I've been a big fan of ROM hacks for a long time. It's the highest form of fan involvement in #gaming. ROM Hacks are simply when people learn the "language" of how certain games are programmed and re-write them to create unique games [for example, a Mario 64 game, but you are Luigi and the levels are custom made and the castle area is different]. A lot of ROM hacks seem to be N64. I assume ps1 and above becomes a bit too complex to hack.
Star Fox 64 Survival is a new ROM Hack launched in 2021. It combined assets from Ocarina of Time and Star Fox 64. This is a classic "survival mode" game. There are 32 days you must survive. Each day there are more and more randomly generated monsters. [The monsters are all from Ocarina of Time]. The plot of the game is simple. You are Star Fox [with link from zeldas sword and controls]. Your ship is crashed on a strange planet [single open map].
Most ROM hacks have sort of amateurish maps and concepts.
This game has an excellent map and concept. It's great as a stand alone survival mode game. I'm not usually a fan of single open map games, but this one is really cool. They did an excellent job re-using game assets to make a unique map. To explain the gameplay simply, the STORYLINE and CHARACTER MODEL is based on Star Fox 64 and the GAMEPLAY is all based on Ocarina of Time.
Every day there are more random generations of Ocarina of Time monsters. There is every OOT monster in this game. Zombies, giant sea slugs, bubbles etc. There are difficult temple monsters almost right away like that giant guy with the axe in the Forest Temple that does tons of damage. You start the game with 6 full hearts, but you do NOT start with any shield [yikes!].
After you kill every monster for that day, a cave door opens [above] and a chest appears with a randomly generated object [rupees, bomb bag, bow, ice arrow etc]. When you enter the cave area, you will discover a rest area with no monsters. There are mummy NPCs which generally sell you things. One mummy tells you to wait until you have magic. Another tells you to come back with a bottle etc. There is a lit fireplace where you can rest for the night [and recharge your health meter].
This game is difficult. It's what people call a "rage quitter." You have to face some monsters that are definitely not meant for battling with just a sword and no C button items like arrows. The good news is there are bomb plants all over the map and you can pick them up right away. However, some monsters cannot be bombed like zombies. If you die during one of the days, you can keep playing, but you will start on that day with half your hearts [which makes the game much more difficult overall].
The main problem with this game is that the increasing generation of random monsters can freeze the entire game easily. This is not just a problem with my game/system because I read other reviews/walkthroughs to check. For me, the game seemed to freeze often around day 14. I have yet to complete the game. [The game is also very difficult]. The other main problem I had was a major save game glitch. The game would not save after day 6, which is a major problem if you are having freezing issues around day 14. [There are 32 total days].
The walkthrough I read suggested picking off monsters one by one and avoiding group battles. It also recommended to NEVER use a deku seed. Use arrows when possible and stay at a distance.
One think I will add as a suggestion is that if you are stuck on a certain day to just restart the game. Because of the random elements, you might have generated a really difficult version. For instance, I restarted after my first game and ended up getting the Shield really early [that was the time I got all the way to day 14]. The monster generation is always difficult, but you can sometimes get good weapons early etc.
One more thing: If you kill all the monsters and the cave doesn't open up, that probably means a monster went through the nav mesh. This happened to me a couple times. IF this happens you need to kill yourself in the lava or bomb yourself to death. You will start on the same day, but with half health. Otherwise you will just be stuck on that day forever.
Overall I would give this game 7/10. Great concept.
