Tag: Survival Game

🏝️ Day One Diary: Stranded Deep Tutorial – Sunburnt & Sinking (Warm-Up Edition)

A practice run before the chaos begins: I tackle the Stranded Deep tutorial on Nintendo Switch, battle a crab, get lost on a tiny island, and somehow manage to build shelter. The real journey starts next time—with a brand new seed and no hand-holding.

🛩️ “The plane crash was just the beginning. My real enemy? Inventory management.”

I load up Stranded Deep, hoping to ease myself back in with the tutorial. Instead, I’m treated to a cutscene straight out of Final Destination—a plane going down, debris flying, and my character waking up underwater inside the wreck. No time for panic. I dive out, kick my way through the wreckage, and find my trusty inflatable raft.

Then comes my first real survival challenge: how to unequip the oar. After some determined button-mashing and a healthy amount of muttering, I figure it out. I drag the raft ashore—because I’ve seen enough YouTube fails to know that leaving your raft in the water is how you end up stranded before the game even starts.

The tutorial gently nudges me along, but even then, the menus are… a bit of a puzzle. I gather supplies, make a campfire (conveniently close to the raft), and promptly get ambushed by a crab. It’s small, angry, and determined to remind me I’m not in charge here.

Navigation proves tricky. Despite the island being roughly the size of a football pitch, I still manage to get lost several times. I also hoard everything I see, which turns my inventory into a mess of sticks, rocks, and plant bits.

As darkness falls, I realize I need to craft shelter. Fibrous leaves are required, but I’ve used most of them, and a torch sounds great—except I have no idea where to get cloth. I spend several minutes wandering aimlessly in the dark, wondering if this is how it ends. Eventually, I find what I need, cobble together a basic shelter, and finally—finally—save the game.

🔚 End of Day Summary:

Survived tutorial ✔️

Beat up by a crab ✔️

Got lost on a tiny island ✔️ – Yes, that actually happened

Built shelter and saved ✔️

Confidence level for real run: …debatable

🧭 What’s Next?

Next time, the real run begins. New seed, no hand-holding, and full permadeath rules. I have no idea what’s waiting for me, but if it’s another crab, we are going to have words.

If you enjoyed this one, please check out my other day one diaries here

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The Backyard Trials: Grounded Permadeath – Day Three

The lasers are fixed, the oak tree explodes, and my survival odds finally start looking up… until a Crab Weaver reminds me who’s in charge. Day 3 brings progress, panic, and a near-death lesson about checking my map.

Missed day two? You can find what happened here: The Backyard Trials Day Two

The Wire Chewers

With the mysterious laser issue still unresolved, I decide today’s the day I track down the problem. A short hike later, I find the culprit: lawn mites have developed a taste for high-powered laser wiring. Excellent.

I follow the damaged wire underground, spear in hand, clearing out every mite that dares cross my path. Eventually, I reach a rock wall marked with a hammer symbol — a clear message from the backyard itself: “Come back when you’re better equipped.” Noted.

As I head back topside, I spot one final mite chewing away. One quick jab and—problem solved. The laser is fixed. Victory! Soon, I’ll be big again! (Or so I naively believe.)

Press The Button… What Could Go Wrong?

I return to the mysterious machine, filled with hope. I press the button. The lasers power up, align… and then the oak tree explodes. That wasn’t part of the plan.

New objective: Investigate the oak tree.
Of course it is.

Panic, Maps, and Lessons Learned

Not entirely sure how to get to the oak tree, I open my map to drop a waypoint for my base camp. That’s when the game teaches me a very valuable permadeath lesson:

The map does not pause the game.

Right as I’m happily setting my waypoint, the words Threat Detected! flash up. I close the map and—surprise!—a Crab Weaver is charging directly at me. My tactical response? Immediate and panicked retreat.

Pro tip for future runs: check your surroundings before opening the map.

Juice, Science, and Helmets

On my retreat, I have a small moment of clarity—I actually already have a hammer. So technically, I could’ve broken that underground wall earlier. That’s a tomorrow problem.

I do, however, discover a giant juice box while escaping, which might help solve my ongoing water concerns. Small wins.

With hammer in hand, I head back to the wire tunnel, smash through the blocked path, and find 500 raw science waiting for me. I’m starting to feel like a backyard archaeologist.

Back at base, I cook up some meat (and immediately learn that cooked food spoils fast), craft myself an ant helmet to boost my carrying strength, and research a few more materials. More blueprints unlock, and for the first time, I feel cautiously optimistic about my survival chances.

The Next Task: Grubs

As night falls, I spot something burrowing under the ground. A little research tells me these are grubs, and I’ll need a shovel to dig them up.

Tomorrow’s mission: craft a shovel and go grub hunting.

If you want to know more about this, please checkout the The Backyard Trials: Grounded Permadeath page

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Customloper: The Long Dark Challenge That Outlasted the Challenge

For the past 6–7 months, I’ve been running a custom difficulty mode in The Long Dark. The goal was simple: I wanted to keep the spirit of Voyageur—but with a dose of Stalker and a blast of Interloper.. After testing and tweaking, here’s where I landed:

  • Voyageur-level of loot – because scrounging should feel rewarding
  • Wildlife set between Voyageur and Stalker – you’re not safe, but you’re not helpless
  • Interloper weather – cold enough to regret every decision

It wasn’t meant to be a thing, but after two runs, it kind of is:

  • My first run ended in Forlorn Muskeg, trying to reach Mountain Town after coming back from the Airfield. Spoiler alert: The ice got me again. I think I lasted maybe a week in-game
  • The other? I’m sitting at around 60 days, and still alive in Mystery Lake… but after dropping four bears, I realised I might have broken the game’s spirit before it broke mine.

So now I’m bringing my Customloper game to the blog properly.

Coming Soon:

  • A full breakdown of every setting I use
  • The actual Customloper code so you can try it yourself
  • A brand new Day One Diary – Because I honestly can’t remember anything about my original first day
  • Plus survival tips for weather that makes Interloper look like light snow

This isn’t Interloper.
It’s Interloper with options—and that might be even more dangerous.

Wait—Isn’t This Blog About Easier Survival?

It is. And that hasn’t changed.
Customloper isn’t about going full Interloper. It’s about dialing in a challenge that keeps things tense but playable. Think of it as controlled chaos—for players who want pressure without the permadeath purgatory.

Think you can survive it? The full code drops soon. Stay tuned

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Skyrim Survival Mode – Day 4 Teaser: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Frost

Teaser for Day 4 of my Skyrim Survival Mode run. Cold weather, fireballs, and one very overworked Argonian.

On Day 4, I leave Whiterun behind in search of adventure, loot, and maybe a bit of common sense (no luck there). But what I do find: hostile mages, freezing winds, and the dawning realization that maybe necromancy is the best form of pest control.

Full entry lands Saturday.
Bring a torch. Trust me.

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Skyrim Day 3 Incoming + Blog Updates!

Skyrim Survival – Day 3 drops this Wednesday. After reaching Whiterun, I get caught up in the city’s favorite pastime: dragon slaying. Spoiler—my attempt at stealth archery is about as subtle as a mammoth in a library.

In the meantime, the blog’s had a few upgrades:

  • The Skyrim Hub is now live! It’s the central place for the full survival run and all related content.
  • The Long Dark Hub It’s the central place for the full survival run and all related content.
  • The Graveyard is open—every permadeath now gets logged, labelled, and (lightly) mocked.
  • The FAQ page answers burning questions like “Why the Switch?” and “Was that death avoidable?” (Usually: yes.)

New content’s coming. Expect chaos. Bring your torch.

—

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The Long Dark Beginner’s Guide is Now Live!

Just starting out in The Long Dark on Nintendo Switch? Cold, hungry, and not sure what you’re doing? I’ve got you covered.

The Beginner’s Guide is now live—and it walks you through:

● Choosing the right difficulty

● Where to start (hint: not on a mountain)

● Managing warmth, hunger, thirst, and rest

● Understanding the User Hub

● What to actually do in your first in-game week


Plus, there’s a full controls table and region map to stop you from wandering in circles.

Click here to read the full guide

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Here’s What’s Ahead This Week – Survivor Incognito Update

Coming Up This Week:

1. Skyrim Survival Day Three:

○ Our Argonian survivor continues their frigid, torchless march through Skyrim.

○ Follow the chaos and check out the full series on the Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival page.

2. The Long Dark Day Four:

○ More snow, more mistakes, and fewer calories

○ Full playthrough available on the The Cold Chronicles: A Voyageur’s Tale of The Long Dark page.

In Case You Missed It:

  • We’ve covered some basic Rules of Survival already:

○ If the game let’s you cheat death (The Long Dark, looking at you), we don’t take the offer.

○ Difficulty stays low, but decisions still have consequences.

  • Expect more games to enter rotation soon – but the current runs must end first. That’s the deal.

In The Works:

● Beginner’s Guide: How To Survive Your First Week in The Long Dark

A practical walk through focusing on Mystery Lake. For players who want survival not suffering.

● No Man’s Sky – Survival Series Pending

The space odyssey is on standby. It won’t launch until one of the current playthroughs wraps up. That gives me time to build out a few early entries before going live.

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Day One Diaries – Green Hell is Live!

Think you’ve had a rough first day in the jungle? I punched trees, failed at crafting, ate a banana, and died of mystery poison. My Green Hell Day One Diary is now live on the blog.

Read it here: [Green Hell – Day 1: Poisoned by Nature, Humbled by Bananas]

Includes

  • Jungle logic that makes no sense
  • A hard-won rock axe
  • Banana-fueled optimism
  • And a fatal case of “I don’t know what poisoned me”.

Check it out—and if you enjoy that descent into chaos, there are plenty more Day One Diaries waiting for you on the blog here: [Day One Diaries]

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New Rules, Who Dis? (Permadeath Begins Now)

Setting the official rules for all future playthroughs on Survivor Incognito—permadeath is here, and chaos just got consequences.

Starting today, all future playthroughs on this blog—The Long Dark, Skyrim: Survival Mode, and anything else I drag my tired, freezing self into—will follow official permadeath rules.

That means:

If I die, that run is over.

No reloads. No saves. No mercy.

I start fresh from Day 1, with a new character or region.

What about previous entries?

My original Day 1 diary for The Long Dark was from my first experience with the game—long before these rules existed. So yes, I fell through the ice and died like a confused deer. That was real. That was me. That was chaos, pre-regulations.

What now?

From here on out:

I’ll clearly label each run.

I’ll document every in-game day, death or glory.

And I’ll stick to the rules. Even if a moose doesn’t.

Full breakdown of the rules are now live and can be found here [The Rules of Survival (According to Me)]

Let’s see how long I last.

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One Life To Explore: A No Man’s Permadeath Project (In The Works)

Planning a permadeath run in No Man’s Sky—but with a chill twist. One life, easier difficulty, and open invites for readers to name the planets. Coming soon to Survivor Incognito.

One Life. One Jetpack. No Do-Overs

Survivor Incognito is about embracing chaos without chasing pain—and what better way to do that than launching into No Man’s Sky on permadeath mode?

But not just any permadeath. I’ll be playing on the lowest difficulty settings available in that mode. Because survival doesn’t need to be hardcore to be meaningful—or entertaining.

Here’s The Plan:

One save file. When I die, that’s it.

Posts will follow a “Day X” diary format.

Each entry will feature survival updates, tech progress, planetary oddities, and near-death mishaps.

The series will be called One Life to Explore.

Want to name a planet?

Every post, I’ll feature at least one world. You can drop a name in the comments. If I land there, it gets your name. Ridiculousness encouraged. Galactic seriousness not required.

First post coming soon. Until then—make your peace with space crabs and bad decisions.

In the meantime, enjoy the header image for it:

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