New Survival Series Begin: Alien Isolation & Elite Dangerous

Two New Survival Journeys Begin This Week

โ€œBecause one disaster at a time just isnโ€™t enough.โ€

This week, two fresh series are launching across the hubs:

Both kick off this week. Keep an eye on the hubs โ€” and as always, expect chaos.

Peaceful Nights, Chaotic Screens

What’s your favorite time of day?

Late evening. The world quiets down, the dayโ€™s chaos settles, and I finally get to sit with a console in hand โ€” ready to make even more chaos in some poor survival game. Peaceful in real life, disastrous on screen.

(Plenty more late-night survival disasters at Survivor Incognito.)

Survival Food, Modern Edition

What’s your favorite recipe?

Nachos โ€” because theyโ€™re basically the survival food of the modern age. Minimal effort, maximum comfort, and you can pile on whatever youโ€™ve managed to scavenge from the fridge. In survival games Iโ€™m boiling unsafe water; in real life, Iโ€™m melting cheese. That feels like a fair trade.

(Plenty more questionable survival meals โ€” digital and otherwise โ€” at Survivor Incognito.)

Double the Consoles, Double the Chaos

Tell us about the last thing you got excited about.

Getting my Steam Deck. Itโ€™s like handing chaos a second console โ€” now my survival disasters can follow me anywhere. I love my Switch, but the Deck opens the door to even more worlds to freeze, starve, or get eaten in. Excited? Absolutely. Prepared? Not in the slightest.

(Plenty more survival chaos โ€” now on two consoles โ€” at Survivor Incognito.)

Snowrunner Survival: The Permagear Diaries โ€“ Day Six


Frank earns his stripes. And then some.

๐Ÿ“œ Series Hub: SnowRunner Survival: The Permagear Diaries Main Hub

๐Ÿ›  Rules: SnowRunner Permagear Rules

๐Ÿ’ก Why Permagear Works: Read the reasoning behind the challenge

Missed Day Five? Find it here.


๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Pipe Dreams and Permadeath Nightmares

Itโ€™s Day 6, and I decide itโ€™s time to tackle Pipe Dreamโ€”a task that demands the delivery of three items, one of which is a heavy fuel semi-trailer. Thatโ€™s the heaviest thing Iโ€™ve hauled to date, and Iโ€™m not about to go in blind.

So, I hop into Red to scout the route. Unfortunately, coming down from the Watchtower, Red seems to channel Scoutโ€™s spirit. And by that, I mean he flips. Again. Thankfully, nothing too seriousโ€”just a bit of an involuntary nap on his side before getting back on track.

After giving the route a once-over, I park Red somewhere out of the way but within reach. Just in case.


๐Ÿฆพ Frank the Certified Beast

Next up, I jump into Frank and take him back to the garage to slap on the Saddle High. With that done, itโ€™s off to retrieve the trailer.

Now, this is the moment Frank becomes โ€œCertified Beast.โ€
On nothing but his starter wheels, AWD, and diff lock, he hauls that massive trailer from the fuel station to the factory without complaint. One minor reverse maneuver was all it took to get around a tricky bitโ€”otherwise, he made it look easy.


๐Ÿงฑ Bricks, Beams, and Boulder Brawls

With the big job done, the rest felt like a cool-down lap. Bricks? Metal beams? No problem.

Exceptโ€ฆ Frank met his match today. And no, not in the form of water or mudโ€”stones.
Big ones. The kind that wedge themselves under your bumper and whisper, โ€œYouโ€™re not going anywhere, mate.โ€
More than once, I thought I was going to need Red to bail him out. But each time, it was just a matter of nudging past a rock or repositioning. Still, it’s clear: if I want to take Frank into deeper terrainโ€”especially waterโ€”I need to raise his suspension and upgrade those tyres.


๐Ÿ”ง Whatโ€™s Next?

With Pipe Dream in the rear-view mirror, I took a look at the map. Most remaining tasks are on other maps, but thereโ€™s still a wooden bridge in Black River that needs some attention.

Thatโ€™s a job for tomorrow.

Today belongs to Frank.
Heโ€™s earned a breakโ€”and maybe a reward. Or at the very least, a long-overdue tyre upgrade.


Want more SnowRunner? Day 7 link coming soon.

Steam Deck Joins the Ranks

The Steam Deck Joins the Ranks

The chaos just got an upgrade.

The Nintendo Switch isnโ€™t going anywhereโ€”it remains the cornerstone of this blog, and Iโ€™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.

Iโ€™ve already got one Deck playthrough in the worksโ€”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 โ€” on hold for now; will return in time.
  • Customloper Diaries โ€” 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 โ€“ Alien: Isolation Survival Diary

Portable survival chaos continuesโ€”now powered by both the Switch and the Steam Deck.

Incognitoโ€ฆ Until the Wolves Show Up

Where did your name come from?

Survivor Incognito came from the idea that Iโ€™m just an ordinary player fumbling through extraordinary survival scenarios. Iโ€™m not the strongest, fastest, or bravest โ€” Iโ€™m just trying to make it through without drawing too much attentionโ€ฆ which usually fails the moment the wolves show up.

(Plenty more survival attempts โ€” not so incognito โ€” at Survivor Incognito.)

Customloper Diaries โ€“ Day 7: Bow Before the Blizzard

Customloper Diaries โ€“ Day 7: Bow Before the Blizzard

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

โ—€ Customloper Diaries โ€“ Day 6: Blizzard Send-Off, Ptarmigan Detour, and the Great Cooking Pot Tragedy  | 
What is Customloper?

Morning Discoveries: Maxโ€™s Last Stand

Todayโ€™s goal was simple: reach the Camp Office without becoming a wolfโ€™s breakfast. Thatโ€™s really the only bar for success these days. On the way, I spotted one of The Long Darkโ€™s most reliable signals that something is worth investigating: birds circling in the sky, waiting patiently for either my demise or someone elseโ€™s.

Luck was on my side for once โ€” it wasnโ€™t my turn. At Maxโ€™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 โ€œrock-throwing medieval PE teacherโ€ to โ€œslightly competent hunter.โ€

Deadfall + Hypothermia = Great Life Choices

Feeling pretty pleased with myself, I decided to swing by the Deadfall area. Thatโ€™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 cookedโ€ฆ something. Iโ€™d like to say it was a hearty stew, but given my supplies, it was probably just porridge or whatever counted as โ€œhot foodโ€ 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 โ€œjust pop overโ€ somewhere.

Camp Office and Instant Regret

The rest of the walk to Camp Office was blissfully uneventful โ€” 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 yesterdayโ€™s cooking pot debacle, I wasnโ€™t about to complain.

Then I made the fatal mistake: I decided to โ€œjust explore the areaโ€ before settling in. First came the snow. Then came the blizzard. In minutes, visibility dropped to โ€œguess and hopeโ€ territory. Navigation became a mix of scent, instinct, and blind luck.

Somehow โ€” and I truly do not know how โ€” 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, Iโ€™d change that.

Tomorrowโ€™s Goal

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

Continue the Journey

โ—€ Customloper Diaries โ€“ Day 6: Blizzard Send-Off, Ptarmigan Detour, and the Great Cooking Pot Tragedy
Customloper Diaries โ€“ Day 8 โ–ถ

Curiosity Keeps Me Moving

What motivates you?

Curiosity. In survival games and in life, I want to know whatโ€™s over the next hill โ€” even if itโ€™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 โ€“ Final Day

Sunburnt & Sinking: A Stranded Deep Survival Diary โ€“ 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 โ†’ seasick โ†’ suspicious โ†’ 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 โ€” 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 โ€” 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 Iโ€™d see a shark fin break the surface. But eventually, the new island came into focus โ€” 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 revealโ€ฆ 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 (โ€ฆTwice, Actually Thrice)

Thatโ€™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 โ€” 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 โ€” 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. Iโ€™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 โ€” 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 natureโ€™s way of telling you to keep your distance. It was a short ride, but fun. Next time, maybe Iโ€™ll survive long enough to cook that bacon instead of becoming it.

Continue the Journey

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

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