Fear the Wolves is yet another game to dabble in the battle royale genre, but has an interesting spin to make it more exciting than competitors.

Developer: Vostok Games; Publisher: Focus Home Interactive

Available on: Steam

The battle royale genre still hasn’t really sold me on its gameplay. I come into it once in a while to depart from the games I’m currently playing, however the concept of last man standing in 100 player battles hasn’t been all that exciting for me. Fear the Wolves, another game to grace the battle royale genre, coming out in Steam Early Access on July 18th, 2018, looks to shake up the formula however. Mashing survival with battle royale, it offers something different from the likes of PUBG and Fortnite: Battle Royale, which should make for a far more exciting experience than in juggernauts of the genre along with dozens of similar competitors.

Fear the Wolves is set in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe, tasking players with eliminating other competitors, alongside surviving the various dangers of surrounding environment. Those vying for a top spot, have to not only outsmart other players, but also keep on edge as they traverse through the environment filled with radiation, anomalies and creatures. Chernobyl is a dangerous zone, and this is where 100 players are dropped in a typical battle royale fashion, however surviving among other players is only one of many objectives.

Players can find and secure protective gear, which allows them to venture into more dangerous zones for better loot, although it comes with a trade-off of running into seriously deadly anomalies. The titular wolves will attack a player who isn’t paying attention to their surroundings, ending the battle even before any shots can be fired. This survival mechanic revolving around the environment is an interesting spin on the formula, and one that will make the game stand out among others.

Instead of a shrinking map as everywhere else, Fear the Wolves will feature increasing radiation clouds, where “players will need to read the environment to determine when it is no longer wise to remain in the area,” says the developer. To make things interesting, it would aim to remove a minimap indicator, instead having players look for visual clues to timely get out of a danger zone. While the element introduces a degree of complexity to the gameplay, it will be far more rewarding for the players to master visual feedback.

The endgame also provides an interesting idea, where few remaining players will make a dash for the helicopter about to land on the map, but only the last one standing will truly make it. Many options are opened up towards the end, and one has to decide on a viable approach to tackle the remainder of survivors. It is entirely possible to just sprint for the extraction point, hoping that one of the things you gun down in the process will be either another player, or a pack of wolves running across your path. On the other hand, one could snipe others, and then proceed once the path is clear, although something could still always ruin it for you.

While the giants of Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite: Battle Royale remain to occupy the majority stake in the genre, Fear the Wolves looks like a game worth checking out even if it’s built on the same principle. Among many indie battle royale uptakes, it stands out as one with the most interesting gameplay systems, which has players survive the environment, as well as their opponents. Fear the Wolves releases on Early Access in a few days, and will continue to be developed, but its gameplay trailer indicates an experience more unique than the standard tropes of the genre.

Check out the game’s trailer below:

*All screenshots obtained off the game’s Steam Page.