'Rain World' is a strange, ever-evolving take on survival games

In many survival-themed games, the ecosystem doesn't change much. Predators are always out to kill you, while prey just wants to mind its own business. However, you'll have to be much more thoughtful with the just-released Rain World. Videocult's long-in-the-making PS4 and Windows action adventure (its crowdfunding campaign started in 2014) has you fighting for life in a wilderness where animals learn from their interactions with you. Seemingly docile critters may start treating you as a threat if you play too aggressively, while hostile beasts might back off if you figure out what they need. Some enemies have their own predators to worry about, so you're not the only threat.

You might also want to give this a look for its beautiful yet strange setting. The game has you playing as a "slugcat" (yes, just what it sounds like) in an overgrown, ruined landscape where you fend off neon lizards and gnaw on bats for food. And as the name suggests, there's a lot of rain -- you have to find shelter from periodic floods. Combine that with extremely fluid animations, the 16-bit retro visuals and a mysterious plot and it promises to be memorable, if more than a little unforgiving.