Welcome to our weekend segment, where we showcase recent or upcoming Japanese indie games that share a specific theme. This weekend features indie survival games, because what better way to show off your survivival skills than by staring at a crafting screen for minutes at a time?
Nova Antarctica
Nova Antarctica is set in the year 2900, on an environmentally devastated South Pole. After a mysterious signal promising abundant resources is sent out, a young boy (that’s you) sets out to face the continent’s dangers in the hope of saving humanity.
In addition to the blistering cold weather that will hurl debris at you and drain your stamina, Nova Antarctica will also have you navigating radiation hazards and viral infections. That’s nothing to say about the various local species, some of which are hostile.
To overcome these challenges, you’lll need to make use of the game’s crafting system. Apart from the usual assortment of crates and healing items, you can also scan useful objects to add their blueprints to your crafting list. Combining specific crafted items will allow you to create larger ones, like a base that you can use as a safe haven.
Nova Antarctica is mostly a solitary experience. Though there are animal companions to be found, you’ll spend the majority of your time taking in the scenery and contemplating recent encounters. Developed by RexLabo and PARCO GAMES, it is available on Windows (Steam). A free demo is also available.
Omega Crafter
If you find cutting down trees and building houses in other survival crafting titles tedious, Omega Crafter lets you program robotic companions known as Grammi to complete these otherwise monotonous tasks. The programming in this title isn’t for show either – it serves as an introduction to computer coding that players of all skill levels can appreciate.
Omega Crafter’s coding-based gameplay was designed to be accessible to beginners and experienced programmers alike. Thanks to an intuitive user interface, you can select from a list of tasks and automate the coding process.
Experienced coders looking for a challenge will get a kick out of the “Shrines of Programming,” which are 25 landmarks scattered throughout the open world that provide increasingly difficult programming challenges and new building recipes. Those who aren’t as proficient need not worry, however, as clearing these shrines isn’t required to unlock the aforementioned recipes.
Set in a vast open world with multiple biomes and monsters, Omega Crafter lets you overcome these obstacles in real time and opens your eyes to the possibilities of Grammi-based programming. It even has online co-op, where you and up to five others can explore and swap coding techniques.
Developed and published by Preferred Networks, Omega Crafter is available for Windows and macOS (Steam).
SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim
While not a survival game in the traditional sense, SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim has you playing mind games to save your life. Having been shrunken down to a miniature size and stored in a drawer by a girl named Saeko, it falls to the amnesiac Rin to act as an intermediary between his fellow shrunken people and their captor.
During the day, you serve as a “supervisor” of sorts for the other people in the drawer. Each person has a Health and Appeal stat, which determines their condition. In order to keep them satisfied, you must allocate what little food you have and interact with them positively. Failing to fulfill these basic needs will negatively impact their well-being, which ultimately determines their fate.
At night, you engage in one-on-one conversations with Saeko. By answering her questions with a “yes” or “no,” you slowly become closer and learn more about her. These sections are a balancing act, as you must learn when to go against Saeko’s wishes and when to give in. Choosing the wrong answer too many times or disobeying your giant master will result in your death.
SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim is a mix of genres. While the day sections have you interacting with the shrunken people like a point-and-click adventure game, the nightly conversations with Saeko are more akin to a visual novel.
Developed by SAFE HAVN STUDIO and published by HYPER REAL, SAEKO: Giantess Dating Sim is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux via Steam, DLsite, and Stove Store. A free demo is also available on Steam.
THREAT -SCREAM AND ESCAPE-
Continuing the string of survival horror games is THREAT -SCREAM AND ESCAPE-, a title that requires a microphone. After waking up in a mysterious research facility, you discover that you have the ability to stun monsters with your screams.
There’s more to this game than just shouting your lungs out, though. Screams that hit monsters just as they grab you deal the most stun damage, and the required volume of your scream increases over time. Should you get caught, the only way to escape is by continuously screaming until your captor drops you.
In addition to three difficulty modes requiring different levels of vocal strength, the devs also suggest adjusting your microphone sensitivity. Since your only means of survival is shouting, careful management of your voice and air intake is essential. The game can be completed in 30 to 60 minutes, but it can really test your vocal cords and your neighbors’ patience.
Developed by C-Route and HiBiGA, THREAT -SCREAM AND ESCAPE- is available on Windows and macOS (Steam).
DMZ: Nuclear Survival
It may not look like it, but DMZ: Nuclear Survival is a single-player/multiplayer PVE/PVP open-world survival title developed and produced by Wild Dog, a two-person team based in Saitama, Japan, who also worked on the silly digging co-op game Keep Digging. Set in the supercontinent of Pangea, players build a private military company, train soldiers, hunt for treasure, and fight to survive.
Unlike the Pangea of old, this one was created following the tectonic shifts caused by nuclear war. You’ll be exploring and excavating different biomes to create bases, trenches, and establish your presence in this post-apocalyptic world.
In addition to fighting soldiers and animals in the world, you can recruit them to work at your facilities. Weapons, armor, vehicles, and food can all be crafted solo, but having a few extra hands (or paws) in your mines, farms, or military bases wouldn’t hurt either. Soldiers can be specialized into scouts, medics, and the like, while animals like bears, dogs, and ostriches can guard your structures.
At the heart of the game is its economy system. Every item and building has its own value, and those looking to become the richest person in the server can acquire wealth honorably (producing and trading items) or dishonorably (engaging in raids, underworld activities, or PVP).
Speaking of PVP, DMZ: Nuclear Survival lets players freely choose between offline single player and online multiplayer. Those who find themselves short on human squadmates can assemble a team of up to three human NPCs who will follow your commands in your bases and on the battlefield.
Featuring dedicated servers that can hold up to 100 players, DMZ: Nuclear Survival is shaping up to be Wild Dog’s most ambitious project yet. It is currently in development for Windows (Steam).
Those were five Japanese indie titles that will get your survival instincts churning. While not all of them feature hunger meters and crafting systems like traditional survival games, the challenges they pose provide a sense of satisfaction akin to making it through a tough day.
