Die Young

Developer: IndieGala | Publisher: IndieGala | Release Date: 2019 | Genre: Action / Adventure / Indie | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

Die Young opens with a young thrill-seeker named Daphne, heading out to a remote island in the Mediterranean Sea with a group of friends. Unfortunately, instead of having fun in the sun, Daphne wakes up alone at the bottom of a well. It would seem that she has been kidnapped by whoever is in control of the 12 sq km island. After climbing out of the well, Daphne sets out to find her friends and get the hell off the island, but to do so, she is going to have to stay alive.

Die Young is an open-world action game from Indie Gala and was released in full after spending two years in Early Access. The game mixes elements of survival and exploration as players guide Daphne around the island while avoiding danger. Players start with practically nothing, not even shoes on their feet, which means fighting the enemies that roam around is not such a good idea. Instead, Daphne must use her athletic abilities and parkour skills to bypass enemies wherever possible and escape from them if necessary. She eventually gains access to some weaponry, but these not only take up valuable inventory slots but are also clumsy to wield. You might be able to take down one or two enemies with a wrench or a crowbar, but your chances of survival decrease drastically if the noise draws in more. Thankfully, every time you do manage to kill an enemy, they won’t respawn, which does make things easier in the long run.

Although Die Young features survival elements, this is not the type of game where you will chop down trees and build a house. Daphne has no intention of sticking around for long, so everything that she can craft is geared towards her immediate survival or to assist her with getting off the island. You can harvest various plants to create medicine, while the scrap and other materials that can be looted help craft tools. The crafting interface is very straightforward, so as long as you have the required materials and know the recipe, you can create items by holding down one button. Your backpack and utility belt do have limited slots, though, so it’s worth tracking down the recipes and materials to improve them.

The game is viewed from a first-person perspective, which means you get to watch the stunning vistas through Daphne’s eyes and experience the stomach-lurching jumps and climbs. As we mentioned earlier, the unnamed island is massive, and thoroughly exploring it will take some time. Die Young also doesn’t funnel you toward your objectives, so you are pretty much free to explore as you please.

If you want to focus solely on getting off the island, you can do so, but checking out some of the side quests and exploring the optional areas answers many questions. At first, the story appears to be pretty basic, but as you discover more notes, you’ll learn about the origins of the island, its inhabitants, and how it has turned into such a deathtrap. You’ll also find out what fates befell your friends as well as other foreigners who dared to visit the island. The game has three endings in total, and we found the experience gripping enough to get all three as well as all of the achievements that can be earned. Accomplishing this took close to 30 hours, and there were still some things left to do on the island! Seeing how massive the island is, we are grateful for the fast travel points scattered about, and these also serve as shelters that can be used when night falls in the game. For some extra incentive to explore, there are some hidden ancient idols to discover, which can be traded with one of the friendly NPCs in the game for rare items.

Visually, Die Young looks excellent and can give a few AAA titles a run for their money. The island is not just massive and blessed with some incredible views, but there are also plenty of interesting places to explore. From temple ruins and high towers to manor farms and even a sprawling military post, there is always somewhere new to check out. Even the more nature-themed areas, such as the mountain pass, pinewood, and stone pillars, are fun to explore. Daphne spends a lot of her time in the game climbing up high buildings or rock formations, and the visuals were good enough to trigger some mild acrophobia in us!

The audio in Die Young is relatively decent, and we enjoyed the synth-style tunes that popped up now and then. However, the game tends to keep background music relatively minimal for the most part, which suits the open-world experience. The sound effects are also really good, as is most of the voice acting. Unfortunately, a few characters sound a little dodgy, but we’ll chalk that up to them spending too much time in the hot Mediterranean sun. You’ll also encounter some enemies in the game who have actually lost their minds, and their rants can be a little disturbing, to say the least.

The controls are reasonably straightforward for a first-person title, and we had no issues navigating Daphne around the island. In addition to running and jumping, Daphne can crouch, slide, and climb certain marked surfaces. Also, Daphne can use long grass for cover to avoid human foes but watch out for slithering snakes. Another interesting mechanic is the ability to switch to a black-and-white “instinct” view of your surroundings, highlighting potential dangers and handholds. However, this skill can only be used while Daphne is not in motion. To keep Daphne alive, you not only have to avoid or takedown stray dogs, rats, cult members, militia forces, and island workers but also keep her hydrated. The game has no weather effects, but the blazing sun means that running and climbing will deplete Daphne’s hydration meter, which can cause death if she doesn’t drink something. Daphne also has a stamina bar, which runs out when performing strenuous activities but recharges pretty quickly if you let her catch her breath. Hunger is not an issue in the game, but eating does help restore Daphne’s health.

Die Young can be a little intimidating at first, as you start with practically nothing and have a vast island stretching out in all directions. However, you soon become more accustomed to your surroundings and the limitations of your character. Exploring is highly recommended as you not only learn more about the story but also discover essential gear that can help you out. These range from canteens that allow you to carry water to kneepads that can help reduce fall damage, a hat that can reduce hydration loss, and more. You might even have to choose between a shirt that provides better camouflage or body armor that offers better protection at the cost of stamina and hydration. The game keeps track of all the notes and documents that you find, so there’s never a lack of things to try or places to try and reach.

The combat in Die Young can be a little clunky, but Daphne is not really a fighter, so it’s better to avoid confrontations. The game does become substantially easier when you get your hands on a crossbow and Molotov cocktails, but these are in limited supply and best saved for dire situations. The game also has a couple of boss battles, and these can be tricky until you figure out what is expected from you. Something else that might annoy players is the save system, which requires you to find campfires before you can save your game. Fortunately, you can craft portable campfires for quicksaves, but you’ll obviously need suitable crafting materials and enough inventory space.

Overall, we had a lot of fun with Die Young, and it is an extremely impressive title for an indie team. The developers made good use of the Early Access period to improve the game, but a few areas could have been more polished. If you are a fan of open-world titles that give you the freedom to explore at your own pace, then you will enjoy Die Young.