However, the developers wanted players to question whether the peninsula's cannibalistic tribe is the enemy of the player or vice versa. While they are not necessarily always hostile to the player, their usual behavior is aggressive, especially during the night. Inhabiting the peninsula, along with various woodland creatures, are a tribe of cannibalistic mutants, who dwell in villages on the surface and in deep caves beneath the peninsula. Players must survive by creating shelter, weapons, and other survival tools. In The Forest, players control Eric LeBlanc and must survive on a forested peninsula in search of his son Timmy after a devastating plane crash.