Last week Epic Games reheated frantic challenge title Overcooked as the EGS free game of the week, but this time around they've unleashed something altogether more meaty from their vault of surprises. Today and until June 18th ARK: Survival Evolved is available for free from the Epic Games Store ably joined by the retro Samurai Shodown NEOGEO Collection, each catering to very different tastes.
As the name suggests ARK: Survival Evolved by Studio Wildcard is one of the glut of survival titles released in the mid-2010's, played through a first or third-person perspective. The set-up is straightforward enough: you are dropped in the world of Ark, populated by monstrous dinosaurs and scant resources to help you get through one day to the next. Other humans will compete with you for those resources in an open-world environment rife with threats and very little safety.
You primary allies will be Ark's megafauna, tamed to fight by your side or otherwise provide assistance. Both players and their tamed partners gain levels in an RPG-esq system that also grants abilities and improves general stats. Scavenging, base building and tech-tree advancement are also key aspects that players will need to master to progress.
ARK: Survival Evolved also includes two separate PVP systems: Survival of the Fittest - a battle-royal style mode; and Classic PVP, which limits player technology and level advancement.
The promotion is being run alongside an in-game event celebrating the 5th anniversary of the game's launch. The event adds new terrain, non-combat pets, and from the looks of things part hats for dinosaurs. It's all very adorable.
This free release does not give players access to Season Pass content, of which there has been a substantial amount. The first three are bundled together for an additional £17.99, and the Genesis 1 & 2 Seasons are a further £27.79. Players will have access to five free map packs however, greatly increasing the size of the playable world and letting you have a healthy taste of what the game has to offer before laying down any additional funds.
Hardware requirements are a little higher than most Epic Game Store free titles. You'll want a quad-core CPU roughly equivalent to Intel's i5-2400 and a GPU at least on the same level as a GTX 670 or HD 7870 (a modern GTX 1050 or RX 480 will be plenty). The heftiest recommendation is for 16GB of RAM, which some older systems will not be equipped with.
By contrast, Samurai Shodown is a fighting game franchise previously buried in mists of the 1990's. The series debuted on the NEOGEO in 1993, and has been remastered in this collection for PC and other platforms. Seven titles comprise the Samurai Shodown NEOGEO Collection, and each supports online multiplayer in addition to classic game modes. Franchise fans can also take advantage of a Museum Mode which details each games' development process and also houses a jukebox for all of the franchise's 200 tracks.
This game uses Epic Online Services to support online cross-play between the Steam and Epic Games stores. Connecting your Epic Account with your Steam Account allows you to play with friends from both accounts.
Somewhat ironically, the Samurai Shodown NEOGEO Collection's system requirements are a little more onerous than ARK: Survival Evolved. In particular, it calls for slightly more powerful CPU and GPU, although it's not altogether clear if the higher requirements are justified.
The deals ends at 4pm BST on Thursday June 18th, at which time Pathway and The Escapists 2 will rotate in as the EGS Free Games. Find out more at https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/.
