Don't Starve: Giant Edition Review (PS Vita)

Our review for roguelike survival title Don't Starve and its Reign of Giants expansion discussed the gaming equivalent of Marmite. With its unforgiving, trial-and-error gameplay, it will either leave you in utter frustration, or hook you like fellow crafting sim MineCraft. But with the title now available on the PlayStation Vita, just how does it shape up next to its PlayStation 4 counterpart?

Surprisingly, the game feels right at home on the portable platform. With the amount of hours that you'll inevitably invest into this camping escapade, the outdoorsy release benefits from the pocketable nature of Sony's handheld. While the loading times may be frustratingly longer on start up, during play the difference between the two versions is barely noticeable. There is a short pause when you save between survived days, but this ends up becoming a brief respite, giving you time to plan your next 24 hours in a world where time waits for no man – or pyromaniac.

Sadly, if you're eager to continue your PS4 journey on the go, the game's lack of cross-save functionality will be a major blow. With each randomly generated world being so grossly different, you'll find yourself having to commit to one platform of choice if you want to remember what you're doing.

Assuming that you do opt for the portable escapade, though, the touch screen isn't forgotten, and is used to operate the title's map in a smartphone-esque pinch and pull fashion. Meanwhile, menus maintain the same button-based format as on the PS4, enabling quick and easy access without the added frustration of miniscule touch-based icons.