'Don't Starve' survival game offers early-access beta deal

"Don't Starve" hilariously unforgiving survival game enters beta.

Don't Starve, Klei Entertainment's self-published spin on the survival genre, is offering an early-access promotion that grants players who purchase beta keys free copies of the game when it launches on Steam, Klei announced today.

The game demo is still free to play, but only players who purchase early-access keys for $6.99 or participated in the game's previous beta can play the full game. Beta participants will get free copies for Chrome browser and on Steam once it's released, as well as a free extra beta key to share with a friend.

Don't Starve is fundamentally a survival game, depicted in the launch trailer posted below, in which players use both science and magic to navigate and survive an unforgiving wilderness filled with strange and violent creatures. The game is the end product of a 48-hour gamejam, or marathon development session, by Klei in 2010, and will be available for $15 at launch – making an early-access purchase a pretty good deal.

Don't Starve will also be playable at PAX Prime in Seattle later this week.