October offers a prime opportunity for players to delve into the survival genre, with indie.io featuring three distinct titles during Steam Next Fest. Running until October 26, these games showcase the broad spectrum of experiences encompassed by the "survival game" label. The offerings include a cooperative horror-comedy set in a coal mine, an open-world zombie apocalypse sandbox, and a solitary island survival adventure.
Coal Duty
Set in a perpetually snow-covered mining town where the sky mysteriously froze generations ago, Coal Duty presents a darkly humorous take on survival. Players take on the roles of miners forced to work in the depths of the state-run mine. The game is a cooperative extraction experience for up to five players, where each run is procedurally generated, demanding close teamwork to navigate its dangers and gather resources.
A key mechanic in Coal Duty is its proximity-based voice chat, fostering tense communication as players can only be heard by those nearby. This system is a double-edged sword, as enemies can also detect players through sound. The mine is populated by a variety of creatures, each requiring players to learn their unique characteristics to overcome them. A free demo is available during Steam Next Fest, with the full game set to release in Early Access on October 27. The Early Access version will introduce more mine levels, enemy types, and an escape mechanism.
HumanitZ
HumanitZ, an isometric open-world zombie survival sandbox, has received a significant update on October 19, its first major addition since its 1.0 launch in February. The update introduces NPC recruitment, a player zombification mechanic, a Halloween event, and a new headshot-only mode. After completing the Radio Tower quest, players can recruit NPCs encountered in the world, assigning them roles such as base work, guarding, or task completion. Players can establish up to two additional outposts and manage their recruits across these locations, with each NPC possessing unique traits that may become apparent over time. This recruitment feature is supported in both single-player and multiplayer modes.
The update also brings a new consequence for death: players who succumb to zombie infection will themselves transform into a zombie, retaining their loot. Players can then hunt down their zombified former selves to reclaim their gear. The Halloween event adds themed cosmetic items, quests, weapons, and environmental props. The new headshot-only mode significantly increases the challenge by requiring precise aiming. Among the new gear are a lever-action rifle, a nail gun, ponchos, and balaclavas. HumanitZ currently holds a "Mostly Positive" rating on Steam with over 4,400 reviews.
Mayday: The Survival Island
Mayday: The Survival Island allows players to experience life after a mysterious ship crash, leaving them stranded on one of 24 handcrafted islands forming a large archipelago. Unlike procedurally generated environments, each island in Mayday is meticulously designed with unique biomes, resources, and secrets to discover. Players must gather materials to craft tools, hunt, fish, farm, and build a base to survive. The game offers a relaxed pace, allowing players to spend as much time as they wish on each island before moving to the next. As players explore, they will uncover the mysteries of the archipelago and the circumstances of their arrival, with the ultimate goal of finding a way home. A demo, which has undergone substantial improvements including bug fixes, polish, an expanded building system, and new content, is available for free on Steam. Save data from the demo can be carried over to the full release, which is scheduled for November 2.