The Path I Followed To ARK: Survival Evolved

I wanted to write some thoughts about ARK before I did an actual review. I’m a dinosaur lover, so I wanted to go ahead and get that emotional attachment out of the way. I was acutely aware when this game came out. My wife watched several streamers playing it on Twitch, and by default I heard it as background noise. It had dinosaurs, which interested me, but it was a survival game. I had also overheard her watching other survival games, and that genre just never seemed appealing to me. Finally I saw her actually playing it, running around naked on the beach and defecating, I was pretty sure no amount of dinosaurs was going to fix this game for me.

And that was a mistake I regret now.

Luckily my wife continued to watch people streaming ARK, and I ever so slowly changed my opinion. In February 2016, ARK was added to the March Humble Monthly, available for early download. I procrastinated until March 2016, and finally tried it out. ARK is all I can think about sometimes now, and I can’t get enough.

What Calls To You In ARK

The possibilities are what locked me into ARK. You have an entire WORLD full of dinosaurs to explore. A world completely untainted by anything. No pollution, no technology, and man isn’t the top of the food chain here. That spot is reserved exclusively for dinosaurs – and worse. You are vulnerable to everything. Running around with rags, stacking thatch up in hopes that nothing comes through – because it can – and did, and killed me. Death will be a large part of your journey. Death returns you to rags, only your wits and luck will help you get your items and equipment back. Still, your will to survive will only get you so far. You will continue to struggle until you embrace your destiny: Dinosaurs.

You need these incredible creatures to survive. Find your favorite dinosaur. Tame your favorite dinosaur. Fight alongside your favorite dinosaur, braving the unknown. There is always something bigger than you in ARK. You will never be certain of your standing in the food chain. Evolving is your only hope for survival. From spear to machine gun, rags to armor, you have to endlessly evolve. From thatch to stone, your home, your fortress has to evolve. Including giant gates that would make the architects of Jurassic Park jealous, to bring your dinosaur companions, your friends, into your home. Because your home is the only place you are safe. But you can’t stay inside forever. Your own survival is secondary to exploring a world like this. If your blood is red, your sense of adventure will overwhelm you.

Your Decision For ARK

Making snap judgments about games is a lot of my purchasing decision. It’s that first glimpse of ‘something’ you see that makes you stop flipping through Twitter, YouTube, Twitch, hopefully my website – wherever it is that you come across that new game initially. You’re making a judgement on that ‘something’, and choosing to look more. This trailer is a great ‘something’ to base your opinion on. I challenge you to watch this trailer for two minutes. If nothing else, the musical score is amazing. 0:51 and 1:34 will get you if you have a heart for adventure at all. This trailer is truly the essence of ARK. There is nothing misleading about it, and accurately represents your experience from your first time logging in. Truth in advertising doesn’t get more honest than this.