FEAR THE WOLVES Preview for Steam

Fear The Wolves by developer Vostok Games and publisher Focus Home Interactive attempts to add a survivalist element to the ever-developing battle royale genre. The game opens the same as any other FPS battle royale and you drop from a helicopter whenever you choose onto a large map. The map is way larger than any battle royale game that I have played and that definitely hindered the gameplay when I didn’t land near other players. With only around 40 players per match, it was very easy to not see another player until you are randomly shot by them later on. The new element this game attempts to introduce is that the environment will attack you the same as other players will. The main enemy to look out for besides other players are the radioactive large wolves. They are not very strong if you have a weapon, but they do a decent amount of damage when they inevitably catch up to you. The radioactive zones also force players to move closer together or risk dying to the environment and more wolves.

One of my biggest let-downs with this game was the quality of the graphics. The high-quality gameplay videos and pictures that are on the steam profile come nowhere near the quality that the game actually has. It is not a bad looking game, but it is certainly not the game in those pictures. The price tag of $20 dollars is also a point that might be a turn off for some people. Most battle royale games have been transitioning to the free to play arena because of how successful in-game purchases have become. And when a battle royale game has a price tag of $20 dollars, the expectations go even higher. What I felt was really lacking was something new to bring to the genre. There was no real feeling of an environmental threat throughout the whole gameplay experience. It felt the same as any other battle royale, but with different surroundings.

The lack of players can be frustrating at times, but that is simply due to its Early Access stage. I had to switch servers a few times in order to find the minimum 40 players to start a game. Waiting for a game to cue up took around 20 minutes, which was irritating but understandable. As far as the actual gameplay goes, the game runs really well. I never encountered any game breaking bugs or errors in the matches that I played. The only rage-inducing moments were when server lag would have me killed because shots wouldn’t register. But again, I wouldn’t receive that lag if there were more players in the NA region. This game has a lot of potential to be a successful BR game if the player base is there to support it. There are certain elements that attempt to separate it from the other BR games, which I appreciate. Like the life support that needs to be collected and the inventory being located in the bottom right-hand side of the screen for quick access. As far as the goals and interactions of this game go, it is still the same battle royale game that you would expect. I was not entirely disappointed by this game, but I was expecting more from the new promises of environmental danger. I never felt like I was fighting against the game to save my life, I still only felt the threat of other players.

Check Out the Fear the Wolves Steam Early Access Launch Trailer:

Fear the Wolves is available for PC for $19.99 via Steam Early Access.