Hey there, my name's Justin, and guess what? I got the chance to do what every other brony wants to do and was brought to Equestria! I should be living the dream, right? Well, I'm afraid I'm not so lucky. Unfortunately, the version of Equestria I was brought to happens to be in the middle of a semi-apocalypse. "Oh, don't worry, Justin!" I hear you say, "I'm sure you'll get some badass powers to help you get through it! It's a classic trope in all these isekai stories!" And to that I say, you’re only half-right.

I did get this thing called a HUD, which basically gives me stats and stuff and lets me level up like I'm in a video game, but it won't make me as powerful as a god or anything, even at max level. This becomes even worse when you consider the fact that there are people in this world known as "Legends", and they're strong enough to give Superman, the friggin' Man of Steel, a run for his money, without even needing kryptonite. There are literal Gods in this world that would kill me with a flick of their wrist if I crossed them. The worst part? I have to cross them if I want to get back home.

If you came looking for a happy-go-lucky story where the protagonist gets sent to Equestria, goes on a fun harmless adventure, falls in love with their favorite character, and lives happily ever after, you came to the wrong place. This place?

This place is Hell.

IMPORTANT NOTE PLEASE READ: This self-insert story is heavily inspired by the story of the video game Far Cry 3. However, you don't have to have played Far Cry 3 to enjoy this story. Those that have played it will probably notice some similar story beats, but that is where the connections end.

Now, I know you're probably wondering what "Survival Action" is, since it technically isn't an official video game genre. Well, it's pretty much the same as survival horror but with less focus on horror and a lot more focus on action. (I don't mean the slower-paced, puzzle solving kind of survival horror like old school Resident Evil or Silent Hill, though I do still love those. I mean the more intense 3rd person shooter survival horror with action elements like Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, and The Evil Within). In fact, some of the action will be just as over the top as games like Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Rising, and God of War.

I wanted this story to have action on par with those games, but I also didn't want to make Justin (myself) an overpowered Gary Sue, hence the survival horror part. Rather than having badass superpowers, Justin has to rely on managing his resources, upgrading his equipment, and getting strong enough to survive. He's a non-super-powered guy in a world of extremely super-powered people, so the odds are pretty heavily stacked against him.

While this story does have resource management and character progression like in the survival horror games I mentioned, this isn't a horror story (Though there are a few parts that will give off horror vibes). As such, it felt wrong to use "Survival Horror Gamer" in the title, so I instead went with the more accurate "Survival Action Gamer".

P.S. The HUD that was mentioned in the description borrows game mechanics from the Fallout series, Far Cry series, Resident Evil series, Dead Space, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

The map I'll be using for reference was made by BootsDotEXE on DeviantArt for their AU comic and can be found here, so credit for the artwork goes to them. While my story does take place in a slight AU/Alternate Future and references this map, it is not the same AU as BootsDotEXE's, so please feel free to check them and their work out! Also note that several of the new locations I came up with for this story are not found on the map since, as previously established, I am not the creator of the map. I still chose to use this map because it was very detailed, well done, and seemed to be the most accurate one I could find. Again, credit to BootsDotEXE for making the map.

This story is a huge passion project for me, and I want to make it as great as it possibly can be. That being said, I'm still relatively new to writing, and I know I'm not perfect, so please feel free to provide criticism and help me improve on this story as much as possible! I hope you all enjoy the story!