The Most Obscure Japanese Mobile Game

Summary

In this video, the creator revisits *Survival Island*, a little-known mobile RPG from 2014 that offers a unique survival experience. Stranded on a deserted island, players must gather resources, craft tools, and solve puzzles to escape, all while managing stamina and progression. Unlike typical mobile games, *Survival Island* emphasizes slow exploration and problem-solving, with a challenging grind and secret endings for dedicated players. The creator reflects on the game's appeal, its nostalgic connection to survival mechanics, and its place in the mobile RPG landscape. Along the way, they also share updates about the channel's growth and new editing tools.

Takeaways

• 😀 *Survival Island* is a mobile RPG developed by Niko Bit, originally released on January 10, 2014, and is one of the few mobile games made with RPG Maker.
• 😀 The game starts with the player being stranded on a deserted island after a cruise shipwreck, and the objective is to survive and eventually escape.
• 😀 Players must manage stamina by eating and sleeping to perform tasks such as fishing, chopping wood, and solving puzzles.
• 😀 The game features a crafting system, where players research recipes and create tools to gather resources, with a focus on exploration and puzzle-solving.
• 😀 Resource gathering can be slow and requires a lot of patience, as most items do not respawn immediately, making the game grindy at times.
• 😀 Tools like fishing nets and boomerangs are crucial in speeding up resource collection and overcoming obstacles, such as reaching out-of-reach items.
• 😀 The game includes quests that appear through messages in bottles washed up on the shore, rewarding players with rare materials or new recipes.
• 😀 The progression includes solving boulder puzzles, using tools to interact with the world, and eventually building a raft to escape the island.
• 😀 To reach the true ending, players must 100% the item book by finding and crafting every item in the game, which leads to discovering Mysterious Island.
• 😀 The ultimate goal is to craft a cruise liner and return to the city, which triggers a special ending that concludes the game.
• 😀 *Survival Island* was praised for its innovative mechanics but criticized for being grindy and difficult to progress without guides, especially toward the end.

Q & A

What is the main premise of Survival Island?

The main premise of *Survival Island* is that the player finds themselves stranded on a deserted island after their luxury cruise ship sinks. The goal is to survive by gathering resources, solving puzzles, and eventually escaping the island.

What makes *Survival Island* unique compared to other RPGs?

What makes *Survival Island* unique is its blend of survival mechanics and RPG elements, emphasizing exploration, crafting, and puzzle-solving. It also incorporates a level of realism, where the player must manage stamina and gather resources to survive.

How does the game incorporate a crafting system?

The game has a crafting system where players can gather materials to craft tools, recipes, and other items that help them survive. Players can unlock new recipes by discovering items and combining them to create useful tools, such as an axe or a fishing net.

What is the 'idea system' in *Survival Island*?

The 'idea system' in *Survival Island* involves collecting items that serve as recipes. When fully researched, these ideas unlock new items or tools, allowing players to craft advanced materials and interact with the environment in new ways.

How does the game handle resource management and progression?

Progression in *Survival Island* is tied to resource management. Players must gather materials to craft tools and solve puzzles. The game becomes grindy at times, as resources do not respawn quickly, requiring patience and strategic planning.

What role do puzzles play in the game?

Puzzles are central to the game, with many areas requiring players to solve challenges such as pushing boulders in a specific order or using tools like strong rope to access new areas. These puzzles help the player progress through the game and unlock new resources.

What is the significance of the neighboring islands in the game?

The neighboring islands, such as *Bore Island*, *Rainflower Island*, and *Lion Island*, provide essential resources needed to upgrade the raft into a boat. Players must explore these islands to gather materials and solve additional puzzles required for escape.

How does *Survival Island* handle quests and side activities?

Quests in *Survival Island* typically appear as messages in bottles that wash ashore. These fetch quests offer small rewards like new recipes or rare materials, encouraging players to explore and engage with the game world beyond the main storyline.

What is the true ending of *Survival Island*?

The true ending is achieved when the player completes the item book, which requires crafting every item in the game at least once. This unlocks the *Mysterious Island*, where players face new challenges and eventually craft the final item, the cruise liner, to truly escape the island.

How does the gameplay of *Survival Island* compare to Minecraft?

Both *Survival Island* and *Minecraft* share a focus on exploration, crafting, and survival. However, *Survival Island* has a more defined narrative and goal-oriented progression, while *Minecraft* is more open-ended. Both games emphasize learning from mistakes and gradually improving through experimentation.