Dumb Ways to Survive review - A quirky survival adventure game

In Dumb Ways to Survive, you play as a handsome blue bean who is just trying to survive in the wilderness. Luckily, you’ll quickly run into a few other wandering beans who will help you build your camp. To start, you'll need to talk to Bean by the campfire, after which you’ll receive several introductory tasks like making an axe, unlocking the forge, and collecting eggs.

BUILD YOUR CAMP IN DUMB WAYS TO SURVIVE

Once you’ve mastered the basic skills and constructed the necessary buildings for your camp, you’ll unlock the scout handbook and be able to move forward with your adventure. You'll also unlock the mini-map at this point, which really comes in handy as you begin to explore farther away from your camp.

While there is plenty of collecting, crafting, and exploring to be had, there is also plenty of combat in the form of hunting animals for resources. You’ll encounter deer, bulls, and birds early on, all of which can be slain for resources.

Player character in shrub hat battling two wolves at night

Some animals, like birds and deer, will run from you rather than fight, while bulls will always defend themselves. Exploring at night is more dangerous as your line of sight is limited, and aggressive enemies like treants and wolves will attack you on site.

DUMB WAYS TO SURVIVE MAKES DYING FUN

As the name suggests, Dumb Ways to Survive is all about survival. You'll need to keep an eye on your health, hunger, and thirst if you want to survive. If you die, however, you can reclaim much of what was in your inventory by going to where you last died and digging up your grave. While this may sound morbid, the title’s carefree vibes and vibrant cartoon aesthetic keep things feeling light.

Dumb Ways to Survive manages to make dying fun. Each time you die a new way, you'll unlock a new death in your scout handbook. For instance, the longer you forgo drinking water, the lower your thirst meter will become. If you let it deplete entirely, you’ll earn Death #72 Dying of Thirst.

Lower half of blue player character next to a brown bear

As you explore the game’s charming 2D world, you'll unlock a variety of new deaths, which takes away some of the frustration of losing. Unlocking deaths doesn’t net you any bonuses, but it’s still fun to do.

EARN AND CRAFT BADGES

You can also earn badges by completing specific tasks. After unlocking a badge, you can craft it at the Badge Bench in your camp and equip it to gain bonuses. For instance, equipping the Lucky Gardener badge nets you extra resources from plants and trees when harvesting.

There are also Scout tasks to complete, such as Ogre-Achiever, which rewards you with two Dumbloon coins for hunting the Ogre in the Witless Woods, and Directionless, which requires you to harvest 20 signposts.

Blue bean running across a bridge followed by a pigeon

IT'S EASY TO GET LOST IN DUMB WAYS TO SURVIVE

Even with the map unlocked, navigating in Dumb Ways to Survive can be a bit challenging at times. This is due to the fact that pathways aren’t always immediately clear, making them easy to miss if you aren’t taking your time. While you’re sure to find your way eventually, marking the pathways more clearly would really make the whole experience more enjoyable.