Don't Starve Released on Steam Today, And Only an 'Act of Dapperness' Can Save You From Its Spooky Charms

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

If you're looking for a new release to play around with this week, do I have the title for you. Don't Starve is a tremendously engaging (and super stylized) indie survival adventure game, pitting the player against every conceivable threat -- from hunger to horrible, horrible monsters. It's not Minecraft, it's not Terraria, but it definitely has something in it for adventurous fans of either.

Made by Klei Entertainment (the team responsible for Mark of the Ninja) the game has been in a buy-in beta since late 2012, and I even wrote about it back in December. Don't Starve's development was still incredibly active during the beta period, so there's been a surprising amount of new content and features added since I last sat down with it. For example...

Those looking for a more linear challenge will probably enjoy the new Adventure mode, a less open-ended and more story-driven way to play. There are also dozens of new items, from sewing kits to crock pots. New characters like Wes the Mime and Wickerbottom the librarian add challenge and compliment different play styles, while new enemies like wasps and "Merms" are fresh threats... But not as much of a threat as the invisible nightmare monsters that directly affect your Sanity meter.

Oh, Sanity is new too, and drained by engaging too much with the unsettling supernatural elements of the game world. But don't worry, according to the wiki "Sanity can be regained through acts of dapperness, like wearing fancy clothes in the sunshine and eating candy." Phew!

There's tons more, which you can check out in detail for yourself if you're interested. Considering that Don't Starve wasn't exactly shy on content in the first place, it seems like there's now something new to worry about around every corner. If you're looking for some highly-stylized exploration, survival, and world-building, give this game a shot.

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Iris Ophelia (@bleatingheart, Janine Hawkins IRL) has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and with pop culture/fashion maven Johanna Blakley.