Kong: Survivor Instinct Reviews
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.
It’s an enjoyable experience for genre enthusiasts, although there are areas that could be enhanced. It’s safe to say that fans will once again appreciate a game featuring Kong.