Article by Domenico De Rosa
If whoever goes with the lame learns to limp, then no one has followed the advice of good old Kovac, In which primo How To Survive he tried to save mankind from the epidemic it has turned all humans into zombies, without success. Therefore, yours survival manuals they didn't avoid the apocalypse (zombie) extended all over the world ... but all is not lost.
In How To Survive 2 we are offered a second chance at salvation, with Kovac ready to take the field in first person in order to give valid tips and teach us to live together (and survive) with the new inhabitants of the Earth, or the living dead.
How To Survive 2 - How To Survive: Part 2!
They have passed 15 years from the facts narrated in the first chapter of the series and now the world is entirely invaded by zombies. Kovac, the one who guided us in How To Survive with his manuals, managed to survive, holing up in a bunker built underground in Louisiana. This is where the adventure begins! The player, in the guise of any survivor, customizable from head to toe, albeit in a manner far too limited, manages to find Kovac's hiding place, but the trouble has just begun. In fact, Kovac will not allow you to take advantage of his fortress, but thanks to the advice that he will dispense during the game there will allow us to create our base camp. After a few short tutorial missions, however, we will immediately be catapulted into the game itself, where our desperate struggle for survival will begin. How To Survive 2 looks like a action-RPG isometrico (in Diablo style so to speak), where the survival component is the basis of everything. Among the features that distinguish the title we find a system based on quests, one based on the acquisition of skills and a not too complex crafting system. Kovac and a few other survivors will advance over the course of the game requests upon requests (quests), leading us to visit numerous cities located near the now devastated Louisiana, which has become home to entire hordes of zombies. The quests, repeatable until exhaustion, they offer as a final compensation both experience points and materials useful for crafting weapons, objects or even entire buildings. The experience point system is very particular, since the player will have to divide the points acquired between increasing the level of your character, learning and increasing skills and the level of the camp. To all this, we must add the components that transform How To Survive 2 (as well as the previous chapter) into a real survival: the need to eat and drink. Yes, with the scarcity of water and food, it will inevitably be necessary go in search of basic necessities, as hunger and thirst will be felt almost immediately, with a lot of malus to the character, eventually leading to death. Therefore, the stomach must be filled every time you feel the need! We said hunger and thirst ... but not the need for sleep. In How To Survive 2, unlike the previous chapter, our character will not need to camp… thank goodness!
How To Survive 2 – Zombie, mazze e pistole!
After talking about the features of the game, it's time to give space to main antagonists of How To Survive 2, namely the zombies. Whether exploring the "free" area of the map in search of materials, or participating in a quest, we will have to deal with hordes of hungry zombies, ready to chase any unfortunate who will pass in their vicinity. Between undead sprinters, zombie beasts and fat explosives, our stay in a certain place will never be a walk in the park. At the beginning we will find ourselves in one hand single baseball bat, which thanks to Kovac's advice can be strengthened and perform some extra damage. Continuing the game, however, in addition to finding new and stronger sidearms, we will be offered the possibility of build ranged weapons, including bows, crossbows, pistols and shotguns. The use of firearms brings it back same aiming system seen in the previous chapter: the aim is in fact completely automatic, although it will take several seconds before fully acquiring the target, to prevent the shot from failing. A system that is somewhat in contrast with that of sidearms, which instead proposes the classico hack and slash to the orbi barrel. On the other hand, what is very striking is the adaptation of the setting to the level of our character: the stronger we become, the stronger the enemies themselves become. Unfortunately, however, it must also be said that the various locations seem to be a bit too limited. It is true that many buildings are fully explorable, but at the same time, many of the areas present have been built with few details, filled only by many zombies. This makes for the same quests somewhat monotonous and repetitive, turning the single player experience into a real frustration.
How To Survive 2 - Multiplayer Together it's more fun
Search for materials, explore the map, build your own accompaniment, undertake missions upon missions, all of which in the long run tends to to tire and exhaust the player ... single. How To Survive 2 was instead designed to favor multiplayer, present both locally up to four players, and online. By playing in local co-op, it is possible to transform the monotony of the title into a more immersive group survival. The same group can be carried with him in online games, making the gaming experience more fun and global than ever. The metamorphosis of the title is evident: playing online it is possible to meet both "friend" players, both hostile users, ready to unleash a real war of survival and steal the stocks accumulated up to that moment. If, however, on the one hand, the local game does not suffer from performance drops, the game may be affected when they are present on the screen at the same time too many characters and too many enemies. On the whole, however, neither frame rate drops nor other technical problems are to be reported.
How To Survive 2 - Passed, but not with flying colors
Che How To Survive 2 is actually better than the first, no one can deny it. Both from the graphical point of view and in the gameplay, Eko Software has really done an excellent job, making the survival component the real ace in the hole of the title. The game's change of location, passed from a simple island to an entire county, the many new features present and the enhancement of the multiplayer component, are just some of the elements that allow the title to "survive" and guarantee the longevity it deserves. But if the multiplayer component can be considered one of the highlights of How To Survive 2, the single player experience instead could reach heights of frustration after just a few hours of play, both because of the complexity and repetition of the gameplay, both of the new mechanics introduced. Therefore, we can conclude by stating that How To Survive 2 it offers its best when there are more than one survivors in the game. Playing individually the longevity of the game is reduced due to the boredom that could take over, however this is a game born and raised to be played in multiplayer and even the budget price of 14,99 euros makes it an absolutely recommended game!
