Kong Survivor Instinct Review (PlayStation 5)

by Jim Smale · Published October 22, 2024 · Updated November 26, 2024

Kong Survivor Instinct Review, When giant monsters fight, no one’s safe. Embark on a thrilling quest of survival in a city that’s become a battleground for Titans. Use the lethal strength of Kong and other monsters to your own advantage in this official Monsterverse game set shortly after the events of Godzilla vs. Kong.

Kong Survivor Instinct Review Pros:

Decent graphics.
8.3GB Download size.
Platinum trophy.
Official Monsterverse game.
Graphics settings – brightness slider, depth of field, chromatic aberration, and motion blur.
Controller settings – Invert axis and sensitivity sliders, dead one sliders, and you can remap controls.
Accessibility options – aim assist strength, subtitles, subtitles size, subtitles color, character names in subtitles, font including dyslexia font, subtitles background, Hud scale and background, menus scale, and show if waves in mini-games are in the correct place.
Four HUD presets – helpful, immersive, no Hud, and custom.
3 save slots.
Three difficulties – Easy, normal, and hard.
Rendered cutscenes mixed with in-game interactions.
Action platformer gameplay.
Full 3D game World but it plays out in a 2D way.
Opening tutorial section with prompts.
The map uncovers as you explore and will show if a connection in the map needs a certain tool or of its unpassable.
Collect bio waves to summon Titans.
The combat is hack and slash style, you can grab and parry enemies. You can also push them out of windows and off balconies.
In-game cutscenes are seamlessly integrated.
Constant checkpoints.
Puzzles throughout the game involve platforms, levers, and keys.
Constant checkpoints.
You can fast travel between points.
Collectible text entries and logs that can be viewed on your ORCA device.
Awesome looking locations, despite the carnage it is a really good-looking game world.
To summon a titan you do a fun little mini game whereby you line up the sound waves to make the call for them to appear.
The game is like a Metroidvania as you do need to get things and then go back and get to other places.
Rooms will be black until you open the door and light comes in.
ORCA is your handheld device that detects and interacts with bio waves, houses your map, and any found logs and data entries you find.
Get detailed descriptions of the monsters from the log entries you find.
Unlock shortcuts by smashing obstacles or finding a new route.
Find signs of life waves just like the bio waves for the Titan summoning.
A lot of fun to play, it’s very easy to get into and just lose track of time.
Water bottles give you a new pip of health every couple of bottles.
There is a constant threat of Kong and the other monsters in the background.
Set pieces where you have to escape from Kong, it involve running, fast platforming, and sometimes stealth.
You can shoot enemies in the knee and react or headshot them.
Learn the heavy attack to break weakened walls and floors.
Very clever level design.
There is a bullet economy as they are not always readily available.
Has ties to the previous movies.
Find gun magazines to increase your clip of bullets.
I love the way that barred Windows and doors require you to grab them and shake the controller to open them.
Uses the DualShock speaker to make the ORCA beep when near a biowave source.
The game clearly highlights any missed bio waves that you need in order to progress.
I really enjoy playing the game, it’s like a deeper take on the genre that I last played with Deadlight.
The immersive option makes the game a lot more authentic and difficult by not showing highlited points of interest or where else you can break walls.

Kong Survivor Instinct Review Cons:

It’s weird but the characters in the rendered cutscenes look weird as in they seem to be talking through their teeth.
When dealing with multiple enemies on either side of you the game doesn’t quite know what to do and it gets very messy.
You are never sure how far you can fall before dying.
The voice acting of the dad (your character) feels wooden.
Your health goes down really quickly.
Summoning a Titan is not as great as you would think, but it is actually just a device for progression.
Your character repeats the same lines over and over in combat.
Some of the immersion is lost when you get a massive heads-up as to when enemies appear.
Over time you start to know when the floor will break, where the ceiling may collapse on you.
You have to be pixel-perfect with shooting locks or it doesn’t register.
No camera control at all which is not ideal with big drops or trying to see ahead of yourself.
You can waste a lot of resources by not knowing what is needed for certain situations.
The sneaking parts are tedious more because they get longer and you don’t get any checkpoints meaning you have to replay from the start of the encounter.
Kong disappears pretty quickly and you go hours without seeing him.
I’m not always sure when it was saved last.