Don’t Starve is an action-adventure game with a randomly generated open world and elements of survival and rogue-like gameplay. Wilson, the protagonist, is the default playable character, unlocked upon purchase of the game, however, more characters are unlocked the longer you survive and the more you explore.
The goal is to survive as long as possible, and a count of the number of days the player has survived is shown onscreen. The game keeps few records of player progress with the total number of experience points gained and the playable characters unlocked. The player earns 20 experience points each in-game day and receives them after dying. As is common among rogue-likes, death is permanent, barring the use of several rare or expensive items like the Meat Effigy, TouchStone, and Life-Giving Amulet.
The game relies on a day/night cycle that causes meaningful fluctuations in gameplay style. During the day, the player spends most of their time exploring the world: gathering food, firewood, and other resources, discovering crafting recipes to combine available items, and avoiding enemies. With nightfall comes dangerous monsters and an invisible menace, Charlie, who attacks the player when the screen is dark. A player must have a light source or night vision to prevent Charlie from attacking. Crafting from recipes allows the player to build shelter, weapons, and tools like axes. Players can forage and farm plants as well as hunt animals for sustenance, with several characters having dietary perks or restrictions. Food can spoil, however, so the player cannot keep it for too long.
Death can occur in a variety of ways. The player has three gauges displayed on the game’s head-up display, which respectively track hunger, health, and sanity. Hunger worsens by default, being replenished with food. Sanity decreases during the dusk and night or as a result of specific unpleasant actions, such as robbing graves or fighting monsters; it can be replenished through mentally stimulating activities, such as sleeping, picking flowers, and wearing fashionable clothing. When hunger gets too low, it begins to chip away at health, which will eventually result in the player’s death. A large variety of creatures can attack the player, including giant one-eyed birds, tree monsters, tentacles, and even small frogs will nonetheless try to accost the player and steal from them. Additionally, at low enough sanity, figments of the character’s imagination become corporeal and able to attack the player. Some creatures, such as pig-like creatures often found in tribes, begin as neutral to the player, but the player’s actions may lead them to be allies or hostile foes.
