I confess I’m often not a farming sim particular person. I don’t like these small city issues, and one thing like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon often bores me to tears. Nevertheless, I used to be enlisted to assist on guides for My Time at Sandrock when it entered early entry, and begrudgingly accepted. What occurred subsequent is what spurred me to jot down this My Time at Sandrock evaluation.
My Time at Sandrock Assessment – Welcome to Sandrock!
My Time at Sandrock is the sequel and spin-off to Pathea Video games’ 2019 sport My Time at Portia. My Time at Sandrock does happen in the identical universe at a barely later cut-off date and options a number of crossover characters however enjoying Portia just isn’t essential to know the world, nor to comply with together with the plot of Sandrock.
In Sandrock, you play the position of a brand new builder within the small desert city of Sandrock. Assets are slim on this post-apocalyptic setting, and Sandrock itself is way from a bustling metropolis, however when you get settled on the town, the plot actually begins to blossom. From coping with reforestation, fascists, conventional wild west bandits, and pushing the bounds of post-apocalyptic science, Sandrock’s plot is as huge because the Eufala Desert and exceedingly nicely written.
Actually, Sandrock’s plot – all 150 hours of it – is what units it aside so distinctly from different farming and small-town sims. The sport’s techniques for constructing, farming, cooking, and combating are all good, however none are notably distinctive or modern, regardless that the main focus is on constructing slightly than combating. Setting this in opposition to a implausible, RPG-worthy plot, makes the sport actually shine.
The characters are distinctive and memorable. Everybody with their very own character and quirks and following their storylines provides depth and improvement to all of them. From the caring and supportive proprietor of the Blue Moon Saloon, Owen, to the wannabe enterprise tycoon and normal retailer proprietor, Aarvio, they every have a narrative to inform. Removed from being one-note, the characters actually convey the Sandrock story to life, making it really feel like an actual, small city, with personalities which might be only a bit excessive.
A Builder’s Work is By no means Finished
Sandrock has quite a lot of sport techniques, guaranteeing that even when the principle plot does take a breather, you’re by no means at a loss for actions. In fact, there’s the normal farming, however you additionally get to prepare dinner, increase ranch animals and pets, enhance the city, play a plethora of minigames on the Golden Goose, broaden your workshop, and discover completely different ruins within the space. You will additionally get to proceed interacting with the residents of Sandrock fulfilling their requests and bettering your relationships with them by way of gift-giving.
With a lot to do, there have been occasions after I needed to put the principle storyline on pause simply to improve my equipment and full a number of commissions to earn some extra cash earlier than carrying on. That’s not essentially a foul factor, nonetheless, as the sport presents loads of choices for gameplay steadiness and allows you to select your individual path. The one hold-up is that you simply do have to advance the principle plot to completely unlock all areas on the map and all crafting supplies, even when you’re not within the story.
The primary techniques are farming, constructing, combating, and mining. Every of those is fairly easy, and controls are defined in tutorials, that are additionally simply referenced from the menu when you want a refresher at any level. Whereas the farming and combating techniques aren’t going to win any innovation awards, I like that the farming might be accomplished on a number of squares of land without delay and that you simply don’t have to reap the whole lot individually, and you’ve got a alternative of 4 completely different weapons with completely different combating kinds – spear, daggers, sword and defend, or longsword.
At no level did any of the techniques really feel counterintuitive, as soon as you bought the grasp of them. All the pieces from constructing to mining is organized and laid out for you so that you could at all times shortly see what is offered to make together with your present supplies or what you’ll be able to mine in an space or a particular stage. The truth that the constructing machines had been additionally capable of pull out of your varied storage bins was superb and a large time-saver.
And All The Relaxation
Sandrock’s visible aesthetic is totally beautiful. Much like Portia, however with way more element, the reds and browns and beiges of the post-apocalyptic desert are offset with the intense colours of the desert city’s inhabitants, and your fundamental character is free to run round in as many zany and mismatched outfits as you want, bringing coloration with you throughout the panorama. The 3D artwork is cartoony, however not overly so, hanging a pleasant steadiness between an fascinating artwork fashion with out folks trying bland or too practical.
One other level to notice is Sandrock’s enjoyable multiplayer mode. Going down a number of a long time previous to the principle story, it does connect with the single-player sport whereas additionally providing the liberty to fiddle within the desert panorama with your mates nonetheless you’d like. Admittedly, I didn’t mess around a lot in multiplayer and spent most of my time on the single-player marketing campaign, however what’s there’s a strong continuation and extension of the remainder of the sport.
Actually, my solely critique of My Time at Sandrock is that, even on the PC model, there are quite a lot of bugs and glitches. Throughout early entry the staff was immediate about getting any main impediment glitches ironed out as shortly as attainable, however there have been nonetheless a number of occasions after I bought caught entering into the junkyard or ended up unintentionally in partitions. Sport breaking? No. Irritating? Sure.
My Time At Sandrock Assessment | Ultimate Ideas
Usually, I’m not a fan of early entry video games any greater than I’m a fan of farm sims, however over the previous yr and a half it has been an unimaginable journey to observe Sandrock come collectively. From seeing the plot progress act by act to studying about every character as sidequests had been added on in bits and items, I at all times discovered myself coming again to this unimaginable world. Even after I hit the tip of an replace, I’d often find yourself enjoying for a number of extra hours so I might loosen up and take my time exploring the world, gathering supplies, and fulfilling commissions.
From the surface, My Time at Sandrock could seem stereotypical and even shallow, however like a desert storm uncovers a wealth of treasures beneath the floor, with participating and three-dimensional characters, an unimaginable plot, vivacious humor, and an in depth world to discover. There’s at all times one thing to do in Sandrock, at all times one thing extra to discover, and it’s a lot enjoyable to simply lean into it and get caught up within the pleasure. In fact, any true Sandrocker is aware of there’s just one actual method to finish this evaluation: Preserve Water!
My Time at Sandrock was reviewed on PC with a replica offered by the developer over the course of 202 hours of gameplay – all screenshots had been taken in the course of the means of evaluation.
