7 Days to Die vs Don't Starve
7 Days to Die
7 Days to Die is a pretty hardcore zombie survival game set in a vast, randomly-generated, post-apocalytic world where you are apparently the sole survivor (unless you are playing it on multiplayer mode with your friends). Being the hardcore game that it is, you will literally start the game with almost nothing to your name. You'll be required to collect resources from the environment and scavenge for items by scouring the many abandoned buildings while trying to avoid attracting any zombies' attention in order to craft a variety of useful items as well as to... well, stay alive! You can also customize your gameplay by adjusting the settings, which honestly we would recommend for your first playthrough because the zombies in this game are actually really tough to kill.Aside from its "lose everything when you die" hardcore-ness (which is adjustable to be less hardcore-ish via the settings), the most interesting part about this game is the fact that you can choose a nice building to turn into your base by clearing out the zombies in it, barricade it the best you can and start hoarding a ton of materials and supplies. The only major downside to the game though is its cringy, old-timey graphics. Sometimes, collision doesn't work as well.
Besides the comically bad graphics (for this day and age anyway, but bear in mind that the game's indie), 7 Days to Die is definitely a game that will appeal to hardcore survival fans as the game can be modified to be your worst zombie nightmore or it can be toned down to a somewhat casual post-apocalyptic adventure. Even so, do you think you've got what it takes to be the ultimate survivor?
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.