NEO Scavenger

NEO Scavenger is a turn-based survival game set in a near-future, post-apocalyptic Michigan. You must survive long enough to discover who you are, deciding where to go, what to scavenge and how to deal with people and creatures you encounter. Hunger, thirst, fatigue, disease and the cold autumn weather all threaten your survival. Choose starting abilities carefully: your abilities and your wits are your only tools.

Explore the wasteland

Navigate a hex-based map of ruins, hills, forests and plains, where line of sight, elevation and daylight matter. Much of the map is randomized each game, including the locations of ruins, creatures and weather, as well as some quest branches. Weather conditions follow real-world autumn data for the area, and snow may fall if you survive long enough.

You can search for clues about your identity, what happened and who is hunting you, or test yourself against people and nature in sandbox play. Detroit offers refuge in one of humanity’s last safe havens, where you can buy supplies, get medical care and seek clues.

Survive and scavenge

Each turn, choose how to travel and gather what you need. You can forage for edible plants and water, using special skills to identify what is safe; trap small game for food and fur; or track and hunt larger prey for butchering. Creatures leave tracks and spoor that others can follow, while you can hide your own tracks. Hiding can also help you avoid being seen during travel and story encounters.

Your body’s needs and condition are closely tracked, including hypothermia, fatigue, thirst, hunger, disease, intoxication and the need for shelter. Wounds have multiple locations and can involve infection, bleeding and pain management. The inventory uses slots for held and worn items, containers and more; you fit items into grid spaces and manage their weight.

Make choices and adapt

The game is balanced around one difficulty level: permadeath. If you die, your save is deleted. There is no XP or level-up system; progress comes from learning how to play and making use of your strengths. You choose abilities and flaws at the start of each run, and different combinations can unlock abilities and quest branches.

Crafting allows you to substitute similar items, such as making a rifle scope from half a pair of binoculars or a noise trap from a pill bottle and pebbles. Hacking skills let you unlock scavenged laptops, cellphones, smartphones and tablets to find paydata or browse personal files.

Encounters and creatures

Combat includes moves such as Tackle, Lure, Kick While Down, Demand Surrender and Threaten. Wandering creatures pursue their own activities, including hunting, scavenging and hoarding. Their morale affects their choices, and some may gang up and cause trouble.

Key features

• Turn-based play lets you take your time with each turn and save and quit whenever you want, then resume later.
• The setting draws on Michigan’s local cryptids and folklore, with something else beneath the surface.
• Music composed by Josh Culler for NEO Scavenger plays periodically; the soundtrack is also available as MP3s outside the game.