It’s tough in the Unreal World

Title: Unreal World

Price: $3 for the current version, $55 for the current and all future versions, downloadable at jmp.fi/~smaarane/urw.html.

Platform: PC

ESRB Rating: Not rated

Score: 7.5 out of 10

Alright, I'll admit it: my taste in games can get a little eccentric at times. The internet is full of odd little projects put out by people all over the globe, and occasionally I stumble across one of them and find myself unable to put it down. Unreal World is a game that's full of foreign flavor, odd little quirks and a whole slew of people, places and things you've probably never even heard of before. Set in Finland at a time that's roughly around the iron age, the game spends just as much time teaching you about a culture that many Americans know little about as it does challenging you to survive in what can often be a harsh environment. The unique setting combines with a gameplay style that's not often seen nowadays to create something strange, yet special in its own way. 

To start off, players create the character that they'll use to trudge through the forests of Finland. By this point, the game's uniqueness will already be apparent, from the strange music to the oddly costumed figures that adorn the backgrounds of many of the menus. It's the only character creation screen I've ever seen that makes me feel as if I've just opened a history book. That history makes for many options to choose from when creating your avatar. Nine different tribes are available to choose from, each with its own set of skills and equipment. They're all based on real history and it means that there are plenty of reasons to play the game over and over again, as there's always something new to try. Life as a fisherman makes for a much different game than choosing to be a trapper, for instance. Your character's stats are also sorted out at this point, ranging from strength to eyesight to whether they're afraid of heights or horses. Finally, you'll choose from some simple options to create a randomly generated world, meaning you'll never have the same adventure twice. Again, there's enough here to keep things fresh after repeated trips through the game, adding a replayability that many big name games seem to lack nowadays. 

Unreal World is all about survival, and soon after creating your character you'll quickly learn just how difficult it can be. The steep learning curve is perhaps my biggest complaint about the game. Not only is keeping your character alive a monumental task, but the numerous keyboard commands take a while to memorize, though a quick keystroke will bring up a handy list of them if you need any reminders. Additionally, the game intentionally prevents you from saving your character except when you quit, meaning that exploring a dark cave or fighting a bear becomes a lot more worrisome with the knowledge that you don't have a saved game to load if you do something stupid. Death is permanent in Unreal World, and finding new ways to die is almost part of the game's vetting process. As much as it might frustrate newcomers, the high difficulty level is what kept me coming back. As I mentioned, there's a real edge to things when there's no safety net to fall back on, and this fear of losing your character is something that many modern gamers have no previous experience with. It really adds something to the mix, and it makes the uncharted countryside that much more intimidating. 

Gameplay is mostly of the sandbox variety, meaning that you're free to roam about the game world and do as you please. More structured gameplay is available to spice things up if you so choose and if enabled, the game will present you with tasks and objectives to complete such as successfully killing an elk or exploring a new area. When you're just starting out, you'll often find yourself busy trying to find food or shelter, but later, players can build their own custom designed cabins, trade with the inhabitants of villages that they come across, recruit companions to take on their adventures and there are even plans to add the ability to marry. Time moves along as well, and there's always the pressure of making sure you have sufficient shelter and supplies before winter comes. 

It's a great feeling to make a new character and see that big, unexplored map stretched out before you, knowing that you can go in any direction and do anything. I've had characters that ranged from a hunter who traveled over rivers and rapids on a raft that he'd constructed in search of game to a vegetarian hermit who lived in a simple shelter and grew beans and strawberries to sustain himself, a warrior who made woodworking items to trade for valuable iron chain mail to a crazed cannibal who preyed on unsuspecting adventurers he found in the woods. There's a lot of ground you can cover, and a little imagination can go a long way with the tools that Unreal World gives you. 

Unreal World was originally conceived by Sami Maaranen, a native of Finland, back in 1990. Other than a bit of help from his friend Erkka Lehmus, Sami has been working alone on the game for nearly twenty years now. It's obviously come quite a long way in that time, but it's incredible that such an old game is still seeing steady updates and improvements. There's a small but loyal fan base, the game's official forums see regular traffic and new ideas to improve and expand the game are continuously being submitted. It's a testament to independent game design, and as someone who grew up playing PC games in the early days of the industry, firing up Unreal World almost feels like I've hopped in a time machine and gone back to that golden age. The nostalgia is great and brings back memories of the days when games were made by developers who did it for the love of gaming, not for stock holders and bean counters. 

A demo, as well as the full version of the game, is available on the official website located at jmp.fi/~smaarane/urw.html. The current version can be purchased for a measly three bucks, a price that's miniscule enough to be worth it if you've got even a remote interest. A lifetime license can also be purchased for $55, entitling players to the current version as well as all future updates. With a track record of almost two decades of development, you might be showing some future release of it to your grandchildren. 

Unreal World certainly covers a lot of strange ground, but it's a unique and interesting alternative to many modern games that feel like they all came off of the same assembly line. It'll run on even the most ancient computer, and being able to set your own pace means that you can learn and explore as you please. The learning curve can be steep, but there's plenty of fun and rewarding gameplay to be had for reaching the top.