The Survivor Game [LitRPG, From Zero To OP]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

What to expect:

- Heroic ascent in a world reminiscent of Soulsborne

- No complex systems - just raw, evolving power

- Danger at every turn and dungeons galore

- Battle Shonen vibes

- Chapter snapshots: 1400 - 1800 words

War, a ravenous beast that spares no one in its path, devouring the land and people wherever it passes and now it has come for Marshall.

Its jaws squeeze every drop of blood he has to give, to ensure the safety of his family. But time is running out, with loan sharks circling his ever-dwindling resources. Only a week is left before they take all he has to give. And it won't be long before they go after his sisters.

Yet a ray of hope breaks through the murky depths threatening to drown him.

“I pose a question to you, my lovely citizens. What would you do if I offered you a chance to make your lives more exciting, electrifying, and valorous?” The enigmatic King Richard proclaimed with the whole kingdom as his audience. An offer to those brave enough to delve into a deadly virtual RPG in hopes of ending the conflict and earning for themselves all they've ever dreamt of.

The Survivor Game

It will be Marshall's last chance to rise to the top and banish the demons haunting his every step. But nothing in life is free and to even join Marshall must give his last savings and those who pay the most, gain the most. Can his wit, cunning, and sheer will to live overcome the obstacles ahead?

But why settle on just surviving? No, it wouldn't be enough anymore. He wanted to be a Legend.

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2024
Author: Jiodom

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 3.9/ 5.0
Followers: 226
Views: 114,600

Chapters(102 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(8)

CT_PhippsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The Survivor Game is a fantastic story that stars Marshall, an unlikable sort of brute, who has gotten himself deep in debt with the mob. He's 16000 Wyodollars deep and they're going to take his sister if he doesn't pay back in a week. Given he couldn't afford 500, this means he's willing to take part in a virtual reality Squid Games style experience that I think is absolutely fascinating.
This is very much a grimdark sort of tale with a brutal antihero as the protagonist and a guy who has made a lot of own problems. However, I'm very much impressed with the characterization, stakes, and strange dystopian worldbuilding that the author has made for themselves.
I liked all of the characters that I met and feel the stakes are very real in this story because it's not just a bunch of NPCs being slaughtered but his family up for grabs. The fact the protagonist isn't very likable and is a bit of a thug also helps distinguish him from the majority of ones out there.
The author does a good job of writing combat as well, which is a skill that is obviously very important in LitRPG.
Two thumbs up.
ZapponerdRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Great job!!! The author has a talent for creating a detailed and believable setting without resorting to lengthy "info dumps" explaining every little aspect. Instead, the reader is asked to make their own deductions and be guided in discovering this new fantasy world as the story progresses.
The characters are well-characterized from the start, with well-defined motivations, inner conflicts, and personalities that make them authentic and engaging. In particular, the MC, Marshmallow/Marshall Merson, shines as a determined yet vulnerable figure who, as a downtrodden man, will rediscover himself and rekindle his fighting spirit in the Survivor Game.
The writing is fluid, making the action scenes vivid and compelling. The fantasy component of the Survivor Game, with its monstrous creatures and dangerous settings, is vividly told, but without overdoing the gory gratuitousness.
I didn't find any grammar issues
In short, I look forward to reading on to find out what other adventures and revelations await Marshmallow. The intriguing dystopian setting into which the protagonist is sucked promises intriguing and layered narrative developments. If you like fantasy stories full of action and suspense and are not looking for an extremely complex LitRPG system, this is the book for you.
P.S. I'm the brother of the author, but I truly appreciate this story
M3CR_1Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Although I don't read much LitRPG, this one was quite fun. I definitely would recommend it to LitRPG fans!
Style - The writing style is effective and to the point, while not without descriptive devices. All in all, the writing style gives me an easy time understanding what the writer is trying to portray, giving me an effective reading experience.
Story - A war veteran resorting to participate in the Survivor Game to pay debts off, makes a pretty good premise for a story in my opinion. The writer does a good job of worldbuilding as well. No issues here.
Grammar - While there may be some grammatical errors, it does not take away much from the story. However, I think the writer should put the characters' thoughts in italics, rather than in quotes because it confuses me at times and could confuse the reader.
Character - There are good and bad aspects to the characters. The good is that the writer does well with giving his characters personalities and emotions. He handles heavy topics such as what addiction and gambling do to his character. However, I do find myself wanting more interaction, such as with Marshall and his family, especially their reaction to finding out about his participation in the Survivor Game.
This story has a lot of potential to be successful if the writer makes a few edits. Great story!
NevarehtRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Story: The narrative unfolds with a compelling and distinctive storyline that effortlessly grabs and maintains the reader's attention. Rich in unique elements and details, it provides an enjoyable and absorbing reading experience.
Style: The writing style is commendable — neither excessively ornate nor mundane. My only critique pertains to occasional repetition within fighting scenes. However, it didn't impact the overall story and I spotted it infrequently enough to only result in a slight deduction for this category.
Grammar: Any grammatical errors are few and far between. They don't impact the overall story or my enjoyment of the story, so there are no deductions for this category.
Characters: Marshall, the main character, is a meticulously crafted character with a unique personality and life. His military background, gambling addiction, and family issues make him a realistic character, easily justifying his decisions and skills both before and during the Survivor Game. The side characters are just as realistic, each with a distinctive yet believable personality that significantly contributes to the story's depth and easily engages the reader.
Overall: This story captivates readers with its enjoyable and skillfully written narrative. While a minor issue exists, it doesn't detract from the overall experience, resulting in a well-deserved five-star rating. I enthusiastically recommend it to those who appreciate engaging and non-cliché LitRPGs.
~Rusty~Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Before I start, it should be noted I'm not much a fan of the LitRPG I've read. But I had to read everything here...
Why is it so fun!?
If I had to describe it as anything, it's a strange mix between SAO and Hunger Games, with the switchback tone of Chainsaw Man. Particularly with that last one, I got sort of "dark comedy" vibes as I was reading.
STYLE:
Style is the strongest aspect of this amazing tale. The Wyolands seems almost ridiculously overexaggerated as a total shit hole. When I was first reading, some of the events seemed jarring or out of place. However, after reading the piece as a whole, everything in this story works to improve other parts. The imagery enhances everything, but it never feels like there is an overindulgence in descriptions.
I was only a part of a 20k review swap, but I absolutely had to read everything the author had written. Have I finally found a LitRPG that I actually love?
STORY:
While the story isn't anything groundbreaking, the way that it is presented plays the tone that the story has played with up to this point. A low-life with an adherence to gaambling (and it's debts) lives as a slave in the hyperbolic dystopia of the Wyolands.
Apparently, they're at war as well. And apparently they have a king? Honestly, the only issue with the story is that it feels like the author is speedrunning background lore to get to the story. The only reason this suffers is a classic case of Chekov's gun. Now, while I believe this piece of advice is often misunderstood, I do think the author could take it to heart when choosing what to focus on during the "Pre-chapters" in potential next drafts. But thats just a pacing issue. As soon as the MC, Marsh AKA marshmellow gets to the "Cube", The story flows SOOO GOOD.
Grammar:
Easy going for the most part on this section. I was unable to pin point the exact reason, but I found myself getting lost and losing where I was throughout the story. I had to backtrack to reorientate myself. Again, this was in the pr
C. Sebastian NuttRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I really like this setup. To me, it feels like SAO meeting Kaiji; a man immensely down on his luck decides to risk his own life to get out from beneath all the debt that he has accumulated. Marshal, the protagonist, reminds me of Kaiji a bit as well. If you like either properties, then I think you have something interesting to find here.
Style: I think that the syntax and structure are fairly consistent. The thing that takes me out of the story the most, however, is the author's use of non-diegetic language. I am still uncertain whether this story takes place in an alternate reality, another planet, or the distant past(they call their continent Pangea), but hearing about prosecco, Smith and Weston firearms, and pachinko in this foreign world pulls me out of the story.
Story: As I said in the initial blurb, this setup is great. Two countries deciding the outcome of their war in a virtual reality simulation is interesting; there is a lot of room for some deep political drama to take place. I don't understand why they feel the need to kill their own citizens if they die in the video game though.
Character: I think that the character is the strongest part of this story. Marshall is an interesting character, one that actually has obvious flaws, which is a bit unique on this cite. Seeing him brought so low early on makes me want to root for him to succeed. I am looking forward to meeting other characters that will stick around for a while.
VioletMoonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Overall, I found this to be a decent page turner! I'm not a huge lit rpg fan, so this is outside of my normal purview, but I found myself feeling involved!
Style: Simple and to the point. The author definitely doesn't waste your time with needless flowery language, preferring to simply and directly describe what's going on. No weird POV changes or tense issues. Not much to critique here overall.
Grammar: 4/5. It really bothered me that the author wrote the characters thoughts in quotes. I would recommend going through and simply switch them to italics to indicate they're thought internally. There were otherwise a few minor punctuation issues, but nothing too crazy. It was, however, enough to catch my attention and slightly distract me, hence the reduction in score. This could just be me being finnicky, and I doubt the average reader will notice much.
Story: At first, I was skeptical of the video game aspect of it. I didn't understand the purpose of making it a video game thing until the author added all the neat lit rpg aspects and I was like, "ohhhh, I get it now." It's an interesting concept. Wagering a war's outcome on the result of a battle royale is pretty wild, tbh. But the way it's going down I also assume some big players are making a ton of money off this. So, despite my initiate skepticism I became supportive of the plot. nice work!
Character: 4/5. There are both good and bad aspects of Marshall. I'll start with the good. As someone who has worked in substance use centers, the portrayal of the addiction was well done. It's not rational, and the author conveyed the absurdity of the addiction in the chapter. However, I would've loved to see more shame in the aftermath of spending his last hundred odd bucks on gambling. I would have also loved to see some interactions with friends and family for me to better conceptualize both what he is risking losing, and also risking saving. There isn't much dialogue and I don't get to see anything but the bad aspects of
RobinTanetavisRoyal Road
★ 0.5
Honestly, grammar and spelling is good, there's a plot, kinda, but it's just one of the most time waster stories I have read. It had potential and then just devolved into ra I'm strong everyone loses because strong! Now I fix everything! Not worth the time to read, so disappointed