Merge Games has unveiled a new trailer for a distinctive open-world sandbox that blends exploration with survival—the project is Smalland: Survive the Wilderness. In this reveal, the team confirmed the exact release date for early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store, inviting players to step into a diminutive yet expansive world.
In Smalland: Survive the Wilds, players inhabit the realm of the “shorties,” tiny inhabitants navigating a cosmos of oversized threats and extraordinary wonders. Throughout the journey, adventurers face a variety of antagonists that range from cockroaches and spiders to wasps, beetles, and ants, each presenting unique challenges and opportunities for strategy and resource management.
Described as an adventure that lets you “climb lake-sized puddles, scale giant trees to the sky, traverse ravines, and view the world through the eyes of a miniature resident,” the game aims to blend imaginative scale with tactile survival mechanics. Players will need to balance exploration with practical needs like shelter, safety, and provisioning as they move through a world that feels both intimate and grand in scope.
The title supports base-building and crafting, enabling players to design practical outposts, craft essential tools, and improvise defenses against wildlife and environmental hazards. A multiplayer mode allows groups of friends to join forces, with up to ten players sharing a single expedition and coordinating strategies to survive together in a shared microcosm.
Smalland: Survive the Wilds is slated for release on March 29 this year, bringing early access to Steam and the Epic Games Store. Fans and newcomers alike can add the game to their wishlist to stay informed about updates, patches, and milestones as the world of shorties expands and evolves during development.
All of Smalland’s early visuals and in-game scenes provide a glimpse into the scale-shifting world where everyday objects become mountains and rivers, and tiny creatures must master the art of staying alive in a landscape that dwarfs them. The trailer hints at a rich, emergent experience where curiosity and caution must walk hand in hand as players uncover resources, craft gear, and uncover the lore of the shorties’ society.
As the project moves toward its initial release, players can anticipate a thoughtful blend of exploration, combat, and collaboration. The game’s design emphasizes environmental interaction, with players using the terrain to their advantage and devising clever tactics to outsmart each enemy encounter. With a focus on community and shared experiences, Smalland invites friends to coordinate teams, share discoveries, and build shelters that endure the test of time and danger.
The development team has positioned Smalland as a living, breathing world where tiny beings navigate a surprisingly complex ecosystem. The combination of survival mechanics, base-building, and cooperative play promises a distinctive take on the open-world genre, inviting players to rethink scale, strategy, and storytelling in a world that rewards ingenuity and improvisation. Enthusiasts can look forward to ongoing updates as early access progresses, with new features and content expanding the challenge and the opportunities to explore this miniature universe.
In addition to the core game features, the experience aims to deliver a sense of wonder—an invitation to observe the familiar from a radically altered perspective. The promise of a community-driven, evolving world underlines the appeal of Smalland for fans of survival sims, sandbox construction, and cooperative multiplayer adventures.
Source notes indicate that further details and impressions continue to emerge as the project approaches its launch window, reinforcing anticipation for a title that blends whimsy with grit and broadens the horizons of what it means to survive in a world scaled to a new, smaller normal. The ongoing conversations around Smalland reflect a growing interest in innovative takes on the sandbox and survival genres, offering players an opportunity to embark on a journey where tiny footprints leave a lasting impact on a vast, unexpected landscape.