I noticed something when I was checking the app store today. the first survival "RPG", the beginning of something wonderful on the app store. but unfortunately, it appeared to be simply inventory based and with racial/background choice or even skill choice. of course, I speak of "Stranded!", which has a remarkable similarity to a game called "Notrium" in concept. Now, that by itself is nice, and it's generally well rated... but when I think of a true survival RPG I think of something a little truer to it's roots... see this page? Notrium downloads+mods I think personally that this game is best with "UberWaffe’s Werivar Mod" added in-- mostly because it adds some amazing customization factors via a level up system (which for most races is primarily dependant on survival/thriving time and not enemies killed) that offers the ability to upgrade your character's survival skills as he continues to survive on the planet. For instance, your character's food consumption might decrease if you choose to upgrade that, or regeneration of health might increase if that is chosen. That's what I think of when I think of a Survival RPG. And while it seems overcomplicated, the complexity is mostly hidden underneath a simple to understand system, which in the case of Notrium used inventory objects to apply these effects. I desperately want "Stranded!" to do well, so that people start to realize that this kind of game is marketable on the ipod touch and iphone. But even more, I wish a game would come out that blew me away with it's survival RPG feel, good controls, simple interface, skill based character development, inventory system and complexity under the hood. It's been a while since I've played anything as deep as Notrium, even if the random environment generation and nail-biting difficulty make it difficult for me to actually trigger the win condition. Here's to hoping the Iphone and Ipod touch becomes a haven for those kinds of experiences in the days to come. --Note: First half of the reviews are obvious shills when you check. the second half /seems/ more honest, as a few of the ones that rated it above 3 stars had several other games marked up as well (from other devs). Realizing this, wishing it well seems counterproductive... but it's also the only survival game on the market that only involves controlling a single character. I want to see more of those, as I pointed out. might take the plunge, after I see more potentially honest reviews and possibly see the rating dip a little. for now I'm waiting for Doom Classic (I am, after all, a man of varied tastes).
