Yep, it looks like we’ve got another multiplayer survivalbox coming forth, but this one seems to lean pretty heavily on thematics and higher degrees of challenge. Say hello to Brightfall, an isometric co-op survival crafting title from Dark Point Games that reads like a more hard-bitten spin on the sub-genre.
“Set on a forgotten island erased from English maps, Brightfall challenges a team of 1 to 4 players to survive against an encroaching force that actively corrupts the world around them. Trees bend into unnatural shapes. Wildlife mutates into hostile creatures. The land itself fights back. Your only real defense is light.”
Bringing light to the island isn’t just a euphemism but an active gameplay mechanic thanks to the so-called “living darkness system” that tasks player teams with strengthening and spreading the safe influence of the Brightheart crystal. Creatures utilize the game’s darkness to their advantage, while scavenging in the dark for too long can damage characters’ sanity and eventually transform them into “dark versions of themselves.”
Beyond its darkness mechanic and a setting inspired by 17th-century post-plague England and Celtic myth, the game appears to have many of the survivalbox hallmarks, though maintaining light as well as survival resources looks to be another plate that players will need to keep spinning. Brightfall is slated for early access sometime this year; a gameplay trailer can be watched below in the meantime.
