers should be familiar with the framework that exists here.

What looks to set this game apart is the sense of a truly living world. According to SKS Games, players will "enter a living, breathing forest with changing weather patterns, plants that grow and die. Tides that roll in and out with the day/night cycle. Below ground, explore a vast network of caves and underground lakes.”

If they can follow through with this promise, the living environment could very well add a dimension of realism that few games have been able to effectively establish. Experiencing the world around you living and dying over time would be a jaw-dropping experience. So far, it looks like this indie developer is on the right path. Take a look at the game’s trailer and these new screenshots to get an idea of what you might be able to expect in the coming months.

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Convincing A.I. And a creepy environment can only take a horror game so far, though. For many gamers, the restricting nature of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset and its competitors could very well usher in the next generation of horror games. When playing a regular horror game, players have the option of simply getting up and leaving if they feel scared. With the Oculus Rift though, the horror is that much more real as players can't simply look away from the screen. They are strapped into the ride and must physically disengage from the headset in order to find escape.

All this speculation will mean nothing if the game doesn't live up to the expectations. Until gamers are able to get their hands on the game (which has already been successfully greenlit on Steam), cautious optimism should be exercised. As it stands, the promise of The Forest is a very intriguing one and one that could help push horror and survival games forward, especially now that Valve will be partnering with the Oculus Rift. You can be sure that we will be keeping a close eye on this one as it nears release.

Do you think the Oculus Rift will change the landscape of horror games? Would a living, breathing world really benefit the game or just be an unnecessary addition?