My Time at Sandrock is Pathea’s tackle the life simulation of video video games. It’s one which, for higher or worse, brings thrilling new issues to the style whereas making it nonetheless considerably acquainted to the followers which have supported it ever for the reason that first title dropped in 2019. Nonetheless, whereas I can’t say I totally keep in mind the time I had in Portia, Sandrock, which is the sequel’s world, is much extra attention-grabbing and considerably a bit more difficult.
It takes quite a lot of Portia’s good traits that I loved again once I reviewed it on the PlayStation 4 and provides extra to it so it doesn’t really feel such as you’re enjoying the identical previous sport, with the identical previous mechanics.
My Time at Sandrock, as I’ve simply talked about, is a life simulation sport. In scale, you possibly can examine it to the likes of Stardew Valley or simply about any of the various video games the style has busted out over time. Fae Farm, for instance, was one of many newer ones I had managed to get my fingers on a number of months again and it’s a type of that basically stood out to me in a number of methods.
Whereas Stardew Valley and to a sure extent, Fae Farm, dives a bit extra into the farming facet to start out you out, Pathea’s My Time at Portia and My Time at Sandrock tackles it with a extra craft-heavy strategy. This already provides My Time at Sandrock a bit extra of a separation from the same old issues we’ve had so if you happen to ever needed to play a life sim sport and actually didn’t need to plough your lands and until the soil for the hundredth time, My Time at Sandrock would possibly simply be the sort of factor you’d really feel familiarity however on the identical time, totally different.
A number of story paths, a number of relationships
In relation to its precise content material and story, My Time at Sandrock follows three totally different paths, every of which has its distinct options that additionally change forwards and backwards with the opposite. There’s the story behind a gang of bandits which fairly early on, you’ll get to see a glimpse of as the times go by. You additionally get to discover the deserted ruins after a few story bits that Yan, the sport’s resident lazy ass compelled upon you which results in a path to unlocking forgotten gadgets invented within the historic world.
Then there’s, nicely, you understand, the mutant lizards attacking the city… Do you get to beat the crap out of them so, hurray? However exterior of its three important tales, you additionally get to reside a life in a desert wasteland, finishing duties from its residents and making a reputation for your self as one of the best builder in a city that doesn’t actually have quite a lot of competitors anyway… in order that’s nice, I suppose.
As a life simulation, My Time at Sandrock is a fairly stable addition to the style. It’s a bit extra on the crafting and fee aspect although which results in quite a lot of scavenging across the desert or exploring the deserted ruins and mining its valuable sources.
It’s a totally separate expertise to Fae Farm the place my days begin off by caring for my vegetation earlier than venturing out within the depths of the caverns in comparison with right here the place you often begin it off by discovering a activity within the fee board after which ultimately diving deep within the ruins earlier than heading again to your workshop to construct and end stated activity. Equally, stamina administration is often one thing that’s tied to most of these video games and that is no totally different.
You get fairly a little bit of it, nevertheless, the place it sort of begins to rot is once you’re doing a activity like preventing an enemy or mining an ore for his or her valuable sources solely to be one whack brief to deal the ultimate blow.
Being one of the best builder like nobody ever was
There are quite a lot of issues that basically make My Time at Sandrock a enjoyable place to discover. The city which has fairly a little bit of nooks and crannies even gives you with fairly a little bit of hidden treasure chests to unlock to reap their rewards earlier than dismantling them for sources. You’ve additionally bought fairly a handful of distinctive residents that vary from the essential pets that you just’d usually see in households to a speaking crow from an untalkative man.
So, getting their friendship ranges to ultimately calm down with somebody is a big a part of the sport and ties up fairly nicely as you unlock new duties from them earlier than truly tying the knot ‘til demise do us half. In the meantime, its fight system and weapon varieties do present some type of, nicely, let’s say, technique. Technique that includes having a a lot larger HP pool than your enemy and hacking and slashing away at them as they drop useless, vanish and ultimately flip to mud earlier than giving up sources prefer it’s some sort of reward.
However hey, no less than there are a few weapon varieties that you would be able to check out from a sword and defend that permits you to block assaults to a greatsword that boasts energy on the expense of assault velocity.
A world that’s barren but vigorous
My Time at Sandrock’s world is considerably huge whereas nonetheless considerably barren. It is sensible as it’s a desert wasteland and issues like drought which results in a scarcity of water sources signifies that your machines want them to forestall them from overheating. This results in some little bit of problem as you’re much less inclined to only break down every part you get hold of and throw them into the recycler or craft stuff at an extra must you want it. Nonetheless, you do ultimately get extra quality-of-life enhancements as you progress.
Issues like dew collectors which can be unlocked by researching them within the analysis centre help you gather dew because the title implies and this can be utilized on a handful of issues like rising the saved water in your reservoir. Ultimately, you do get to unlock extra space for your self. At the price of some gold, you possibly can unlock tiny bits of land to position your equipment and different services like barns and stables. You may even totally construct and customise your personal home or add greeneries and trinkets to make it distinctive. Creativeness is your solely restrict right here… and possibly the quantity of gold you presently have.
Sadly, My Time at Sandrock isn’t the proper sport. I had a few instances the place the sport began to really feel off. A kind of causes was once I was doing a activity that concerned unlocking the horse from the city’s steady. At first, all of it appeared nicely and dandy whereas I used to be following the NPC, nevertheless, all of it went south when stated NPC simply straight up didn’t transfer in any respect after saying that I ought to comply with them. This ended up with me simply working again to my mattress which led to a failed activity.
There are additionally no quick journey factors on the planet so having a horse positively helps loads which, in a method, is best than strolling however controls generally is a bit awkward if it’s worthwhile to flip round in a cramped area whereas mounted. This final bit is extra of a nitpick however I actually preferred how Fae Farm does its device administration. There you possibly can routinely equip and use the fitting device like a pickaxe or shovel as you get near sure sources.
My Time at Sandrock and actually, each different sport much like this simply has sizzling bars on your instruments and different stuff so you continue to must manually scroll via them to do sure duties which isn’t precisely horrible nevertheless it’s simply that Fae Farm has spoiled me a bit on this one.
Conclusion
My Time at Sandrock is enjoyable. The time I had whereas enjoying My Time at Sandrock, exploring its ruins and crafting all types of things to assist the townsfolk was a worthwhile expertise. However much more so, I simply loved it as a sport that leaves me with quite a lot of enjoyable reminiscences as I delve into its intricate tales and relationships. It won’t have one of the best fight system round however as a life simulation sport, it does the job that it intends to do. So, if you happen to’ve been that means to scratch an itch left by your favorite life sim, that is one which has potential particularly if you happen to get pleasure from enjoying with associates because of its multiplayer.
My Time at Sandrock Video Evaluate
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