Stormforge: tornadoes that chase you while throwing trees at you

A tornado chasing you is unsettling enough. A tornado chasing you while throwing trees, rocks and sometimes enemies at you is Stormforge.

Open-world survival is probably the most crowded genre on Steam: you gather, craft, build, repeat. Stormforge walks in with one idea that is enough to stand out. The dungeons are not caves, they are magic storms.

Each storm is guarded by relentless tornadoes you have to shake off, or ride to get around, and dotted with hazards that force you to move carefully: lightning, toxic clouds, jets of flame. At its centre sits a crystal, protected by a shield and enemies. Break it, the storm is gone for good, and you move on to the next. The reward: storm-charged resources and skill points.

It is simple, and it is exactly what was needed: a reason to go adventuring that does not feel like a shopping list. On top of that, huge chaos storms roam the map, and you have to shield your base with a crystal pillar when they pass.

Building is the other nice surprise. Curved walls and floors from your very first camp, building straight from chests in range of the pillar, one-button stacking, free repairs. These are details, but they are the ones that separate a survival game that respects you from one that wastes your evening in menus. You can also move into an abandoned house and fix it up.

The world, generated for each save, has three biomes and islands to sail to, and bosses unlock new classes. Up to eight players can share a world.

The reservations come with Early Access. Three biomes is still not much, and the endgame is more sketched than built. The studio's roadmap is public, and it will have to deliver.

At 19.49 euros, out tomorrow evening, it is a very good survival game to play together, as long as you bring friends: alone, the tornado magic fades a little.

Looking for teammates to chase tornadoes with? Put a crew together on the InsertCoins Discord.