New Co-Op Open World Survival Game Releases to 'Very Positive' Reviews

A new game has been added to the mix as Pathless Woods launched into early access to multiple positive reviews. The game is touted as a mix of survival game Valheim and farming life sim Stardew Valley. Players can link up with friends in co-op mode to make surviving easier, or play solo to explore the game at their own pace.

The survival genre and the cozy genre are both experiencing a boom when it comes to released games. With multiple titles like Palworld, Nightingale, and Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator launching every month, trying to stand out in the crowd can take some doing. Combining both genres expands the potential player base and pulls in others that may have initially ignored Pathless Woods.

Indie co-op survival game Pathless Woods, developed by Aniya Games, already has a Steam page full of positive reviews. Taking farm sim and survival mechanics, and mixing them with ancient Chinese culture and poetry by Lord Byron, the devs created a colorful, open-world experience for players to explore. With co-op enabled right at launch, players can team up with friends to build pagodas, raise animals, and experiment with traditional Chinese farming.

The official Pathless Woods launch trailer shows off typical survival mechanics present in Valheim, such as resource gathering, base building, and combat. It also features familiar life sim mechanics like bug catching, raising chicken-like animals, and farming. The farming, however, really highlights the unique touch Aniya Games included. Not only can players hoe the dirt, plant seeds, and water them, but they can create natural irrigation for their land. Throughout the video, multiple players are running around helping each other defend the base from some sort of elephant creature, cooking, cutting down trees, and more.

Similar to cozy game Palia, Pathless Woods fills a niche space in the survival genre. Many of the titles flooding the market are grim, mixed with horror elements, or based in realistic environments. Path