Kong: Survivor Instinct (2024)
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SPOILER WARNING: This section may contain major plot and/or ending details. Proceed at your own discretion. |
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Kong: Survivor Instinct is a Monsterverse video game developed by Polish studio 7Levels, which co-published it with 4Divinity. It was released for PC and consoles on October 22, 2024.[1] A side-scrolling, nonlinear platformer, the game follows everyman David Martin as he searches for his estranged daughter among the ruins of a monster-infested city. As Martin, the player must contend with the titular Kong, other Titans and superspecies including Abaddon and Tiamat, and a band of mercenaries led by Alan Jonah from 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Description
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A sudden Titan attack prompts massive evacuation efforts-but not everyone makes it to safety before the devastation ensues. Caught in the crossfire between battling monsters, many residents become trapped in the collapsing city—your only daughter among them! |
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Levels and story
Following the events of Godzilla vs. Kong, the ape Titan Kong suddenly appears in a coastal American city. David Martin, an oil rig worker, is unable to reach his daughter Stacy and heads into the city to find her. Driving on the highway, he becomes distracted by the sight of Kong astride the city skyline and crashes.
Residential Area
- 1. Oakwood Avenue
David decides to travel the rest of the way on foot. He comes upon a boy hiding in his room, Billy, but is unable to convince him to leave. David comes upon two suspicious men bickering; they soon attract the attention of Kong. He smashes their cars with his fists, fatally injuring one of the men in the process. David picks up the device that falls from one of the cars when Kong seizes and throws it, the Orca Σ. After reading an arrest warrant for ecoterrorist Alan Jonah, leader of the Hyenas, on the device, he eavesdrops on the man himself, who orders his forces to recover the Orca Σ. Two Hyenas soon challenge David for the device, but he dispatches them both with his crowbar and moves on. Hyenas will continue to threaten him throughout the rest of the game, in groups of as many as five at a time.
- 2. Townhall Square
David watches Kong punch a bell tower, narrowly dodging flying debris. The Orca Σ collects enough bioacoustic fragments to be able to call a Titan, though he dismisses the idea as sheer folly until he comes upon a derailed train blocking his path. He summons Kong, who clears out the train cars, bashing two of them together before departing.
- 3. Riverside Road
Barging into a Hyena hideout, David finds a one-month-old message from Jonah in which he mentions stealing the ORCA Σ from Monarch; he also references a Project Newborn which is nearing completion. David sees Kong scanning the skyline, then encounters a drunken man, George, who is determined to kill the Titan with a pistol as revenge for the death of his own daughter. David disarms and admonishes him. As David travels through a building, Kong suddenly reappears and briefly targets him before losing interest and wandering off. David watches a TV interview with a Monarch representative; the reporter cites eyewitness accounts that Kong "looks like he’s searching for something and getting mad he can’t find it." The ORCA Σ intercepts a radio signal, though David is unable to make out anything clear. He sees Kong again on a roof, looking into a building; the ape Titan carelessly knocks away a V-22 Osprey.
- 4. Townhall Square (2)
David finds another internal Hyena communication that mentions a captured target which ”may need to be reeducated, or otherwise encouraged to cooperate.”
- 5. High Street
David calls Kong again to topple a building in his path. The Titan brings the structure down in its side, forcing him to traverse through it. The second radio signal he intercepts is somewhat clearer, and he thinks the voice could be Stacy. He finally reaches her apartment, but finds that she doesn’t look like she’s been home for days. He observes framed photos of her with lots of new friends and prescriptions from a vet on the floor. He resolves to check her workplace next.
Downtown
- 6. Central Plaza
Emerging from a subway station, David finds downtown covered in enormous webs. He has his first encounter with a Plague Weaver, a hostile dog-sized spider; the creatures will continue to attack him throughout the rest of the Downtown levels. In a hospital, he comes across a Monarch Search and Rescue agent who tries and fails to save a patient. He declines to leave with her, but tells her where to find Billy. As he navigates another building, the spiked appendage of a new Titan, Abaddon, nearly impales him as it caves in a ceiling, but also provides him with a path forward.
- 7. High-Rise Rooftops
Abaddon passes by David, but fails to notice him this time. He comes across a man named Roy who's pinned by debris; he asks him to look for someone named Maria so they can evacuate together before expiring. David finds Maria on another floor of the building, but she's dead. On a rooftop, he picks up another radio transmission and hears someone say the word "Martin." He reaches her workplace, an animal clinic called Cody's Care. Exploring further, he realizes it's a front for the Hyenas, and wonders if Stacy was working for them. He encounters a bioengineer, Omisha Bhat, who swears they weren't responsible for drawing the Titans to the city. Before she can tell him where Stacy is, Abaddon webs her up and drags her away. With no other leads, David resolves to find where she was taken. He finds installments in a Hyena research log which explains that while the organization was interested in Abaddon, they ultimately found "another lead [...] for [their] purposes", suggesting that Omisha was telling the truth.
- 8. Central Plaza (return)
After throttling two Hyenas, David finds another research log from several months ago which refers to a bay facility, a Containment Chamber, and a new member of the research team with reservations about the work. Outside, he reluctantly summons Abaddon to tear down a wall of its own web. Abaddon then proceeds to chase him through a building, limbs jabbing at him, but eventually breaks off its offensive. After another Plague Weaver encounter, he reads a Monarch file which confirms the beasts are Abaddon’s children and servants.
- 9. Skyscrapers
The ORCA Σ intercepts a conversation between worried siblings. David scales a skyscraper and finds countless webbed-up bodies on the roof, Omisha among them. She begs him for help, but he first wants to know where the Hyenas are keeping Stacy. She’s surprised by his choice of words, but is cut off by Abaddon’s approach. She instructs him to traverse the sewers in the park, offering her card keys to help. No sooner has he taken the cards than Abaddon drags her away. The Titan soon takes notice of him. Despite two Plague Weavers impeding his path, he manages to evade it until it loses sight of him. He finds a research log written by Omisha which states that Abaddon was the last Titan to appear in the city. She theorized that it was antagonized by Kong’s return to the surface and is preparing the downtown area for a battle against him.
- 10. Central Plaza (return)
One of Omisha’s key cards grants David access to a building. He sees on TV that Kong is calm and heading towards the bay, appearing more focused. When he reaches the park and struggles to find a sewer entrance, Abaddon touches down, catching him completely by surprise. It jabs at him with its legs, creating a hole down to the sewer. Before it can impale him, Kong intervenes, greeting Abaddon with a punch to the face. It retaliates by biting his shoulder. Fleeing from the brawling Titans, David heads further underground and encounters his first Skull Spawn, a juvenile Skullcrawler. The creatures will continue to attack him in place of the Plague Weavers for the rest of the game. He enters a large Hyena base and overhears Jonah ordering his Hyenas to investigate David’s incursion. Concluding that Jonah could know where Stacy is, David follows him after the Hyenas leave. He raises his pistol as Jonah receives intel that the serpent Titan Tiamat has arrived in the city, and orders reinforcements to the bay to protect Project Newborn. Jonah tries to draw a pistol on David, but he shoots it out of his hand. David offers to trade the ORCA Σ for Stacy, but Jonah calmly explains that his organization doesn’t hold anyone against their will. David pistol-whips him into unconsciousness and takes his key card. Exiting the base, he finds a car and drives it to the bay.
East Bay District
- 11. Lighthouse Point
David finds the bay area covered in Tiamat's burning phosphorous ink. The Titan herself soon bursts out of the water and roars before swimming away.
- 12. Inner Harbor
David comes across a crashed Hyena truck full of pods; he concludes that the Skull Spawn hatched from them, which is confirmed by orders he finds from Jonah. The ORCA Σ allows him to hear Stacy call someone majestic. He comes upon a woman named Elaine who was searched and handcuffed by Hyenas. She hasn’t seen Stacy, but offers him her makeshift grappling hook to traverse the ruined area. David encounters a research log on Tiamat which mentions that the serpent can imitate other species, and he wonders if she summoned Kong.
- 13. Lighthouse Point (2)
Using the ORCA Σ, David calls over Tiamat to remove a ship from a waterway, allowing him to extend a bridge and cross over.
- 14. The Great Bridge
David listens to a radio report on the Hyenas preparing for a large-scale assault against Tiamat with anti-Titan ordinance. He nears the Great Bridge, which featured prominently on the screen at the Hyena base, only to be confronted by Tiamat, who chases him through a building, spraying ink at him. He briefly distracts her twice by detonating flammable drums in her face, but she refuses to be deterred until Hyena fighter jets begin their attack.
- 15. Inner Harbor (2)
Kong trods overhead as David reaches a park, heading towards the Great Bridge. He summons Kong back when he reaches another waterway. To his surprise and awe, the ape extends a hand and carries him to the other side.
- 16. The Great Bridge (2)
Through another research log, David learns that the facility where Project Newborn is housed is underwater. He watches Tiamat absorb energy from a nuclear power plant. Next he encounters Fusae, an old woman unfazed by the Titan incursion. She explains that she lost her husband during G-Day in 2014; there seems to be no safety from Titans, so she might as well stay where she is. David continues to the Great Bridge. Kong comes over to remove a truck blocking his path, but just as he does so, Tiamat attacks him from behind. David races across the bridge as the Titans clash. Tiamat bites Kong’s arm; he picks her up and slams her into the bridge; she keeps him at bay with a spray of ink; he slams her into the bridge again; she tail-whips and constricts him. Kong misses a punch, nearly hitting David. As he and Tiamat continue grappling, David reaches an elevator, only for it to instantly plunge to the bottom of the shaft.
- 17. Hyenas' Underwater Facility
Unable to find his backpack, David continues onward, using Jonah's card to enter the Hyenas' facility. He reaches a room with a monster similar to Tiamat displayed on numerous screens, reading, "Lahamu begins to respond to the injections. Her immune system no longer rejects our bio-modifications. Tissue harvesting viable in 32 days." He finds a research log about Omisha, with the writer saying that she was kidnapped and forced to join the Hyenas’ research team after a miscommunication with Jonah. In the same room, he discovers the high prices for which the Hyenas are selling Lahamu's secretions and Skull Spawn fangs and blood on the black market.
Jonah and two well-armed Hyenas track David down, but just before they can shoot him, alarms blare, distracting them. David escapes, his trek taking him to the Containment Chamber housing Lahamu. She headbutts the glass, cracking it. Stacy gets on the intercom to beg him to leave on a minisub. She makes it clear that she’s working for the Hyenas of her own free will, though she also implies that she set off the alarm to protect him. David is stunned. She declares that while Lahamu is Tiamat's child, only she can provide for her. Impatient, Jonah cuts her off.
David is soon face-to-face with them both in the facility's command center. Stacy offers him a way out by extending an offer to join the Hyenas, but he refuses after having seen the destruction her work has led to. Jonah orders Stacy to take the ORCA Σ from David, and she does so, but quietly uses it to goad Lahamu into ramming through her Containment Chamber. Jonah evacuates, leaving David and Stacy behind as the room flood. He thanks her for making the right choice, but she says it wasn’t a choice at all.
Reunited, Tiamat and Lahamu swim away from the city together. David and Stacy wash ashore, their hands stretched towards each other. Both are motionless - until Stacy’s fingers twitch.
Journal
- Find Stacy
- "My daughter, Stacy, is trapped somewhere inside a city attacked by Titans. Most civilians have been evacuated, but nobody could give me any information about her whereabouts, so I've decided to go look for Stace myself. I can only hope I'll find her safe and sound."
- Remove the wreckage
- "I found a strange device, apparently called ORCA Σ, in a destroyed convoy of mercenaries - the Hyenas. Now I'm trying to get to Stacy's apartment but a wrecked train blocks the passage. I must find a way to get rid of it."
- Find a way to Stacy's place
- "I used the ORCA to lure Kong towards the train and the Titan ripped it apart. If I come across any more obstacles like that, I now know what to do. It's foolishly risky, but I'm not leaving without my Stacy."
- Reach Stacy's apartment
- "The trick with Sigma worked again! Kong knocked over the building, unknowingly freeing the path for me. Stacy's place should be nearby, I just need to look around."
- Check Stacy's workplace
- "Stacy wasn't home. At least, there's still hope she's alive. I found some documents on her desk, all from a vet clinic located downtown. It seems that's where she works, I should check there."
- Go after Omisha
- "I got to the vet clinic, but didn't see any signs of Stacy. Instead, I found Omisha, some sort of bioengineer working for the Hyenas, who seems to know my daughter. But before I could get any information out of her, Abaddon attacked us and took Omisha. I must try to rescue her so I can find out what she knows."
- Locate the sewer entrance
- "Omisha's dead. She might have been with the Hyenas, but in the end she did help me. She mentioned a park at the Central Plaza - or rather the sewers underneath it, to be more precise. I don't know what's supposed to be there, but I cannot ignore this clue."
- Look for Stacy
- "I'm in, I'm in the tunnels under the park. If it hadn't been for Kong, it'd have cost me my life. He appeared out of nowhere and attacked Abaddon just when I thought I was done for. But that's all past - now I should keep my eyes wide open and see why Omisha told me to come here."
- Go to the bay
- "It turns out the Hyenas built themselves a hideout in the sewers. That's what Omisha wanted me to find. I searched the place thoroughly, and even managed to grill Alan Jonah, their leader. No news of Stace, but I suspect they must be keeping her captive somewhere. At one point, Jonah mentioned the bay - that's where I'm headed now."
- Explore the bay
- "From what I've found out at their hideout, the Hyenas should have a secret facility somewhere in the East Bay district. It's where they keep Stacy - or at least I think so. The area is huge, so I need to search the area for clues first."
- Search for the Bay Facility
- "The trick with Sigma didn't work out with Tiamat, a serpent-like Titan. I need to find another way across the bridge to continue my search. The Hyenas have some sort of a facility at the bay, and what I've heard from Jonah suggests it must be a very important place. If they really have my daughter, she must be there."
- Find another way
- "I came across a bridge that I recognized from the displays at the Hyenas' hideout. The Great Bridge - it must be somehow connected to their bay facility. I almost reached it but Tiamat's attack forced me to turn around. Now I need to get there from the other side."
- Reach the Great Bridge
- "Thanks to Kong's change of heart, I got across the river. He tried to show that he's sorry for attacking me earlier - at least that's how I like to think about it. Whatever the Titan's intention really was, I can finally head straight for the Great Bridge and search for the entrance to Jonah's secret facility."
- Find Stacy
- "With more luck than sense, I survived the confrontation between Kong and Tiamat. I lost most of my gear in the process, but at least I got into Jonah's secret facility. I'm close, I can feel it. Stacy, hang on a little longer, I'm coming!"
Staff
- Main article: Kong: Survivor Instinct/Credits.
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Executive producers Paweł Biela, Krzysztof Król, Sam Rappaport, Amado Trevino
- Produced by Katarzyna Dzięgiel
- Lead programmer Maciej Paluszek
- Game designer, level designer Ignacy Nowicki
- Concept artist, 2D artist Kacper Widzisz
- Lead level & 3D environment artist Tomasz Utsupski
- Lead 3D character/animation artist Kacper Widzisz
- Writer, narrative designer Krzysztof Janicki
- Music, SFX, and sound design by Krzysztof Kus
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Mike Cunningham as David Martin[2] / various Hyenas
- Lorin Zackular as Stacy Martin
- Diedra O'Ree as Fusae[3] / various Hyenas[3]
- Larry Oblander as Alan Jonah[4]
Appearances
Titans and superspecies
Other monsters
Characters
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Weapons, vehicles, races, and organizations
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Development
On May 25, 2022, 7Levels announced that it had signed a contract with Legendary Pictures to develop a Monsterverse video game for "PC and current- and next-generation consoles." It was stated to be a combination of action, adventure, and platformer games that takes place in a ruined city shortly after the events of Godzilla vs. Kong, requiring players to survive by using "the enormous strength of the Titans," among other things. 7Levels vice-president Krzysztof Król described it as "the largest project we have ever worked on, our most important contract ever."[5] A blurb about the game also appeared in that day's Show Daily for Licensing Expo 2022, which described the game as being 2.5D and involving the "unravel[ing of] a mystery tied into the franchise."[6]
Over a year later, on September 27, 2023, 7Levels announced that it would issue 150,000 shares in order to secure additional funding for the game, due to "challenges related to development of the project and the possibility of creating an even more impressive game." The report also revealed that the game was "in an advanced stage of production," with the studio focusing on "work related to optimization, implementation of some gameplay mechanics, effects, cinematics, and elimination of all bugs" and looking into securing a publisher.[7] In a press release from Legendary on April 4, 2024, the game was revealed to be titled Kong: Titan Echoes with an expected release in 2024.[8]
On August 15, the game was reported under a different title of Kong: Survivor Instinct. Its plot was described as taking place "during and after [...] Godzilla vs. Kong" and involving the player controlling "a father searching for his lost daughter through the wreckage left in the wake of Kong and Godzilla's battle."[9] The game's primary release platforms were also confirmed as Steam, Xbox Series X and S, and PlayStation 5.[10]
Marketing
On August 15, 2024, 7Levels' social media accounts[a] posted teaser images for the game, featuring an unidentified spider-like Titan, along with the announcement that the game would soon be revealed. The next day, a teaser trailer was uploaded to 7Levels' X account, confirming the Titan to be the previously-unseen Abaddon from Godzilla: King of the Monsters.[13]
Gallery
Screenshots
Internet
Teaser image
Teaser image
Teaser image
X banner
Facebook banner
Instagram profile
Christmas celebration post
Alternate titles
- Kong: Titan Echoes (discarded title)[8]
Video
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Trivia
- Kong: Survivor Instinct is the first original Monsterverse video game to be released on consoles.
- David and Stacy Martin are the second Martins to be introduced in the Monsterverse in 2024, after the unrelated Raymond Martin from Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted.
- The license plate on David's truck in the opening cutscene is "7LVLDFU", the first four digits of which reference the game's developer 7Levels.
External links
- Kong: Survivor Instinct on Steam
- Kong: Survivor Instinct on Xbox
- Kong: Survivor Instinct on PlayStation Store
Notes
References
This is a list of references for Kong: Survivor Instinct. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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