I fell in love with Abiotic Factor the minute I strapped a couch cushion to my chest and called it armor—there's no other survival game like it

Three years ago, I got swept up in all the Valheim hype and pressed the big green purchase button. I made my viking, basked in the pretty forests, and then immediately got bored by chopping trees and crafting wood logs. I should've listened to the part of my brain that's known for years that I'm exhausted with this kind of game. I've bounced on and subsequently off nearly every well-reviewed "tree puncher" in recent years—Valheim lost me, Nightingale never had me, and not even Lego Fortnite's charming brick laying could hold my attention.