The same family game, rebuilt in 3D ยท iPad & iPhone

Survive in Woods 3D

Follow your hero from just behind the shoulder through a low-poly forest: chop, hunt, build the camp and hold out through the night, with the same rules, the same world and the same friends as the 2D game.

SwiftUI + RealityKit on top of the 2D game's own engine ยท every model, animation and effect built in code

The original 2D game: Survive in Woods โ†’

7heroes in 3D
32weapon models
14creature models
4rides to drive
3camera views
5players together
A knight stands at the campfire in the Behind view, with a dog, a cat and a saddled horse beside the tent and smoke rising above the trees.
Screens from the game

What it looks like

Straight from the game on an iPad, menus and all.

Seven heroes: Knight, Wizard, Vampire, Fairy, Druid, Angel and the Werewolf by day and by night, each holding their own weapons.
Seven heroes. Knight, Wizard, Vampire, Fairy, Druid, Angel and the Werewolf by day and by night, each holding their own weapons.
Monsters and animals: Wolves, a zombie, a ghost, an ogre, the Forest Troll and the Shadow Wolf King around camp, with rabbits, deer and boar.
Monsters and animals. Wolves, a zombie, a ghost, an ogre, the Forest Troll and the Shadow Wolf King around camp, with rabbits, deer and boar.
Night fights: The Wizard casts Lightning at the Shadow Wolf King and the Troll; health bars show one block per hit.
Night fights. The Wizard casts Lightning at the Shadow Wolf King and the Troll; health bars show one block per hit.
Four rides: Go-karts (a friend rides in the back), a motorcycle, a speedboat and a flying saucer.
Four rides. Go-karts (a friend rides in the back), a motorcycle, a speedboat and a flying saucer.
Racing in the rain: The racetrack with curbs and boost pads, a lap timer, and rain falling around you.
Racing in the rain. The racetrack with curbs and boost pads, a lap timer, and rain falling around you.
Riding the horse: Saddle up and gallop through the forest with the dog and cat close behind.
Riding the horse. Saddle up and gallop through the forest with the dog and cat close behind.
A built-up camp: Treehouse, thatched shed, turret, weapon rack, chest, barrel and tent inside the camp fence.
A built-up camp. Treehouse, thatched shed, turret, weapon rack, chest, barrel and tent inside the camp fence.
Ponds: Twelve fishing ponds with sandy shores, reeds and lily pads.
Ponds. Twelve fishing ponds with sandy shores, reeds and lily pads.
Weather: Snow whitens the ground; rain and fog change the sky and the light.
Weather. Snow whitens the ground; rain and fog change the sky and the light.
How the 3D version works

The same game underneath

The 3D app runs the 2D game's own engine for every rule: the seeded forest, monsters, fires, building, scores and co-op messages. On top of it, a RealityKit scene draws that world in 3D every frame. So everything on the 2D features page works exactly the same here, and 2D and 3D players can share a camp.

๐ŸŽฎEvery 2D feature

Heroes, weapons, bosses, the Trading Post, mini-games, pets, achievements, Camp Score, saves and settings are all here, with the same numbers.

๐Ÿ”Switch any time

Pause โ†’ ๐ŸงŠ 3D view flips between the new 3D look and the classic 2D view in the middle of a game.

๐Ÿ› ๏ธMade in code

No 3D asset files: every hero, creature, building and effect is built from shapes in Swift when the game starts, in a faceted low-poly style.

Heroes and weapons

Seven heroes, every weapon in hand

Each hero walks, swings, casts, claws, chops with an axe, flies (Fairy and Angel) and lies down when knocked out, following the game's own attacks so teammates see it too.

HeroIn 3D
๐Ÿคบ KnightSteel armour, visored helmet with a blue plume, blue tunic and a shield with a gold cross.
๐Ÿง™ WizardPurple robe, starry pointed hat, long white beard; staffs with glowing orbs.
๐Ÿง› VampireRed-lined cape that flows when running, tall collar, red eyes and fangs.
๐Ÿงš FairyPetal dress, see-through buzzing wings and a tiara; floats and dangles her feet.
๐ŸŒฟ DruidGreen hood, crown of leaves and a vine belt; a twisted staff with a glowing orb.
๐Ÿ˜‡ AngelGlowing halo, big feathered wings, golden hair and a shining blade.
๐Ÿบ WerewolfA villager in red flannel by day; a shaggy wolf-man with glowing eyes and claws at night.

Every weapon you hold has a model in the hand (32 of the 41; bites, claws, bat swarms and howls are attacks without one): swords, battle axe, trident, crossbow, staffs, wands with stars, flowers and moons, whips, the Shadow Scythe, hammers, the Divine Chain and the Judgment scepter. The golden Night Guardian from the Trading Post is a big gold knight with a glowing blade.

Animals, monsters and pets

Fourteen creatures that move like they mean it

They face where they're going and trot, hop, stomp, shamble or float in step with their speed. They squash and flash red when hit, lunge when they attack and topple over when beaten.

๐ŸฆŒAnimals

  • Rabbits that hop
  • Deer with antlers that graze
  • Boar with tusks and a bristly mane
  • Today's lost baby animal and its mom, with โ“ / ๐Ÿ˜ข / โค๏ธ bubbles

๐ŸงŸMonsters

  • Shadow wolves with glowing red eyes
  • Zombies, arms out, shuffling
  • See-through glowing ghosts
  • Ogres with tusks and a club
  • Bosses: a giant mossy Forest Troll with a stone club, and a purple Shadow Wolf King with a gold crown

๐Ÿ•Pets

  • A golden dog with a wagging tail
  • An orange tabby, tail up
  • An owl with glowing eyes circling overhead
  • A horse with a red saddle you can ride
  • The Druid's bear

๐ŸŸฉHealth bars

Blocks over every animal (green) and monster (red, with a level badge), one block per hit, like the 2D game. Bosses keep their big bar at the top.

The camp

A camp you can walk around

๐Ÿ”ฅThe fire

Stones, a teepee of logs, glowing embers and flames that grow with every level. A column of smoke rises above the trees so you can find camp from far away; it thins to a wisp when the fire goes out. Leveling up shoots sparks into the sky.

๐ŸชขCamp boundary

A rope fence on stakes with little torches marks the edge of camp: as far as the fire's light can reach, and where you can build. The dashed glowing safe circle sits inside it and shrinks as the fire burns low.

๐Ÿ›–Buildings

  • Thatched shed (the roof turns see-through while you're inside)
  • Treehouse with a deck, railings and ladder
  • Turret whose crossbow swings round and fires
  • Log Chest and Food Barrel with lids that pop open
  • Weapon rack, straw target range and bear traps

๐Ÿ“Placing

A see-through preview of the building on a green (fits) or red (doesn't) ring; it pops up out of the ground when built. Buildings and trees between the camera and you fade so you never lose your hero.

Rides

Climb in and drive

Every ride comes in all eight paint colours (Flame Black gets flame decals). Heroes sit with their hands on the wheel or handlebars and can still attack from the seat.

๐ŸŽ๏ธ Go-Kart

Steering wheel, side pods, twin exhausts and a back seat for a friend. Leans into corners and bounces when it rams a monster.

๐Ÿ๏ธ Motorcycle

Fuel tank, chrome handlebars and a glowing headlight; the rider sits astride and leans hard into turns.

๐Ÿšค Speedboat

Windscreen and outboard motor; bobs on the ponds and lifts its nose at speed.

๐Ÿ›ธ Spaceship

A flying saucer with a glass dome and spinning rim lights, hovering above everything.

World and weather

The forest, the track and the sky

๐ŸŒฒForest

1,300 low-poly pines and round trees from the same shared seed as the 2D game; chopped trees leave stumps with sprouts. Night closes in around a pool of light at your hero.

๐ŸŽฃPonds

Twelve ponds with a deep middle, sandy shores, rocks, cattails and bobbing lily pads.

๐ŸRacetrack

A dirt ring round the forest with red-and-white curbs, a chequered start line under a banner, and pulsing boost-pad arrows pointing the racing way.

๐ŸŒฆ๏ธWeather

  • ๐ŸŒง๏ธ Rain falls around you, the sky greys and the grass darkens
  • โ„๏ธ Snow drifts down and whitens the ground
  • ๐ŸŒซ๏ธ Fog: a white haze, clear only around you
Effects

Every hit, spell and heal, in 3D

โš”๏ธWeapons

Glowing slashes, fireballs that light up the night, arrows, ninja stars, bats and bees, ice shards, chain lightning, flower-bomb bursts, howl rings and a meteor that falls from the sky.

๐Ÿ’šHealing and revives

Green (Druid) and gold (Angel) healing pulses with rising sparkles; a spiral of gold sparkles when someone gets back up.

๐Ÿ’ฅBig moments

The Troll's ground slam sends a dust shockwave and shakes the camera; the Wolf King howls a ring; treasure pops out of the ground as a golden chest; the screen edges flash red when you're hurt.

๐Ÿ”คFloating text

"+3 ๐Ÿช™", "BONK!", heal hearts and teammates' name tags float over the 3D world and stay readable at night.

Camera and graphics

Choose how you see it

Both are on the Pause screen.

๐ŸŽฅCamera

  • Behind (default): from just behind your hero; the camera swings round as you walk and the joystick turns with it. Swipe across the right of the screen to look around.
  • Close: lower and nearer, still facing north
  • Top-down: the original high angle

โœจGraphics

  • Auto (default): picks Lite on older iPads like the 8th generation
  • Full: sun shadows, the most trees, all effects
  • Lite: no shadows, fewer far trees and creatures, less smoke and rain
Playing together

3D and 2D in the same camp

๐Ÿ•๏ธSame Wiโ€‘Fi

Up to 5 players, mixing 3D and 2D apps in one camp with the same emoji camp code. 3D players see each other's real weapons; 2D players don't notice the difference.

๐ŸŒOnline

Game Center invites work 3D to 3D. Online play between the 2D and 3D apps needs both in one Game Center group, which goes in once 2D version 1.0 is live.

Where things stand

Status

Done

Everything above is built, checked on the 8th-gen iPad, installed on the family's devices and on TestFlight (build 2). Backed up to a private GitHub repository: 37 Swift files, about 19,200 lines, 4,800 of them for the 3D view.

Waiting

Apple's TestFlight review for outside testers, and the Game Center group for online 2Dโ†”3D play (after 2D 1.0 is approved).

Next

The Game Center group and 2D 1.0.1, then App Store screenshots and a first release of the 3D app.