What In The Green Hell Is This?

One of the most realistic psychological-survival-thrillers to date has barely been acknowledged and sorely underrated.

What is Green Hell you might ask? Green Hell is a survival simulator, fighter-adventure Indie title that was initially released as Early Access on the 29^th OF August 2018. Developed by the trio Incuvo S.A., Forever Entertainment S.A., and former Techland employees own company – Creepy Jar – giving them experience in co-creating games such as Dead Island and triple-A title Dying Light, they decided to go with Unity engine for the games creation.

• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PC, Nintendo Switch
• Available: Steam R150 / PlayStation Store R449 / Microsoft Store R419 / Nintendo eStore R449 (R224.50 on sale until the 11^th  of August 2021)
• Update V.2.0.1 and V.2.1.0 for part 1 & 2 of Spirits of Amazonia expansion
• Has controller support
• Single-player or co-op up to four players

The Setting

You start off with a sparkle in your eye and a good amount of spunk.

You and your wife, Mia, have journeyed out into the Amazon Rainforest for an all-expenses-paid venture of research and understanding. The first part of your experience will be pleasant as you have the comforts of the well-equipped campsite that was set up by Soltrail, plenty of food, equipment, shelter, everything that you would need to survive the outdoors.

This is where you will learn the ropes for basic controls and survival, a tutorial that makes it seem as though this is nothing more than the standard, easy-to-accomplish survival game.

Inevitably this camp sanctuary doesn’t last long. Mia of course ends up venturing out on her own first thing on the morning of day 3 to make her way towards the Yabahuaca tribe to make contact, while Jake stays behind to catalogue new plant species.

Fast forward a couple of days and things start to take a turn for the worse. You will end up trying to track down Mia with nothing more than a few broken radio call exchanges to keep you ever hopeful that you will once again be reunited with your imperiled wife, while having to survive in the dense vegetation of the Amazonian Rainforest, teeming with wildlife and encountering the human inhabitants of this hostile world

Characters

• Jake Higgins: You play as Jake, the main character. Dr Jake Higgins is an anthropologist (anthropology is the study of past and present human societies) and he published a book based on findings from their first visit to the Amazon (which is elaborated on in the expansion).
• Mia Higgins:Wife of Jake, Mia is of Spanish origins and an extremely proficient interpreter. She is able to go the extra mile and easily master ancient and generally unknown languages.
• Waraha tribe:Known as Natives, the Waraha tribe are encountered throughout the game. These are belligerent NPCs and will be able to track you down in numerous ways, including by the smoke of a campfire that you might be tempted to make as a landmark when you’re out exploring. There are three classes of the Waraha tribe – Blade Native, Bowman Native and Spearman Native.
• Yabahuaca tribe:The more docile and approachable of the two main tribes encountered. They prefer to remain isolated due to fear of the modern man and world.

Gameplay

The Amazon Rainforest is undeniably one of the most beautiful and biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, but with this beauty comes great danger. While exploring this expansive map, which can take up to 30 minutes real-time from end to end on the standard map (this was measured before the update which increased the map size considerably), you will have ample opportunity to admire the spectacular scenery and bathe in the tropical sounds of the Rainforest.

However, don’t be fooled by this seemingly tranquil paradise. Survival is top priority and you are completely isolated from the civilized world.

• Creating camp fires. There are many ways that you can create a small fire to warm yourself or cook up some grub, but for the most part you’ll be using the tried and trusted method of friction heating with two sticks. Just note that your fire can also alert the hostile inhabitants of your whereabouts.
• Landmarks. Yes, land marking is an actual, valuable aspect for this game. Although you have access to a map, the more you’re able to navigate without it, the better. It will certainly make the immersion a whole lot more real.
• Hunting & gathering. You will be able to gather almost any and all kinds of flora and hunt pretty much any fauna that catches your eye, this includes insects (yes, this might be all that’s available to eat at times), you will even get to have your own little crops. These activities will not only serve to keep your hunger and thirst at bay, but for medical remedies as well.
• Shelter. You can make use of pretty much anything you find to build up a good shelter. Chop down some logs, cut away at foliage and create your own little home, or rough it out on a leaf bed in the open, the choice is yours but it’s pretty advisable to build a good, sturdy shelter.
• Weather. Being in the Rainforest might not be all it’s cracked up to be. You will have to endure major humidity, sweltering heat, light rains to downpours, possibly all within one day even. This is where shelter becomes extra important, you wouldn’t want to be completely exposed to such harsh elements.
• Health and wellbeing. In the jungle you will inexorably end up injured, bitten, stung or sick. It’s imperative to keep a good stock of medicinal plants and to know what is good and what is not. From preparing a remedy over the fire for ingestion to straight lathering it directly onto the bite or wound, just keep in mind that as helpful and life-saving as this can be, it can also go horribly wrong.
• Crafting. Of course as with most games, not just survivals, there is the crafting element. From tools to weapons, you have an abundance of possibilities with what you can craft.
• Psychological impacts. No regular person would be able to endure such circumstances for any prolonged period of time without suffering some sort of psychological traumas. Various actions (or lack thereof) and choices will have an impact on your mental wellbeing and even on others. Be sure to take special care in keeping yourself as sane as possible otherwise it’s not likely that you will make it out.

These are but a few of the main key points that Green Hell boasts in the realism of a survival video game.

Additional

This gem of a game will also be introducing VR availability as Green Hell VR hopefully by the end of this year, but if we have to wait a little longer for this then so be it, this is something that will definitely be well worth the wait.

The expansion, Spirits of Amazonia, has so far been released as Part 1 and Part 2 as a game mode that allows you to play in the time before Jake and Mia made their return trip to the Amazon, giving some valuable details as to the current happenings that are taking place. The map size is increased and more crafting & quests are made available. This game mode is available for both single-player and Multiplayer.

Last but not least, Creepy Jar has even decided to throw out a Green Hell: Board Game for those of us who find that to tickle our fancy.

Green Hell – PS Launch Trailer

So that about wraps it up, surprisingly in a nutshell. There has been so much work put into this underrated title and yet the developers just keep on putting their all into it despite the underwhelming response that they’ve received. So do yourself a favour and delve yourself in, I can guarantee that you won’t regret it.