Survive and Craft is a bit old, releasing in October of 2022 for the Switch. It’s actually called Survive on Raft in other areas and released in January 2022. It came on my radar because Switch Stars mentioned it in passing in a review of another switch game. Its important to note that this game is a direct ripoff of a game called Raft on Steam. The game is by Megame, who famously released straight up porn on the eShop and got it pulled a month later. Well after playing Survive and Craft for several hours, I’m prepared to give it a Must Play, for reasons I shall explain. Is it perfect? Hell no. Is it fun? Yes. I mean you can build one hell of a raft, complete with a bathroom. Raft doesn’t seem to be coming to the Switch, so this is a fair substitute, if a low rent one.
Survive and Craft starts with you on an airplane. It quickly falls apart mid-flight and you land in a strange ocean on a tiny wooden raft with a hook. I called the ocean strange because it has endless flow of boxes and barrels, which contain materials, that you bring to you with the hook. As this is a survival game, you must managed your hunger and thirst. You can grow food, or fish for it. Thirst is handled by a water purifier, or later a water collector. There is also a shark swimming around that you must occasionally fend off with a stick.
You can build quite a snazzy raft in Survive and Craft, as I alluded to. Most of the better blueprints are found via the Merchant, who occasionally comes around and you signal with a signal gun you find in some boxes. The merchant will take your stuff in exchange for shells, which are used to buy blueprints, and a set of items used to get a computer. You’ll need to get off the raft with the Kayak you will build. Shells are also used to customize your character’s appearance.
Now I only got off onto one island in Survive and Craft before writing this review, a ruined city populated by evil deer who attack you. I’m not sure what’s the point of them is, other than to get high quality items to sell and blueprints. Honestly, that’s only my real complaint about this game, the islands could be a bit better, judging from the one I went to. Maybe have a story to them to find. Or allow you to build a base on one.
Survive and Craft may be a low-rent ripoff of another game, but for what it is, you can’t go wrong here, even if it is twenty-five dollars off-sale(i bought on it sale for $13). There’s a surprising amount of depth, and playing “pimp my raft” is cool. Megame actually came out with a winner, I am completely shocked! Survive and Craft will get a Must Play with a nine back-end score.
Overall: Survive and Craft may be a ripoff of another game, but it’s surprisingly solid, enough to get a Must Play from me!
Verdict: Must Play
| Release Date | 10/20/2022 |
| Cost | $24.99 |
| Publisher | Megame |
| ESRB Rating | T |
