The 2023 open world survival co-op game Smalland: Survive the Wilds is officially getting a prequel with Smalland 2: Lost Realms. Smalland: Survive the Wilds first introduced players to the so-called “Land of the Small” where the tiny Smallfolk must explore a vast world while battling against dangerous insects, collecting seemingly mega-sized rations, and making their mark on a land much bigger than them. The upcoming prequel, Smalland 2: Lost Realms, aims to create an even larger and more immersive experience while building on community feedback and granting players improved ways to traverse the world for a new perspective.
Audiences who have played games like It Takes Two and Grounded are likely familiar with the unique aesthetic and gameplay opportunities provided by developers placing players into a role that makes the environment seem truly massive compared to a shrunken-down character. The same visual and interactive concepts were utilized in Smalland: Survive the Wilds, and Smalland 2: Lost Realms is already looking to add even greater depth to a game that takes advantage of an unconventional setting with a fantastical story.
Smalland 2: Lost Realms New Gameplay Features
Smalland 2: Lost Realms will once again have players taking on the role of one of the Smallfolk and tasking them with surviving an overgrown world as a tiny being. Smalland 2 immediately improves upon its predecessor by adding new traversal abilities, including swimming through water and scaling rocks and foliage. This gives players even greater freedom when exploring, though environmental dangers, such as heavy currents and breakable plants, will keep audiences on their toes while wandering about the open world. Additionally, mushrooms and leaves can be used to bounce players higher up above the forest floor, giving them an enhanced perspective for scouting and foraging. Modular systems have also been added to make it easier to break apart plants when gathering resources for crafting, which itself utilizes a modular system to allow constructed items to have specialized properties.
Another new addition coming to Smalland 2: Lost Realms is a Perk system. As players explore and interact with the world, they will earn points that can then be spent on unique Perks across a skill tree. These Perks will allow players to alter their character to suit their preferred play style, with Perks being separated into four distinct role groupings: Survivalist, Vanguard, Beastmaster, and Wyrdweaver. Since Smalland 2 features co-op gameplay for up to 10 players, each user can specialize their Perks to create a diverse team of Smallfolk. Combat and stealth are also being improved upon for Smalland 2, with major changes to be revealed in a future developer update. Due to the larger-scale adjustments being worked on, Smalland 2: Lost Realms will be released sometime in 2027 and will include launches for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox.
Multiplayer gaming remains a prominent feature for many AAA and indie games, and one of the ways Smalland 2: Lost Realms aims to draw in as many fans as possible is with its balancing for both single-player and large group gameplay. One of the big critiques of other open world survival games has been the lack of an enjoyable experience for solo players and small to large teams, and if Smalland 2: Lost Realms is able to find the sweet spot, it may be one for single-player and co-op fans to keep an eye on.
- Released
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December 7, 2023
- ESRB
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e
- Developer(s)
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Merge Games Limited
- Publisher(s)
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Merge Games Limited
