Don't Starve

Don't Starve
Cover art, depicting Wilson, one of the playable characters
Developer(s)Klei Entertainment
Publisher(s)Klei Entertainment
Composer(s)
  • Vince de Vera
  • Jason Garner
  • Emmett Hall
Platform(s)
Release
April 23, 2013
  • Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X
    • WW: April 23, 2013
  • PlayStation 4
    • NA: January 7, 2014
    • EU: January 8, 2014
  • PlayStation Vita
    • NA: September 2, 2014
    • EU: September 3, 2014
  • Wii U
    • NA: May 28, 2015
    • EU: June 4, 2015
  • PlayStation 3
    • NA: June 23, 2015
    • EU: June 24, 2015
  • iOS
    • WW: July 9, 2015
  • Xbox One
    • WW: August 26, 2015
  • Android
    • WW: October 20, 2016
  • Nintendo Switch
    • WW: April 12, 2018
Genre(s)Survival
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Don't Starve is a survival game developed by Klei Entertainment. The game was initially released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on April 23, 2013.[1] A PlayStation 4 port, renamed Don't Starve: Giant Edition, became available the following year (with PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 versions released in September 2014 and June 2015 respectively, and an Xbox One version released in August 2015).[2][3] Don't Starve for iOS, renamed Don't Starve: Pocket Edition was released on July 9, 2015.[4] An Android version was released on October 20, 2016. Downloadable content titled Reign of Giants was released on April 30, 2014, and a multiplayer standalone expansion called Don't Starve Together became free for existing users on June 3, 2015.[5] On Steam, this game is able to be purchased with a free copy for a friend. A Nintendo Switch port came out on April 12, 2018.

The game follows a scientist named Wilson who finds himself in a dark, dreary parallel world known as the Constant and must survive as long as possible. To this end, the player must keep Wilson alive, fed, and mentally stable as he avoids a variety of surreal and supernatural enemies that will try to kill and devour him. The game's Adventure mode adds depth to the sparse plot and pits Wilson against the game's supposed antagonist, Maxwell.

Don't Starve was Klei's first foray into the survival genre. Conceived during the height of a game industry trend of dropping players into a world with few instructions and a goal of survival, the game was influenced by Minecraft which spearheaded this trend as well as by filmmaker Tim Burton. The game received positive reviews from critics, commended for its original art style, music, and variety of ways for the player to die, although its high level of difficulty and implementation of permanent death were less warmly received.

  1. ^ "Don't Starve on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  2. ^ "Don't Starve: Giant Edition". store.xbox.com. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  3. ^ "Don't Starve: Giant Edition". Metacritic. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  4. ^ "Don't Starve: Pocket Edition". Metacritic. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  5. ^ "Don't Starve Together now free for existing Don't Starve owners". PC Gamer. 4 June 2015.