Don't Starve vs Project Zomboid
Don't Starve
Don't Starve is a pretty dreary and dark survival game set in a rich world filled with plenty of animals/game to hunt, monsters to kill, and resources to gather. With a gothic-like theme, the game's best feature is perhaps the way it hands the reins to its players and let these players decide what sort of survival game they'd want to play and how difficult will the game be. You can literally customize everything in the world you'll be playing in, ranging from the weather, how frequent lightning strikes, how long a season lasts, how much resources are spawned and many more.The game also has a very nice selection of characters that you can gradually unlock as you play the game. Each character will even have their own specialty that you can then make use of when the situation calls for it.
Don't Starve is a survival game that's as punishing as it is vicious. Expect to die a lot in the game and turn all those deaths into useful lessons that you can then build upon. If you fancy surviving with your friends in tow, then you might want to get the multiplayer version of the game, Don't Starve Together, instead.
Project Zomboid
Project Zomboid takes the post-apocalyptic zombie survival genre to the next level with one of the most realistic gameplay to date. After all, surviving isn't just blowing the heads off zombies or finding food - your mental health is as equally important! In many ways, the game feels a lot like Don't Starve when it comes to the more hardcore gameplay, though its persistent and ever-growing game map can be liken to that of Minecraft while its stats-based progression is somewhat similar to the old Runescape. There are so many skills you can level up, and which one you'd like to focus on is entirely up to you. Of course, you can customize your character's looks as well.Aside from the common Sandbox and Survival modes, the game even has fun and imaginative Challenge scenarios and action-packed "Last Stand" mode which frankly plays out a lot like Serious Sam albeit in isometric view.
Featuring a unique pixel-like visuals and an isomeric perspective, Project Zomboid is a really promising early access game that fans of survival games would really enjoy. It's full of content, be it exploring or crafting, and it's tough enough to keep you hooked.