Look, it isn't horrible, but it is missing a bunch of QoL stuff that you find in many of the mobile match 3 games. For example, in Candy Crush, at the end of the level you can skip all of the "bonus" stuff, however in this game you have to sit there and wait for it all to play out. Because of that, and other issues, there just isn't enough incentive for me to justify playing such a game on PC, even if I had it on my Steam Deck I'd be wondering why I'm wasting the battery playing what appears to be a mobile game on it.

Sure, there's some light crafting, some light base building, etc., and if this were on my cell phone I'd likely be tempted. However, this isn't on my cell phone and it is lacking some QoL things, so I wouldn't actually bother. This is BEFORE you add in all of the time-gating mechanics built into this, mechanics designed to slow you down and tempt you to spend actual money.

I get that some people don't mind these types of games, and I'm not against them when they're well done, but this just seems like it needs a tad more polish. However, with that said, it still wouldn't be for me.

Know thyself...

Not quite two hours yet, but I'll keep it. It isn't Satisfactory, a game I love, but it also isn't 3D Factorio, a game I love a tad bit less than Satisfactory. It does remind me of both of those games, and several others, such as The Planet Crafter just to pick one.

Yes, it is Early Access, and yes, the game has some issues - building jank, slight performance issues, lacking QoL stuff, etc. You can read all about that in the other reviews though. I personally am not having any major issues so far though.

As of right now, I'm enjoying the game, which is really all anyone needs to know. Already it is better than many others I've purchased, only to see them abandoned or development taking a turn for the worse, and for $15.99, I can't really do much more than hope they continue to improve it going forward.

I'd love to wholeheartedly recommend this game, but sadly I can only somewhat recommend it at this time. There's two reasons for this:

1) Apparently the latest update broke some things that impact quite a lot
2) The ever-present danger of an EA game never being finished

Hopefully, the latter won't be an issue, while the game-breaking update is something else entirely. Complaints have ranged from worse optimization, to items disappearing, to fully broken games where people couldn't progress.

Obviously, if you purchase an EA game, you essentially signed up for all the bumps and warts, but if you're unsure at this time, I'd say hold off. The game has some serious atmosphere going for it, the progression isn't hasty, and who doesn't love solving a mystery (what happened and why). I did restart, as the demo save wasn't compatible with the update that pushed, but there is a LOT you could miss, so a second playthrough of the beginning wasn't a bad thing.

Also, I've seen some people complain that there's a bit too much in the way of horror in the game for them, and they're not overjoyed about that. Yes, there are some "jumpscares" and some enemies that aren't your typical mobs, so just be awere of that.

I'm personally enjoying the game, but haven't encountered any of the bugs so far - however, the one bug (disappearing items) I'm looking out for only appears to happen after you've left the starting dock, which I'm just about to do now. Guess we'll see what happens, but either way I expect the devs to fix that soon.

The demo allows you to play until you set sail from the starting dock, and go a certain distance away. Give it a go!

Beat this way back in the day before there were achievements for it, also back when completing a game was easy to do because there weren't as many games to play...and the backlog was smaller.

Keep in mind that the original was released in 2011, and it doesn't seem that they've done much to this remaster other than optimize it for newer hardware - no new maps, no new fx, no new enemy behavior, etc. If you're looking for a modern remake - this ain't that.

Essentially, there are only two reasons to buy/play this - nostalgia and achievements. Well, if you've never played it, there are some things that were novel at the time that I'd like to see in a more modern game, but good luck with that...

To start with, I initially tried the demo and didn't like it because of the janky physics. I hadn't read the store page description, thus didn't understand that janky physics was a "feature" and not an accident. Then, the game launched. I saw the reviews, read the store description, and changed my expectations...and good thing too.

Despite the static map, limited area, and some lacking QoL things, the game IS fun. Again, the map seems rather small for this type of game, but when you consider the options you have (i.e. verticality), and everything else, it is quite expansive. I do still hope they expand it though.

I could say the same about the tech tree - initially it doesn't seem impressive, but it all boils down to how you use what's available to you. However, once again, I hope they expand on it.

As for the physics that I didn't initially like - well, it's like a puzzle. Once you get to the point where things start to get tossed around because of the volume of materials being moved/processed, you'll have to figure out how to minimize the chaos. In games like Satisfactory, you're worried about throughput and trying to min/max things based on transport speed, processing speed, etc. In THIS game, you're trying to limit crap just getting tossed around before it reaches where it needs to go. It's a different "automation" game, which is always welcomed.

Is the game perfect? No, I could think of several things I'd like to see improved, added, or changed. However, it is a good start for an Early Access game.

Try the demo, but realize that the janky physics are part of the charm - don't be like me...

This game will be a bit too laid back for some people. The combat is simple, the progression favors the long game, simple puzzles, and there aren't many very exciting moments. The enemies are...well, so far I've only seen one type. However, some new exploding flora eventually appeared, so I'm hoping to see new mobs in the next area. Also, unlike most games that have crafting, I've only unlocked two types of tools/weapons so far - usually you'll have more tiers by now. Lastly, the game needs just a bit more optimization - I'm running it all out on the highest settings, and it's fine, but my fans hit turbo after playing for a bit.

What you have is some good views, multilevel exploration (that's still simple), base building (w/ a bit of wonkiness), and okayish crafting so far. The game is stable, at least for me, relatively bug free with the exception of some physics issues, and fortunately they opted NOT to go with a static map AND to allow some modding using a built-in system. So, other than the combat, which is attack, backup, wait, and attack again, everything else is okay.

With all of that said, the REAL draw of the game is turning an island into a flying base, just too bad they didn't include any sort of terrain modification (flattening for instance). I'm only nine hours in, and there are hints of some automation at some point, but other than that, I'm not sure what to expect - I'm curious to find out, but not curious enough to spoil it by looking it up. Flying in the glider or the base is fun, for right now, and I hope it gets better since I haven't found any upgrades yet. Again, looking forward to seeing where this goes, but I am having an enjoyable time with it so far.

Will look to update this once I've gone further in the game.

Got the game because it has Family Sharing, and thought some members of my family would like it. Pretty sure I'm not the targeted demographic for it, but I did try it out before uninstalling it.

Throw your favorite chill playlist on, mute the music from the game (it isn't bad, just repetitive), kick back, and experience some downtime.

This is the type of game you pick up and play for a bit just to decompress - playing too long could leave you cross-eyed though.

Ooph, I'm torn on this - the game looks good, but as another reviewer put it, the devs made some baffling decisions. Fortunately, they already plan to make some major (?) changes in the Nov update.

So, let's start with the cons:

- Crafting doesn't pull from nearby storage - hate to see this missing in any modern game
- The "amenities" for the spirits appear to be just static placements
- In fact, most of the buildables appear to be worthless cosmetics
- The above wouldn't be so bad if there were a reason to build, well, anything beyond the necessities
- Navigating the boat isn't difficult, but it isn't intuitive either
- No sorting in inventory
- Overall progression feels off/unbalanced
- Feels like they just tacked on singleplayer
- Combat is pretty much boring, long cooldowns, little variety in enemies, mediocre attacks
- Exploring just feels tedious - you aren't exploring because you want to see what's over the horizon
- Animations, especially the harvesting ones, are seriously lacking

So, some pros:

+ Game looks good
+ Game seems stable thus far - not a single crash or game breaking bug
+ Devs have expressed a desire to fix issues based on player feedback

In summary, they've made a game that seems highly focused on co-op play, and just added the things they think co-op players would want - a lot of cosmetics, but no real depth to anything.

Literally, all of the exploration is based on goals supplied by the game - go get this, go get that. You don't really feel the need, or desire, to explore anything, as it doesn't feel compelling. Part of this is due to the layout of the world - small islands/landmasses, a full map, and a rather slow boat/skimmer. You just want to go get what you need, return to base, unlock the next thing, and move on. Yes, there are three "biomes" on the map, but you'll also be thoroughly bored with one biome before you unlock the next. Speaking of "unlocks" - the unlocks aren't well balanced, like in let's say Conan Exiles or Ark.

The game isn't horrible, the cumulative reviews support that...buuuutttt, the game has issues. I suspect the devs will fix the most glaring issues, but not too sure on how long that will take or if they'll do enough before the next big other game release to even make it impactful. I'll cross my fingers, but for now...

I don't intend to go into a long review of what is and isn't wrong with this game, I'll just state that many of the negative reviews (and some of the positive ones) have it right - the combat is horrendous. I don't think the combat is "floaty" - it is imprecise to the point that you don't really know where your attacks will land.

I also don't like the base inventory mechanics, but that could be because they were NEVER explained in the game - something the devs even admitted was an issue.

For now, I'm giving a not recommended, but assuming they fix the above issues, and some other ones, I fully expect this to become a good game in the future...