Miasmata Review

Just last issue we bemoaned Far Cry 3's flower-picking for its trivial nature brought about by an intrusive interface that shared far too much information. And now, along comes Miasmata - a game which coincidentally takes Far Cry 3's open-world exploration and flora gathering, but crafts an entire experience around it. If you thought Far Cry 3 was too overtly game-like, then Miasmata is the perfect accompaniment. There's nothing here to get in the way between you and its immersive first-person experience.

Though first impressions call to mind classic hardcore survival simulators such as Robinson's Requiem and its sequel, Deus (no, there's no Ex there), Miasmata is a far more focused, streamlined interpretation of first-person subsistence. You don't break bones, craft materials into splints or bandages, or fashion weapons. Though you need to stay hydrated, you don't need to eat. You don't even catch diseases, because you begin as a disease-struck weakling.

Finding a cure for this disease is Miasmata's ultimate goal. And those hostile microbes eating away at you are the source of the game's catch-all system of communicating your health level. As your fever worsens, the screen blurs, you slow down and cough, and will eventually perish. Resting in one of the many beds found throughout the island, or ingesting basic medicinal tablets, restores them to a healthy state.



Miasmata's major gameplay flow sees von setting off on miniature expeditions from a safe tent or cabin to find and recover the island's flora for synthesising into such medicinal components. Common plants provide temporary relief from a fevered state, rare plants can be used to create permanent buffs to your health, agility and perception, whilst the island's elusive, unique plants are the ingredients needed to cure your disease entirely.

Despite its streamlined survival mechanics, Miasmata still requires you to tread carefully as it introduces a system of momentum and inertia to its first-person movement. Your character requires a short period of time to slow down from a sprint. Slipping down even a small hill can lead to uncontrollable momentum that sees you tumbling off the side of a cliff. It's like skiing in Tribes, but instead of hitting the brake, you just break your legs. Well, no bones actually snap; rather, the fever system kicks in and progressively hampers your vision and movement. The slipperiness is a little exaggerated, but it's necessary to teach players how to move in the game's world. It's also a missed opportunity that rainfall doesn't decrease traction.

Still, through this simple twist, Miasmata demands you pay attention to the environment's topography. Patience is a virtue and taking the obvious dirt roads formed from a prior human presence is often the safest route. But you'll never cure your disease until you venture off the beaten path and carefully explore the thick, uninviting forest.

You keep track of your location with an in-world map that feels like the next evolution of the one used in Far Cry 2. The map must gradually be revealed by regularly triangulating your position by referring to man-made structures in first-person. It's intuitive enough to avoid becoming tedious, though smaller scraps of existing maps can be found and used to reveal a larger area at once.

Now, these mechanics alone would provide something of a dull survival experience, if not for the addition of the creature.This hostile predator - resembling something of a horned leopard - physically exists in the world at all times. You may not need to eat, but the creature does. And it exists solely to track you and hunt you down. When it sees you, it's time to run.

This is how Miasmata's movement mechanics and survival elements coalesce. With the creature in pursuit, every slip and tumble due to unaccounted momentum, every fever-induced cough, allows the creature to close the gap and attack. There is an Amnesia-like oualitv to these harrowing puruits; fear arises not from the creature's visage, but the power it exhibits from its position in the world and the knowledge that it is forever on your heels.

Evading the creature requires tactical topographical use - it will not pursue you down the same steep cliffs that would see you take damage. Often the only option is a leap of faith, and the willingness to take a fall and limp to safety. Melee weapons can be found, but they're more useful when thrown as distractions than in a direct confrontation.

This is why Miasmata's exploration element is so unique. Yes, it is your goal to wander and locate specific plants, but knowing the lay of the land is essential to surviving the creature's pursuits as you don't have time to pull out your map and triangulate. Through this, players experience a surprisingly organic evolution: trepidation turns to determination as individual hills and valleys slowly become familiar. It's a player transformation that's far more effective than the one Far Cry 3 attempted. You become one with the environment. You even learn how to stand your ground.

Though it succeeds in providing a new and focused take on the survival genre, we can't help but feel deeper survival mechanics would allow Miasmata to see the full potential its concept holds. But this is a game made by two brothers, and what they have accomplished in sticking to unique systems with a limited scope is nothing short of commendable.

Developer: IonFX Studios
Publisher: IonFX Studios
Genre: adventure / fpp / survival
Compatible with: Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8)
Price: $14.99
Game Modes: single-player
Web: ionfx.com