Kong: Survivor Instinct Reviews
Unlike its towering cast of kaiju cameos, Kong: Survivor Instinct is an unremarkable Metroidvania-style adventure that simply doesn’t measure up.
Kong: Survivor Instinct is a big surprise, bringing some great level design and stunning visuals to the genre, featuring some tight gameplay.
Kong Survivor Instinct is an extremely simple metroidvania, but functional in its nature. It lacks structure in the narrative sector, decidedly over the top, as in the depth of the level design, but overall it turns out to be a good job.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I wish I had more to say about the game in general, but it is a relatively simple experience. The campaign only lasts around 5-6 hours and never really switches up dynamics. With tedious combat and clunky controls, it is serviceable at best, and kind of boring at worst. Can we get a remaster of the move, the game. Kong deserves better.
Survivor Instinct's biggest saving grace is the entertaining set-pieces, which usually involve escaping from a Titan strangely determined to kill you. While this can deliver a visually impressive spectacle, it's frustrating how little room for error there often is. These moments are meant to be fast-paced, sure; you're running for your life after all. However, a split-second delay or mistimed jump is often enough to kill you, and that annoyingly restarts the entire segment.
A rugged platformer, but a dire Metroidvania, struggling to truly feel like a part of its namesakes legacy.
By backseating Kong and having a drab human narrative serve as the vessel for this game's monotonous action, Kong: Survival Instinct ends up feeling like a colossal, kaiju-sized dud that does little to lick the wounds of last year's Skull Island and, if anything, further dampens the great ape's reputation.
I quite like the approach of playing a human existing in this world of monstrous beasts. The sense of scale can be quite impressive and certainly makes you wonder just what it would indeed be like if these creatures existed. The general gameplay is fun enough, jumping about and breaking through walls to reach new areas. Combat is challenging enough but not too hard and even the frustrating monster events aren't so long that they are insurmountable. A decent bit of fun for a pretty reasonable price.
In the end, Kong: Survivor Instinct is a pleasant surprise when compared to the rest of the Kong-related games up to this point. The story isn't that great, but it has enough of a hook to keep players going. The platforming can be quirky, especially during the big chase sequences, but it works fine most of the time to provide some fun sections. The same can be said of the combat, which has flaws but also gives players the chance to take care of enemies in a few fun ways. The adventure isn't too long, but it is satisfying enough once the end credits roll. It isn't a sleeper hit, but it isn't a bad experience to go through for a day or two.
ven with combat that falls short of expectations and little presence from its biggest star, Kong: Survivor Instinct manages to capture the concepts of the so-called Monsterverse well and offer a good human journey in the face of the destruction caused by these great titans, taking advantage of a universal quest narrative and typical exploration and puzzle-solving mechanics.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
This game proves that platform jumping doesn't have to look like it's from gaming prehistory, and it's not the prerogative of game heroes, hedgehogs, and bearded plumbers. The struggle for survival in the shadow of angry titans is impressive.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Overall, I had a great time playing through Kong: Survivor Instinct, with my first playthrough at just under 6 hours. While it may not be the most ground-breaking metroidvania with a few flaws, it is a fun, well designed experience that I think Monsterverse fans in particular will surely go ape over.
I’m coming across as very harsh toward Kong: Survivor Instinct, so let me address that. You see, it’s not a truly bad game. I’ve played truly bad games and compared to those Survivor Instinct is like a sweet peck on the lips. But in some ways, it’s also worse than those terrible games because it’s boring. Horrible games and amazing games have something in common: they are interesting to experience. A truly god-awful game is at least interesting to pick apart and talk about in the same way that a great one is, too. But Kong: Survivor Instinct is just dull from start to finish. There’s nothing to talk about, from its non-existent story to its lifeless gameplay.
Kong: Survivor Instinct is a mediocre game in every aspect. Boring storyline, craftsman-like mediocre gameplay, and visually appealing graphics. To be honest, it's hard for me to say who this game is for. Maybe for the biggest fans of the Monsterverse or Kong, who would be delighted by anything from their beloved universe? Alternatively, possibly for people really craving some Metroidvania gameplay. If you're not a member of the mentioned groups, then Kong won't be a good choice. It's not a bad game, but the only thing saving it is the name of the giant gorilla in the title.
Review in Polish | Read full review
I would certainly recommend checking out Kong: Survivor Instinct when you get a chance. It’s a fun way of making use of the Legendary roster of characters without actually putting you in control of Kong, Godzilla, or the rest. I was far more impressed with it than I expected to be, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by it too.
In the end the game provided a very engaging and at times challenging adventure that required a mix of skills as it was a very unexpected delight from the start.
Kong: Survivor Instinct is a pleasant surprise, with the action-packed set pieces and chaotic encounters with Titans ensuring it makes for an enjoyable adventure. Don’t get me wrong, there are better 2.5D adventures out there and the weak combat does let it down, but exploring your destroyed surroundings, surviving through destructive set pieces where the Titans wreak havoc, and simply seeing the story unfold kept me hooked in from start to end. It’s not perfect, but after the disaster that was Skull Island: Rise of Kong, this feels like redemption for everyone’s favourite giant primate.
All in all, Kong: Survivor Instinct is a wild ride through a world where humanity is on the brink of extinction, and survival is all that matters. The blend of personal stakes, resource management, and the looming threat of giant Titans makes for an intense, immersive experience. It has its rough edges, sure, but the sheer scale of what’s happening around you and the way the game makes you feel like a small, fragile part of that world kept me hooked.
If you are looking for a Metroidvania-lite, are interested in Kaiju, and are looking to support developers that are working in the Monsterverse you might find value here with Kong: Survivor Instinct. However, it just lacks that special moment that really gives us that “wow” moment when we get to destroy some buildings or even fight another Kaiju.
Even if, mechanically speaking, there is nothing special about Kong: Survivor Instinct, and it’s filled with questionable decisions and clunky sections, I do appreciate the uniqueness in its premise. Its developmental team tried to come up with an interesting mixture between a cinematic platformer, a metroidvania, and an apocalyptic survival game, with the limited budget they had at their disposal.