Sons of the Forest, otherwise known as The Forest 2, is the sequel to developer Endnight Games’ first The Forest game launched a few years back. The spine-chilling survival horror game was incredibly well-received, overflowing with positive reviews from both critics and fans alike.
As a matter of fact, the game was able to sell over five million copies in a span of four years. This is an incredible achievement for a horror game that wasn’t a sequel to a previously famous title. As such, you can imagine that there’s a bunch of fans waiting for this sequel to be released, given the success of the first one.
At the moment, there’s not a lot of information about The Forest 2 just yet, but we have a couple of speculations. Other than that, we were able to glean a few solid details about the upcoming title from trailers and interviews. As such, let’s dive in deep and discuss everything we know so far about Sons of the Forest.
Who Are the Main Characters?
Developer Endnight Games hasn’t confirmed who the main characters are going to be in The Forest 2, but dedicated fans of the franchise are almost positive that the game will follow Timmy, who survived the events of the first game. (Note that there will be heavy spoilers ahead, so tread carefully.)
During the first game, Timmy is basically killed but he continuous to live on through his genetic material, which was taken and used for a variety of experiments on the island where the game takes place. The Forest has more than one ending, and depending on the choices you make, you may come across an ending where Timmy gets brought to life. In fact, before the game finally draws to a close in this particular ending, Timmy is getting ready to visit and explore another strange island.
Not only that, there’s a toy from the first game—which we know is owned by Timmy—was seen in one of Sons of the Forest’s trailers.
Another interesting thing in The Forest 2 worth talking about is the mutant lady with several additional limbs, which has been featured in trailers multiple times. In Sons of the Forest’s reveal trailer, she can be seen either dancing in the night or staying close by to the player character’s campsite.
Fans couldn’t help but notice that this mutant looks very similar to the “Virginia” mutant class from the first game. However, based on the trailers, this mutant looks friendly and calm—very different from the Virginia’s from The Forest. In fact, you could even say that she seems to be the protagonist’s companion.
What Is Sons of the Forest About?
Just like the other details, the upcoming game’s plot is quite vague, and Endnight Games has yet to reveal more information about it. However, during an interview last year, Endnight Games CEO Ben Falcone said that all the enemies players will be able to encounter in Sons of the Forest are new.
If you were able to experience the first installment, this means that you won’t encounter the familiar mutant cannibals from The Forest. Given this information, the fact that a Virginia appears to play a significant role in Sons of the Forest is even more interesting to think about, as it appears that she’s roaming an area where she’s not supposed to be in.
Other than that, if Timmy truly is the protagonist for this sequel, then it could open a variety of possibilities in terms of how the story will progress. In the ending where Timmy lives, there’s a scene where it’s clear to see that Timmy is suffering from some kind of mutation, most likely because of the different experiments done on the island.
He might be undergoing some changes both inside and out, which could pose as a serious problem for his new adventure. Also, this could explain why the female Virginia seems to have gotten attached to him. In any case, we’re definitely interested to see how this particular relationship will change throughout.
Gameplay
Now, let’s talk about one aspect that we’re sure many are curious and excited about. Based on what we can see from the two trailers available so far, it appears that Sons of the Forest will still be utilizing the same kind of gameplay elements that The Forest had. Basically, you will have to survive the many dangers lurking within the wilderness by crafting a variety of useful items and finding a campsite that can provide safety and shelter.
The first game featured a day and night cycle, which you’ll find implemented in Sons of the Forest as well. However, it appears that Endnight Games has taken things a step further by adding new weather mechanics in this sequel, which will surely add a whole new level of difficulty to the game.
The developer has confirmed that Sons of the Forest will have snow, which can freeze the terrain and cover the area with white snow. As you can imagine, this would make it harder for the player character to move around discreetly. That being said, we have yet to see what other kinds of dynamic weather will be present in the game and how this will affect the overall gameplay.
Let’s Talk About A.I.
Last January this year, The Escapist had a brief chat with Ben Falcone and Rod Green from Endnight Games in order to talk about the latest trailer for the game. According to the developers, The Forest 2 will be featuring enemies that will be so much different compared to the enemies from the first game—and in a good way!
Apparently, Endnight Games programmed something called V.A.I.L, a brand-new A.I. tool. In the interview, they state that this new tool “allows for the creation of some extremely complex behavior, and characters can now become afraid, tired, angry, hungry, thirsty, bored, etc., and these feelings influence their decisions.”
Based on this information, it appears that you will not only have to ensure that the main character and his companions are fed and comfortable, you also have to ensure the same thing for the enemies to make things easier for you. Perhaps this new mechanic is how you’ll be able to form a friendship with the female Virginia.
What Are the Supported Platforms?
Just like most details, Endnight Games hasn’t revealed this information yet either. But according to fans’ speculation, Sons of the Forest will be available on both PC and PlayStation 4, seeing as The Forest was released on both platforms. However, fans hope that the developer will decide to release the game to more consoles once it’s launched.
It’s not entirely an impossibility, though, given how the first game was incredibly well-received.
There you have it, folks—this is everything we know about The Forest 2 or Sons of the Forest at the moment. The upcoming title doesn’t have a release date just yet, but Endnight Games as well as the trailers state that it will most likely release this year, 2021.
