What We Leave Behind is an indie simulation survival game set in the Alaskan wilderness. Players control a series of short-lived characters who must endure harsh conditions at a single remote cabin, passing physical improvements to the next life while losing all personal skills upon death.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on resource management and long-term planning across multiple generations of survivors. Each character starts with basic needs for warmth, water, food, rest and health that must stay in balance. Gathering wood, tending fires and melting snow for water consume fuel, while the cabin temperature drops steadily even during sleep. Hunting, foraging and food preparation options such as cooking, smoking, drying and fermenting carry distinct costs and risks that players must weigh carefully.
Physical structures built or repaired by one survivor remain for the next. A woodshed, smoker or patched wall can provide immediate advantages, yet skills and experience never transfer. New characters begin cold and unskilled beside whatever legacy the previous life left behind. Decay affects everything over time, so maintenance and new construction become ongoing priorities. The chronicle tracks each survivor by name, lifespan, cause of death and contributions, turning the refuge itself into a record of past efforts.
Environmental threats add pressure. Wet clothing, exhaustion, wounds and illness produce visible consequences that can turn fatal without prompt attention. A rare event called the White Death brings waves of white rabbits with red eyes that threaten stored supplies and structures. Preparation before resting is essential, as characters can perish overnight if the fire dies out.
Game Modes
The game operates as a single-player experience with no separate modes or multiplayer options. The generational survival structure forms the complete gameplay framework, where each run continues the same refuge across successive characters. Offline play is supported with no in-game purchases or external connections required.
Is It Worth Playing?
What We Leave Behind targets players who enjoy deliberate, unforgiving survival simulations focused on resource balance and incremental world-building rather than combat or fast action. The permanent loss of skills between lives creates a distinctive tension between short-term survival and long-term legacy. Because the title remains unreleased, no player reception data or post-launch updates exist yet. Those drawn to methodical management of cold, hunger and shelter in a stark wilderness setting may find the approach compelling once it arrives on PC.