is "Don't Starve" romantic?

I don't mean in the sense of romance or the presence of it--rather, can it be viewed from a kind of romantic theory perspective. I think my writing about the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild got me thinking about the role that the wilderness plays in different kinds of stories. However, I don't think that Don't Starve represents the same kind of nature that is in Breath of the Wild. Instead of the idea of the sublime, I thought about negative romanticism and how certain authors portray nature in their writing.

https://www.klei.com/games/dont-starve, Wilson surrounded by the various beasts of "Don't Starve."

I should say though that the concept of the sublime is something fundamental to romantic art--whether that be poetry, prose, or paintings. That being said, I hesitate to sort Don't Starve under that definition. For one, the game is largely two-dimensional, and I feel as though any potential spectacle the nature could convey is downplayed by how flat (for lack of a better word) the game is. The sublime is characterized by awe-inspiring vastness or magnitude, and while Don't Starve certainly has a ton of map to explore, it doesn't inspire the same awe as looking up the foot of a towering mountain, or diving into a vast lake--both things you can do in Breath of the Wild.

But there is some aspect of the sublime present in the mechanics itself. Even the title of the game, Don't Starve, is a command of survival in the face of natural forces. But this feels more like an exhibiting of power and chaos of the wilderness, rather than sublimity. More specifically, Don't Starve feels like it pulls on a specific negative romanticism, which simply states that order and value do not exist. I see a lot of these similar ideas specifically in the poetry of Charlotte Smith, who writes a lot about the cyclical and vicious nature of nature as a whole. But the fact that this game pulls on hunger and sanity to put pressure on the player's survival reinforces the chaotic and unforgiving nature of the wild. The sanity stat specifically is pretty reminiscent of sublimity, considering that the player will slowly go insane the longer the exist in the world of Don't Starve. If they don't find a way to restore their sanity, then they will slowly start losing health. The idea that the simple existence of nature can drive a character to insanity is definitely something sublime, with the senses of the character being literally overwhelmed to the point that they lose a sense of reality.

I mentioned earlier that Don't Starve is pretty difficult--which it is, on purpose. The creators of this game specifically made it very hard to not starve, with limited food sources as well as constant threats from the beasts that dwell in the world of Don't Starve. There is a constant push and pull between the player's attempted survival, and everything in this world trying to kill the player.

Still, I would argue that Don't Starve as a whole echoes less of the sublime, and more of this negative romanticism. Although it certainly has both, the visuals and the setting of the game detract from what would otherwise be a perfect example of the sublime, while still representing the idea that nature is apathetic towards humanity's existence. Even in a game where it feels like everything is out to get you, the world of Don't Starve is simply existing as it would, with or without the influence of the player. To the hostile creatures in the game, the player is just another food source--just like the hostile creatures are to the player. It's kill or be killed, starve or Don't Starve.