SCUM, Devolver Digital’s new multiplayer survival game, will be entering Early Access August 29. This game will mix together elements of survival games and battle royale games with a dash of extreme attention to detail.
SCUM is a game that puts players in the roles of prisoners placed on an island to participate in a blood sport for a voyeuristic near-future game show. Despite being a battle royale-esque game, there also appears to be non-combat skills involved in the game, such as hacking and other “knowledge-based skills.” There’s also the presence of corporate sponsors who will gift players useful items if they do well. If the players die horribly, then the may still get revived as a puppet. Basically a zombie by another name.
One interesting feature that’s been shown off in the pre-alpha trailers is the very in-depth nutrition system.
The player has access to an extremely detailed readout of their nutritional data due to an implant put in the back of their neck as part of the show. Not only is being able to eat important, but it’s also important what you eat. If you create a strongman character, but can’t maintain a diet high in protein and carbohydrates, you’ll lose out on that gym body. Maintaining a healthy diet also gives some benefits like increased speed and carrying capacity. The game even has a counter for how many teeth you have. If you lose them all, you’ll be unable to eat solid food and have to find a way to liquefy it. That is a real feature in the game. Time will tell if this is more of an annoying novelty or a piece of a bigger puzzle that makes for an intense experience.
SCUM will release into Early Access August 29 on Steam. You can read more about the game on its official website and follow it on the game’s official Twitter.