Green Hell Review

Green Hell is an open world survival simulator in the uncharted unique setting of the Amazonian rainforest. You are left alone in the jungle without any food or equipment, trying to survive and find your way out. Clinging to life, the player is set on a journey of durability as the effects of solitude wear heavy not only on the body but also the mind. How long can you survive against the dangers of the unknown? On this journey, you won’t get any help from the outside world. Equipped only with your bare hands you’ll have to learn actual survival techniques to build shelters, make tools, and craft weapons in order to hunt and defend yourself. Constantly threatened by the jungle you’ll fight with both wild animals and tropical sicknesses. Players will also have to face the traps set by your own mind and fears that crawl in the darkness of the endless jungle.

Green Hell’s story starts with your character, Jake, stepping off a boat on the banks of the amazon alongside his wife, Mia. You are there to try and communicate with a lost tribe called the Yabahuca.

At the beginning of the game, you are presented with a variety of different difficulty levels ranging from the narrative mode, which will give you the freedom to enjoy the story all the way up to the full Bear Grylls experience where every little mistake could result in a horrible, painful death.

Most of your time spent in the amazon will see you harvesting materials, whether that’s for building shelters, foraging for food and water or exploring abandoned camps and outposts. Players should expect to die… a lot. Even on the easiest of modes, you still have huge list of obstacles to overcome. It could be from starvation, dehydration or even from having worms.

Your two best friends in the jungle are your super smart watch and your notebook. Starting off with the watch, this includes a built-in compass and GPS and will allow you to keep an eye on the nutrients you need to keep up to survive.

The notebook on the other hand will be your go to for all your shelter and food question. Every time you encounter new flora or fauna, a new entry will be added to your book to know whether it’s helpful or something you need to avoid. As you work your way through the Amazon, you’ll discover new styles of shelter which will increase your chances of survival.

Green Hell’s landscape is gorgeous. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it is the best-looking survival game available today. Exploring the forest really is a joy, between the lush vegetation, huge variety of animals and the way the sun comes through the jungle canopy, it really does feel like a beautiful place to be. Unfortunately, that beauty is filled with hidden dangers and getting lost in its beauty just for a moment can end up costing you your life.

As beautiful as the game looks, the way it sounds is even more impressive. When the game moves into the night time, the jungle comes alive. The slightest sound can send shivers down your spine for it to only be something stupid like the birds in the trees. This means that you are constantly on edge as you never know when you might end up face to face with a big cat or a murderous native.

Speaking of the natives, you have the Yabahuca tribe, who you are looking for and the Waraha tribe who are hunters determined to make your trip to the amazon a living hell.

Conclusion

Green Hell is an absolutely fantastic survival game. The way the jungle pulls you in with its beauty at the same time as punishing you for even the smallest of mistakes. Creepy Jar have done a great job making you both feel consumed by the jungle as well as adding the psychological strain of being stranded alone. The game makes no excuses for its learning curve, but it doesn’t need to because of how great the overall experience is. In the famous words of Axl Rose……… Welcome to the Jungle!

This game was reviewed based on Xbox One review code, using an Xbox One console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.