How to Survive

Lore & Background

The game's story follows one of three survivors—Kenji, Abbie, or Jack—shipwrecked on a zombie-infested archipelago. After aiding a bitten survivor named Andrew, the player meets a one-legged old man, Ramon, who owns a boat and helps plan an escape using a beached seaplane. A mysterious armored hunter, Kovac, mentors the player with survival advice and tools, but later reveals himself as the orchestrator of the shipwreck, using the islands as a hunting ground for 'recruits.' The plot twists further when Ramon is revealed to be Kovac's accomplice, luring new victims to the islands.

Gameplay focuses on gathering materials, crafting weapons, and surviving zombie hordes. Challenge mode tasks players with crossing the island to reach a getaway vehicle, while story mode involves completing quests for characters such as Carol, her daughter Emily, a senile woman named Martha, and a drug smuggler pilot named Sanchez. The game ends with the player escaping by seaplane after fighting off a massive horde summoned by Kovac.

Reader's Guide

How to Survive received 'mixed or average reviews' on all platforms according to Metacritic, with the Storm Warning Edition faring slightly better. In Japan, the game was published by Spike Chunsoft under localized titles, with the PlayStation 4 version scoring 31 out of 40 from Famitsu. The game's significance lies in its straightforward co-op survival gameplay and crafting mechanics, which appealed to fans of the zombie genre. Its modest success led to an expansion pack, How To Survive - Third Person Standalone, announced in June 2015, which shifted the perspective from top-down to third-person. A full sequel, How to Survive 2, was announced in August 2015, featuring enhanced graphics, an expanded base camp and crafting system, set in New Orleans and released on Steam early access in October 2015. The original game remains a niche entry in the survival horror landscape of the early 2010s.

Did You Know?

• The Storm Warning Edition was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2014.
• In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version was published by Spike Chunsoft as How to Survive: Zombie Island - Storm Warning Edition.
• The game's ending reveals that the character Ramon is an accomplice to the antagonist Kovac.