Neither Bears nor Wolves Scare You in Nature: Animal Research Survival “Under Canopies” Is Calm Yet Busy [Craft Survival Guide]

Survival games have now become a staple across PC, console, and mobile platforms, with many players enjoying survival experiences set in a variety of worlds.

In Game*Spark’s “Craft Survival Guide,” a writer who loves this genre introduces and explains the appeal of craft survival games, focusing primarily on classic titles.The title we’re featuring this time is *Under Canopies*, which launched on Steam Early Access on October 23, 2026.

A Cozy Survival Experience in Nature

*Under Canopies* is developed by Novemtails, a studio founded by Roberto Ortiz, an independent game developer based in Mexico. It is published by Assemble Entertainment. Ortiz has previously collaborated with numerous studios, including Amber Studio, on game development.

The game was officially announced in January 2024, with a demo released on itch.io, followed by its launch on Steam in June of the same year. Ortiz began the project with the concept of exploring the “gentle side” of crafting and survival, and after approximately four years of development, he released the game on Steam Early Access.

The game is set in a “reserve” where wildlife, protected from the outside world, lives. Players who set foot in this new world for the first time aim to study the animals that inhabit the land while protecting nature.The creatures living in the reserve are unaware of the dangers posed by humans; while some approach out of curiosity and others remain wary, even bears and wolves will never attack.

During the initial Early Access release phase, players can experience the game’s core content, including exploring the area, interacting with animals, and crafting—such as building a base. The Early Access period is scheduled to last approximately three months, and plans for the full release include expanding content—such as items, facilities, and animal species—as well as adding lore elements.

Additionally, the full release will introduce an exploration element centered on the “Great Guardian,” the Great Axolotl, which inhabits the sanctuary. Currently, updates are focused on improving game systems, balancing adjustments, and bug fixes, all of which are enhancing the overall playability.

Welcome to a Peaceful and Gentle World

In the game, players are first presented with quests—serving as a tutorial for newcomers to the sanctuary—that teach basic controls, crafting, and how to gather resources. The crafting and survival systems are fairly standard: picking up stones and wood lying on the ground, crafting an axe to chop down trees, and gathering ingredients to cook.

At the old farm—your first destination—you’ll obtain initial building recipes and a camera. The camera not only lets you freely capture the Reserve’s beautiful scenery but is also an essential item for researching animals. Once you’ve set up a campfire and a sleeping bag to establish a basic base, head out to explore the surrounding area right away.

The reserve is divided into several areas, each offering a variety of resources and animals. You’ll also find many traces of the people who once lived there, and you can obtain recipes from structures like watchtowers. Some facilities and bridges are damaged, but repairing them can make travel easier and allow you to collect items left behind.

The animals in this game range from small creatures like chickens, foxes, and raccoons to large ones such as elk and bears. The bears and wolves in the reserve do not attack humans; in fact, they are wary at first and rarely approach you. A key part of the player’s role is to gain their trust by observing and interacting with them.

In *Under Canopies*, players never “go down.” There is no concept of health to begin with, so falling from heights causes no damage. However, you must manage hunger, thirst, and cold, which significantly affect the recovery of the stamina gauge used for dashing and jumping.

Get to Know the Animals, Give, and Receive

Researching animals—a major objective of the game—requires progressing through several stages. First, locate the animals in each area of the reserve. Initially, crouch to approach them without alerting them, then take a photo with your camera. As you get closer, the animal’s data will be displayed, and the photos you take will also record information such as their habitat.

Next, by feeding the animals their favorite vegetables, dishes, and other foods, they’ll stop being afraid of you. From there, by fulfilling the unique requests of each animal species, you’ll form bonds with them and begin to receive various rewards in return. For example, chickens will start laying eggs in the chicken coop.

To find vegetables to use as feed, you’ll need to explore different areas and locate those growing naturally. If you obtain seeds when harvesting—which happens randomly—you can grow them at your base; however, since the chance of getting seeds is fairly low, it might be easier to travel around and collect them yourself. Of course, if you’re preparing dishes, you’ll also need recipes.

One thing to keep in mind is that animals other than those you can keep at your base—such as chickens and sheep—are constantly moving around the area. While the distance they travel is somewhat limited, if you return to your base to prepare, you’ll need to check the map and remember roughly where they are. There’s also an item that lets you mark points on the map, so be sure to use it.

Once an animal has taken a liking to you, it won’t run away when you approach, so you can observe it at your leisure and take photos without rushing. If you build a bond with them, they’ll even give you resources and food.

Exploration, Gathering, and Research Keep You Busy

While the player’s primary goal in the sanctuary is to research animals, many of the recipes obtained through facility repairs consist of food the animals prefer, so exploring and repairing various locations is essential to progress. To gather materials for repairs, you’ll need to upgrade your tools from stone to iron and build specialized crafting facilities.

At first, you’ll raise chickens to get eggs and feed the raccoons dishes made with those eggs—the progress of researching certain animals is interconnected in this way. All the game’s core elements mesh seamlessly, and the gathering and crafting mechanics of this crafting-survival game are intuitive, so you shouldn’t have any trouble settling into life at the sanctuary.

As you form bonds with animals and unlock recipes through facility restoration—including furniture and building materials—the scope for base construction expands significantly as you progress. While most items are decorative, some, like beds, provide buffs such as stamina bonuses. After all, you want your home to be colorful, don’t you?

In this game, items respawn quickly, and even with basic tools, you can obtain high-tier materials if you put in the time—so with a little effort, you can get powerful tools like iron right away. Acquiring high-tier tools significantly improves the gameplay experience, and since you can never have enough of certain materials, it might be a good idea to aim for them right from the start.

Life in the sanctuary isn’t harsh, but it’s always busy. Once you learn to make dishes that boost your movement speed, your range of exploration will expand dramatically, so don’t forget to improve your own quality of life as well.

True to the developers’ concept of exploring the “gentler side” of crafting survival, *Under Canopies* offers a thoroughly cozy gaming experience in a world rich with nature. With plenty of substance through exploration and quest progression, it can be praised as a title with its own unique style—one that’s gentle without being too easy.

The game consistently embraces a nature-conscious approach—for example, there are no animal-based ingredients other than eggs, and the only trees you can chop down for wood are dead ones—though this is never forced upon the player. The fact that many animals prefer dishes with chili peppers or complex recipes also adds to the game’s challenge and fun, while maintaining a sense of balance.

In the current build, the objective is limited to researching the animals, and there’s no special notification or indication once you’ve completed everything. The UI, including quest progression, often feels a bit unfriendly, so I hope this will be improved as more content is added in the future. That said, the Japanese translation is accurate, so you shouldn’t have any trouble playing the game.