Craft makeshift chainsaws and guns in How to Survive

Scrounge your way through the zombie apocalypse

Yes, How to Survive is another game about surviving the onslaught of undead flesh eaters on a lonely island--a setting you might have experienced before. But this isometric adventure has a lot more going for it than smashing brains and gory, red goo. With a surprisingly deep crafting system, looming day and night system, and survival elements that make you worry more about your health bar than your kill count, How to Survive seems like it's more than the average zombie game.

You start the adventure with nothing but the clothes on your back, and you'll have to scour the environment for items to fend off undead aggressors, food to keep you fed and watered, and a safe place to rest. While most games have you maintain a single health bar, you'll have to keep your hunger, thirst, and tiredness in check as well. You'll also have to find clean water, hunt the local wildlife, and even cook your food which uses the game's intricate crafting system.

Almost anything you pick up can be crafted into something useful. If you find up a stick, you can use it to break zombies' skulls, or combine it with a machete to break it down to ten arrows for your crafted bow. You can also upgrade your equipment with additional material. Add a balancing rod to your bow for faster target acquisition, put on pulleys to create a compound bow, or lash a molotov to an arrow for an explosive projectile. All of your items seem infinitely customizable, and you'll eventually find mechanical parts that you can piece together makeshift chainsaws, ballistic weapons, and protective armor as well.

Check out the following slides for more information and images.

Jack is especially adept at smashing heads.

You'll have to work with limited inventory space.

Upgrading your equipment gives you a better chance at surviving zombie hordes.

There are several types of threats on the island, including this massive beast.

Each character has a unique skill tree and attributes.

Campfires keep away the things that go bump in the night.

Handmade chainsaws? Check.

Upgrading armor is just as important as improving your weapons.

Two players can join together for co-op in the story and challenge modes.

Night brings out new threats, but you can use light to scare some of them away.