Smalland: Survive the Wilds

Developer: Merge Games | Publisher: Merge Games | Release Date: 2024 | Genre: Open World / Survival / Crafting / Adventure | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

Being shrunk down to insect size is not a new idea for survival games, especially after Grounded proved how effective the concept could be. Smalland: Survive the Wilds takes a similar premise but gives it a very different tone. Instead of playing as children trapped in a backyard science experiment, players take control of one of the Smallfolk, a tiny humanoid race emerging from underground to reclaim the Overland after the giants have disappeared.

This immediately gives Smalland more of a fantasy flavor than Grounded. The world is still filled with oversized insects, towering plants, abandoned human objects, and danger around every corner, but it feels less like a backyard survival game and more like a fairy-tale adventure. The result is an open-world survival title that does not always match Grounded’s polish, but still manages to carve out its own identity.

The basics are familiar to anyone who has played survival crafting games. Players gather resources, craft tools and weapons, build shelters, hunt creatures, cook food, and gradually work their way toward better equipment. The early hours are spent scraping together materials such as wood, fiber, resin, and stone while trying not to get mauled by ants, beetles, or other oversized wildlife. As new crafting stations and recipes unlock, players gain access to stronger armour, better weapons, and more reliable ways of exploring the world.

Smalland can be played solo, but it is at its best in co-op. The game supports up to ten players online, and exploring with friends makes the experience much more enjoyable. Gathering resources, building bases, fighting bosses, and venturing into dangerous areas all benefit from having extra hands. Survival games often become repetitive when played alone, but in multiplayer the grind is softened by teamwork and the occasional chaos that comes from everyone making poor decisions together.

The world itself is one of the game’s biggest strengths. Players explore forests, swamps, ruins, beaches, caves, and other hazardous areas, all from the perspective of something at the bottom of the food chain. Clovers become huge plants, fallen logs become landmarks, and ordinary human objects feel like relics from a lost civilization. The map is not merely decorative either, as different regions contain different resources, creatures, and dangers that encourage exploration.

Compared to Grounded, Smalland feels less focused and less polished, but also more adventurous in some respects. Grounded has a tighter, more authored backyard full of memorable landmarks and clever environmental storytelling. Smalland feels broader and more fantasy-driven, with a greater emphasis on travelling through the wilds, taming creatures, and building your place in a strange new world.

Creature taming is one of the game’s standout features. Players can tame and ride various creatures, including grasshoppers, ants, spiders, and more. These mounts are not just cosmetic, as they can dramatically change how players traverse the world. Leaping across gaps on a grasshopper or flying over terrain with a dragonfly adds a real sense of progression and makes exploration feel much more exciting. Losing a mount can also sting, though, especially if players have grown attached to it.

Base building is another major part of the experience. Players can build encampments using multiple material tiers, but the most interesting feature is the ability to claim Great Trees. These towering safe areas allow players to establish bases high above the dangers below, and the base can be moved between Great Trees. It is a clever idea that reduces some of the frustration associated with building far away from new regions and makes the world feel more accommodating for long-term survival.

Combat is serviceable but not exceptional. Players can craft different weapons and armour sets, with certain gear being better suited to particular threats. Fighting insects and other creatures is satisfying enough, especially with friends, but the melee combat can feel a little floaty compared to more refined action games. Encounters are often more about preparation and equipment than pure skill, which fits the survival genre but can make some fights feel repetitive. After taming some big critters, like mice and scorpions, combat can also become quite chaotic, especially when multiple players have their entire menagerie storm intel battle. 

Progression is largely driven by exploration, crafting, and defeating tougher creatures to unlock new materials. Narrative quests and NPC encounters provide some direction, which helps prevent the game from feeling completely aimless. However, the story is not the main attraction. The lore of the Smallfolk and the mystery of the missing giants is interesting enough to provide context, but players are more likely to remember their first dangerous trek through the swamp or the first time they took to the skies on a mount.

Weather and environmental hazards also play a role. Storms and hostile conditions can make exploration more dangerous, and preparation is important before venturing too far from safety. This reinforces the feeling that the world is beautiful but unforgiving. It also gives players a good reason to carry supplies and think carefully before heading into unfamiliar territory.

Visually, Smalland is often beautiful. The world has a vibrant, colorful look that makes exploration rewarding, and the sense of scale is handled well. Giant trees, oversized mushrooms, insects, ruined structures, and human debris all help sell the fantasy of being tiny in a massive world. Character models and animations are not always as polished as the environments, but the overall presentation is appealing. The creatures players can tame also look impressive, but the larger ones have a bad habit of sinking into the ground or clipping through other objects in the game world. 

The audio complements the world nicely. Ambient sounds help bring the wilderness to life, while creature noises make dangerous areas feel more threatening. The music is pleasant without being intrusive, although it is not especially memorable. Sound design is generally functional and atmospheric, which is exactly what a survival game like this needs.

Smalland does still have rough edges. Some systems are not explained as clearly as they could be, and newcomers to the survival genre may need to rely on experimentation or outside help. The game can also become grindy, especially when crafting higher-tier equipment or replacing lost gear. Bugs and jank are not absent either, though the game is much more complete now than during its Early Access period.

Replay value depends heavily on how much players enjoy survival crafting. Once the main progression has been completed, the remaining appeal comes from base building, collecting gear, taming creatures, exploring further, and playing with friends. Multiplayer gives the game a lot more staying power, while solo players may find the repetition more noticeable. It’s also strange that the game enables players to earn 100% of the achievements before even completing the main storyline or performing some of the more challenging optional areas. 

Overall, Smalland: Survive the Wilds is an enjoyable survival crafting game that stands apart from Grounded thanks to its fantasy tone, mount system, Great Tree bases, and broader sense of adventure. It is not as polished or tightly designed as Grounded, but it offers enough charm, beauty, and cooperative fun to make it worth playing. Survival fans who enjoy gathering, crafting, building, and exploring dangerous worlds with friends should find plenty to like here.