30 Hour Review

I don't even know where to start exactly. I originally saw an article for Autoforge from GamesRadar. It was one of those little articles that pop up on your phone when you open a new tab on your browser. I saw Factorio and Terraria listed as comparisons so I instantly had to take a look, and I'm so glad I did. For me this game has been a breath of fresh air and a nice change of pace in the factory / building genre of games. I'm sat writing this right now with Steams note feature on there overlay while my little factory churns away.

I'm rather terrible at write-ups but I'll try and break everything down into rough categories;

Gameplay

The gameplay in some aspects is similar to Factorio and Terraria.

There is a vast and in depth system in place for production, and farming. I do wish there was a bit more to the logistics system though. Maybe something like a rail network similar to Core Keeper but with the functionality of being able to move resources from point A to point B, mine and lay track, and so on. And maybe some functionality added to Crankos, whether hes out mining, or maybe even adding a blueprint / planning system into the game and npcs / robots or the like you have could help assemble them.

Additional resources like copper and coal would also be nice to see as well, but I'm sure things like that will be added down the line with additional machinery and the likes..

The map is also incredibly deceiving.. Before purchasing and playing I was under the impression that the world in its entirety was rather small, when in fact it is massive and will allow for any and all mega bases and the most beautiful spaghetti runs of piping.

I really think the game would benefit from some sort of glossary / dictionary system. This could be accessed from the options menu or as a craftable in-game item. And within it, it could have information on all the items in the game, research, some mechanics, maybe even some tips and tricks.

I do feel the sound design is great and i especially enjoy the music.

In the games current state in EA, I can see myself easily putting in over 100 hours into the game.


Combat

For me personally this is where I see the game lacking in some respects. I love that it is implemented in the game but really it needs to be fleshed out. I would love to see more variations in both the enemies in the over world as well as the raids that happen in game. Gear / weapons would be nice to see or a more flesh out system of upgrades for the sword and blaster you currently have. The AI could use some more work as well with path finding and overall aggressiveness. Additional / new kinds of loot would be a welcome bonus as well.

More variety within the raids would be nice as well, and i think down the line a few different turret / trap systems would be nice. It would be cool if we could place the current turrets upside down also for base design / aesthetics for bunkers and deep caves.

I really do appreciate how the enemies do act as a necessity though which I think more games should pick up on. Like having to kill specific enemies for oil clots to make torches or farming fungi early game to make biofuel later on.

A difficulty system with ammo for your main blaster, difficulty and the likes would be welcome also


Graphics

Not much to say, its a 2d side scroller.

The character models and environment are all very nicely done and the color palette was very well thought out.

I don't think any of the animations themselves have looked bad, and everything seems pretty cohesive and has a nice chilled vibe surrounding itself.

Pixel styled games always make me feel really nostalgic (Maybe because I'm a relic myself)


Bugs

Its EA, of course there are bugs. Jason is incredibly and has been crunching away at bugs at what seems like a daily basis. He along with the rest of the staff always go out of there way to try and help and solve issues.

For example I came across a bug regarding saves and within half an hour Jason was working on fixing it.


Devs / Community

Jason along with the rest of the devs and mods on the Discord have all been really approachable and helpful from all that I've seen.

The community on discord has been great. Plenty of people willing to help out and also share builds and general knowledge of the game too

I genuinely love Autoforge, and the game is egregiously addictive. 30 hours in and I feel like im still just scratching the surface of the game