Steam Deck Joins the Ranks

The Steam Deck Joins the Ranks

The chaos just got an upgrade.

The Nintendo Switch isn’t going anywhere—it remains the cornerstone of this blog, and I’ll continue covering survival games there. But now, the Steam Deck has officially joined the lineup, bringing new formats, more chaos, and fresh handheld survival stories to share.

I’ve already got one Deck playthrough in the works—drafting a few days ahead now so I can keep the updates flowing smoothly.

The Long Dark

My current runs are resting at good pause points:

  • The Cold Chronicles — on hold for now; will return in time.
  • Customloper Diaries — likewise paused, but not forgotten.

New Series Starting

In the meantime, a fresh playthrough begins next week. Check out the series page for Isolation Protocol: An Alien Isolation Survival Diary if you want a sneak peek:

Isolation Protocol – Alien: Isolation Survival Diary

Portable survival chaos continues—now powered by both the Switch and the Steam Deck.

Incognito… Until the Wolves Show Up

Where did your name come from?

Survivor Incognito came from the idea that I’m just an ordinary player fumbling through extraordinary survival scenarios. I’m not the strongest, fastest, or bravest — I’m just trying to make it through without drawing too much attention… which usually fails the moment the wolves show up.

(Plenty more survival attempts — not so incognito — at Survivor Incognito.)

Customloper Diaries – Day 7: Bow Before the Blizzard

Customloper Diaries – Day 7: Bow Before the Blizzard

Weather: Clear start → freezing winds → blizzard
Loot Highlights: Survival Bow, cooking pot, skillet
Mood: Excited → frozen → grateful to still have toes

◀ Customloper Diaries – Day 6: Blizzard Send-Off, Ptarmigan Detour, and the Great Cooking Pot Tragedy  | 
What is Customloper?

Morning Discoveries: Max’s Last Stand

Today’s goal was simple: reach the Camp Office without becoming a wolf’s breakfast. That’s really the only bar for success these days. On the way, I spotted one of The Long Dark’s most reliable signals that something is worth investigating: birds circling in the sky, waiting patiently for either my demise or someone else’s.

Luck was on my side for once — it wasn’t my turn. At Max’s Last Stand, a corpse lay frozen in place, and right beside it sat the holy grail of early-game weaponry: a Survival Bow. I snatched it up with the speed and enthusiasm of a raccoon finding a half-eaten cheeseburger.

All I needed now were arrows. With them, I could finally graduate from “rock-throwing medieval PE teacher” to “slightly competent hunter.”

Deadfall + Hypothermia = Great Life Choices

Feeling pretty pleased with myself, I decided to swing by the Deadfall area. That’s when my overconfidence caught up with me. The temperature dropped faster than my optimism during an Interloper run, and I was soon staring at the dreaded red text: Hypothermia.

I lit a fire in the nearby stove, boiled some water, and cooked… something. I’d like to say it was a hearty stew, but given my supplies, it was probably just porridge or whatever counted as “hot food” in my pack. Once I had a bit of warmth and hydration, I grabbed a torch from the fire and pressed on toward my main goal.

Lesson learned: Interloper weather waits for no one, especially those who think they can “just pop over” somewhere.

Camp Office and Instant Regret

The rest of the walk to Camp Office was blissfully uneventful — a rare thing in Mystery Lake. Inside, I scored a skillet and cooking pot. Not exactly a rifle or a quiver of arrows, but after yesterday’s cooking pot debacle, I wasn’t about to complain.

Then I made the fatal mistake: I decided to “just explore the area” before settling in. First came the snow. Then came the blizzard. In minutes, visibility dropped to “guess and hope” territory. Navigation became a mix of scent, instinct, and blind luck.

Somehow — and I truly do not know how — I managed to stagger back to the Camp Office without being eaten, freezing to death, or wandering onto thin ice. The blizzard roared outside as I slammed the door shut, my heart still hammering.

Evening Wrap-Up

Back inside, I set about cooking more porridge, boiling as much water as I could, and letting my core temperature crawl back to something survivable. The bow was now mine. The arrows? Still a distant dream. But tomorrow, I’d change that.

Tomorrow’s Goal

Find arrows. Or a rifle. Or, failing that, a pointy stick and a really bad attitude.

Continue the Journey

◀ Customloper Diaries – Day 6: Blizzard Send-Off, Ptarmigan Detour, and the Great Cooking Pot Tragedy
Customloper Diaries – Day 8 ▶

Curiosity Keeps Me Moving

What motivates you?

Curiosity. In survival games and in life, I want to know what’s over the next hill — even if it’s just another wolf or a flooded road. The promise of discovery (and the chance to laugh when it goes wrong) keeps me moving forward.

(Plenty more curiosity-fuelled chaos at Survivor Incognito.)

Sunburnt & Sinking: A Stranded Deep Survival Diary – Final Day

Sunburnt & Sinking: A Stranded Deep Survival Diary – Final Day

Difficulty: Normal
Optional Features: Permadeath enabled (naturally)

“They say the sea is unpredictable. Turns out the real danger was bacon on legs.”

Weather / Loot / Mood

  • Weather: Pre-dawn calm, rising chop mid-crossing, sun blazing by mid-morning
  • Loot: One rock (upgraded into a knife), empty shipping container, one near-death experience
  • Mood: Optimistic → seasick → suspicious → hogged off the mortal coil

Goodbye, Starter Island

I woke before sunrise, sipped the last drips from my water still, and realised food was once again my biggest problem. My emergency coconut stash stared back at me like an unsolvable puzzle — great for hydration, but without a knife, they were just spherical disappointments. The conclusion was obvious: this island had given me all it could, and it was time for me to move on.

Two new islands called from the horizon, their silhouettes promising fresh loot and maybe, just maybe, an edible dinner. I picked one, whispered a fond but brief farewell to my starting island, and began the process of leaving. This was a mistake — not the leaving, but underestimating how much my raft had bonded with the beach.

Raft Wrestling & Ocean Gymnastics

Step one was prising the raft off the sand. The thing behaved like it had signed a long-term tenancy agreement and was not about to leave voluntarily. Once I freed it, I faced my next foe: the paddle, which seemed determined to stay attached like a stubborn remora. Then came the ocean itself.

Within minutes, my crossing turned into an impromptu extreme sport. I capsized more times than I care to admit, each time righting the raft while muttering things not suitable for a survival diary. The swell toyed with me, and every few waves I was convinced I’d see a shark fin break the surface. But eventually, the new island came into focus — and with it, signs of potential treasure. A red shipping container sat on the shore, while offshore, a wooden pole jutted out of the water. Wreckage? Supplies? Or just an elaborate distraction?

New Shore, New Knife, No Loot

Landfall came with an overwhelming sense of relief. First priority: tools. I grabbed a rock, worked it into a knife, and set out to investigate the shipping container. The excitement lasted right up until I swung the door open to reveal… absolutely nothing. No food, no tools, not even decorative debris. My mood sank faster than my raft had earlier that morning.

Still, the island was bigger than it first appeared, with palm trees casting long shadows across the sand. Somewhere out here, there had to be food. Or at least something less likely to stab me in the stomach than my own hunger.

The Hog Strikes Back (…Twice, Actually Thrice)

That’s when I saw it: a hog. Large, broad-shouldered, and wearing the kind of expression that suggested it already hated me. Before I could take a step back, it charged — no hesitation, no negotiation, just a blur of tusks and fury.

Desperation kicked in. I fought back with my newly crafted knife, scoring a few hits before it bolted into the undergrowth. Victory? Not quite. As I turned to check my surroundings, I spotted a snake winding its way across the sand. Excellent — protein! I lunged, only for the hog to return for round two. We clashed again, my health dropping with each collision.

By the time round three began, I was already bleeding and winded. I’d love to say I managed a heroic counter, but the truth is the hog bowled me over like I was nothing more than driftwood in its path. The world went dark, the game flashed its verdict, and my save was gone. Just like that.

Epilogue: Lessons from the Hog

So ends my Stranded Deep run — three days according to the game, four by my own count. I learned a lot: coconuts are useless without a knife, rafts are stubborn, and hogs are nature’s way of telling you to keep your distance. It was a short ride, but fun. Next time, maybe I’ll survive long enough to cook that bacon instead of becoming it.

Continue the Journey

Day 1 |
Day 3 |
Final Day (You Are Here)

From Solo Chaos to Shared Adventure

What do you enjoy most about writing?

The connection. Writing lets me share survival chaos with people who get it — those who know the panic of wolves howling in The Long Dark or the joy of finally finding duct tape in Stranded Deep. It turns solo survival into a shared adventure

(Plenty more shared survival chaos at Survivor Incognito.)

Rain I Can Handle — Wolves, Not So Much

What do you love about where you live?

Loving where I live is easy — mainly because I don’t need a campfire and a hunting knife just to make it through the week.

The weather. Specifically, that it isn’t as brutal as the survival games I play. Sure, it rains more than I’d like, but at least I don’t have to fight off wolves on the way to the shops or light a campfire just to boil tap water.

(For harsher climates and questionable survival tactics, Survivor Incognito has plenty.)

Survivor’s Dread Hub + Rules of Survival Updates

Hub & Rules Updates – Survivor’s Dread and Beyond

Two big refreshes: the Survivor’s Dread hub gets a makeover with clickable images and new content, and the Rules of Survival page is sharper, broader, and now includes Day One Diaries.

Survivor’s Dread Hub Refresh

The horror corner of Survivor Incognito has had a makeover. The Survivor’s Dread Hub is now cleaner, more visual, and easier to explore:

  • Clickable images: Each series hub can be entered directly by tapping/clicking the banner images.
  • Subnautica added: While not strictly survival horror, leviathans in the dark absolutely qualify as “horror-adjacent.”
  • Cleaner sections: Each series now has its own block with a blurb so you can jump straight in.
  • Coming soon: Future plans include Resident Evil, Metro Redux, and more Switch-friendly nightmares.

Check out the updated Survivor’s Dread hub →

Rules of Survival Page Updated

The Rules of Survival (According to Me) page also got a major refresh. It now serves as the central rulebook across all my permadeath runs and diaries, and includes:

  • Day One Diaries rules: One day, one shot. Added with a link to the Day One Diaries Hub.
  • Expanded series add-ons: Grounded, Stranded Deep, Subnautica, Alien: Isolation, Dredge, Skyrim, The Long Dark, and SnowRunner all have their own entries.
  • Streamlined global rules: Now strictly focused on in-game survival, with practical, Switch-friendly allowances.

If you’ve ever wondered what invisible rulebook guides my permadeath chaos, this is the place to look.

See the updated Rules of Survival page →

Why This Matters

These refreshes make the site easier to navigate, clearer for new readers, and a stronger foundation for the survival chaos to come. Whether you’re following the horror diaries or the more traditional survival runs, you’ll know exactly what rules I’m following, what’s changing, and where to dive in.


Laughing Through the Chaos

What positive emotion do you feel most often?

Amusement. Usually at my own terrible survival decisions. If I can laugh after freezing to death in The Long Dark or being headbutted by a doedicurus in ARK, then I’m probably doing alright.

Because if I can’t laugh at freezing, starving, or being eaten by wolves, what’s the point?

(Plenty more questionable decisions and laughs at Survivor Incognito.)

From To-Do List to Side Quest

How do you plan your goals?

I treat goals like I treat survival game objectives: make a list, ignore it, then improvise wildly while avoiding disaster. Sometimes I even complete the original goal — usually by accident.

(Plenty more accidental victories at Survivor Incognito.)

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