Abandoned is a cinematic survival game that’s just been announced for PS5. This is one of the first truly niche PS5 games that I’ve seen that has me genuinely excited to play it. Usually, I see these games as tedious. There’s often a huge amount of survival stuff to do, such as healing, drinking, and eating. That gets me bogged down and detracts from the rest of the game, at least in my opinion. However, I don’t think that Abandoned is like that. I think it’s going to every different. I also think it needs the following things if it’s going to make an impact with players like me.
First, this cult that you’re running from needs to be a constant presence. I think that a true real-life cult would never let someone get away, so they’ll search on and on, even when their members are dying until they find any escapees. This is the thing about cults, they’re tenacious, but those trying to get away from them are usually more so. This game requires you to have that tenacity, and I’m eager to see if I can fill the boots.
I want this to mean that every fire you have is a danger. In the same way that other players can find you from your fires in The Hunger Games, I want the cult to quickly descend on your location as soon as they see smoke. This adds a layer of reality and tactics to the game. You could light a fire in one location, and hike away to somewhere else to sleep.
I also think that this game needs to make you feel vulnerable. There should be thirst and hunger meters, as well as a factor that plays into how often you sleep. I think this has the potential to be an incredible game, as long as all the elements are carefully balanced. If the cult is done right, I have no doubt that the rest will be exactly the same, and that can only be a good thing. We’ll have to wait until later this year to find out though.
