Factorio is definitely one of the best base builders I've ever played. My estimate is that I have over 100 hours of playing Factorio before it arrived on Steam and it's still very fun and challenging. With procedurally generated maps, good mod support, adapting difficulty and constant dev updates, there's always something new to try and do in Factorio. If you're the kind of person who loves logistics management, designing functional bases or figuring out optimal designs, this is definitely a game for you.

I believe it also has a free demo so why not give it a try if you're intrigued?


So, what makes it so special? The answer is simple - it has a perfect balance between micromanagement and macromanagement. In most sandbox basebuilders the early game is the best part - you're constantly challenged by hunger, resource scarcity and enemy strength. In a few hours though, when you improve yourself, enemies become a joke and gathering resources is only a boring chore, with no end in sight.

Factorio turns this dynamic upside down by enabling you to automate almost everything. Even though you're expected to micromanage your resources and defenses in the beginning, very soon you can devise systems that do this for you while you focus on macromanagement - expanding your base, improving your supply lines, bolstering defenses. You don't have to manually dig coal or iron - you have automatic drills for that, you only need to make sure you have enough electricity so they keep working! You don't have to automatically transfer dug iron to your furnaces, you have conveyor belts and inserters that do that for you!

Basically, very soon you become the boss, the architect - your only job is to expand production, advance your tech tree and keep up with the constantly evolving enemy. The bigger your base becomes, the more pollution it creates. While this doesn't bother you, it definitely bothers the local wildlife - depending on multiple variables (like global pollution, time passed, number of destroyed nests), they become more and more aggressive and evolved. They start to migrate, their nests increase in size and new kinds of enemies start to appear that will force you to shift tactics, maybe even go on the offensive and clear out some of the dangerously close nests.

The tech tree is very extensive and there are many moments when a new techonology completely revolutionizes your factory. For example, unlocking trains completely changes the game if you decide to use them. I've spent countless hours on building complex railroad networks with automated trains that deliver raw resources to my main base. You can make it as simple as one railroad with a 2-way train that delives a resource or you can have multiple delivery points, dozens of trains, roundabouts with signals to prevent crashes, automatic unloading mechanisms, train refueling stations, redundancies to prevent deadlocks... Your imagination is the limit.

And this is just one of the examples - when you add flying robotic drones, vehicles, power armor, automated construction, the game becomes even more interesting. In the late game you will feel like a god, building outposts with only a few clicks of your mouse, and it's always satisfying to just sit back and watch your factory work, no matter if it looks like a clockwork mechanism or like spaghetti.


There is one major thing that might turn some people away from the game - it is really a pure sandbox. Even though there's a victory condition (building a rocket), it's very arbitrary and ultimately pointless. The game is really fun when you set your own goals and work towards accomplishing them but if you're used to games guiding you by hand, telling you what are you supposed to be doing next... you're gonna be confused and bored in Factorio. There's a campaign that serves as a tutorial, and we're eventually getting custom scenarios / challenges made by devs.. but for the most part, you're left to your own ideas in the endless sandbox mode.

I also want to criticize combat. While it works well for defensive gameplay, attacking and destroying nests can be frustrating at times. In the late game your character can be killed extremely quickly so the best strategy is to just spam drones and explosives while running away from them, and loading the game if you get cornered and killed... or just build turrets close to nests and lure the horde into firing range. I believe the devs said they are going to rework combat eventually so this might not be true for long!


Factorio is a sandbox basebuilder where your base is an actual defensible, functional entity rather than something you build just for aesthetics, or out of boredom. Rather than forcing you to do all the manul chores, you're in charge of building automated systems that do all the work for you. It has good graphics (stylish 2D sprites), performs good, has stable multiplayer, excellent mod support and receives constant updates by the devs. Even though it's labeled as Early Access, it might as well be released as a finished game and I wouldn't complain - it's working great and has plenty of content, especially considering its price.

Factorio is definitely one of the best base builders I've ever played. My estimate is that I have over 100 hours of playing Factorio before it arrived on Steam and it's still very fun and challenging. With procedurally generated maps, good mod support, adapting difficulty and constant dev updates, there's always something new to try and do in Factorio. If you're the kind of person who loves logistics management, designing functional bases or figuring out optimal designs, this is definitely a game for you. I believe it also has a free demo so why not give it a try if you're intrigued? [h1]The good stuff:[/h1] So, what makes it so special? The answer is simple - it has a [b]perfect balance between micromanagement and macromanagement[/b]. In most sandbox basebuilders the early game is the best part - you're constantly challenged by hunger, resource scarcity and enemy strength. In a few hours though, when you improve yourself, enemies become a joke and gathering resources is only a boring chore, with no end in sight. Factorio turns this dynamic upside down by enabling you to automate almost everything. Even though you're expected to micromanage your resources and defenses in the beginning, very soon you can devise systems that do this for you while you focus on macromanagement - expanding your base, improving your supply lines, bolstering defenses. You don't have to manually dig coal or iron - you have automatic drills for that, you only need to make sure you have enough electricity so they keep working! You don't have to automatically transfer dug iron to your furnaces, you have conveyor belts and inserters that do that for you! Basically, very soon you become the boss, the architect - your only job is to expand production, advance your tech tree and keep up with the [b]constantly evolving enemy[/b]. The bigger your base becomes, the more pollution it creates. While this doesn't bother you, it definitely bothers the local wildlife - depending on multiple variables (like global pollution, time passed, number of destroyed nests), they become more and more aggressive and evolved. They start to migrate, their nests increase in size and new kinds of enemies start to appear that will force you to shift tactics, maybe even go on the offensive and clear out some of the dangerously close nests. The [b]tech tree[/b] is very extensive and there are many moments when a new techonology completely revolutionizes your factory. For example, unlocking trains completely changes the game if you decide to use them. I've spent countless hours on building complex railroad networks with automated trains that deliver raw resources to my main base. You can make it as simple as one railroad with a 2-way train that delives a resource or you can have multiple delivery points, dozens of trains, roundabouts with signals to prevent crashes, automatic unloading mechanisms, train refueling stations, redundancies to prevent deadlocks... Your imagination is the limit. And this is just one of the examples - when you add flying robotic drones, vehicles, power armor, automated construction, the game becomes even more interesting. In the late game you will feel like a god, building outposts with only a few clicks of your mouse, and it's always satisfying to just sit back and watch your factory work, no matter if it looks like a clockwork mechanism or like spaghetti. [h1]The bad stuff:[/h1] There is one major thing that might turn some people away from the game - it is really a pure sandbox. Even though there's a victory condition (building a rocket), it's very arbitrary and ultimately pointless. The game is really fun when you set your own goals and work towards accomplishing them but if you're used to games guiding you by hand, telling you what are you supposed to be doing next... you're gonna be confused and bored in Factorio. There's a campaign that serves as a tutorial, and we're eventually getting custom scenarios / challenges made by devs.. but for the most part, you're left to your own ideas in the endless sandbox mode. I also want to criticize combat. While it works well for defensive gameplay, attacking and destroying nests can be frustrating at times. In the late game your character can be killed extremely quickly so the best strategy is to just spam drones and explosives while running away from them, and loading the game if you get cornered and killed... or just build turrets close to nests and lure the horde into firing range. I believe the devs said they are going to rework combat eventually so this might not be true for long! [h1]Conclusion: [/h1] Factorio is a sandbox basebuilder where your base is an actual defensible, functional entity rather than something you build just for aesthetics, or out of boredom. Rather than forcing you to do all the manul chores, you're in charge of building automated systems that do all the work for you. It has good graphics (stylish 2D sprites), performs good, has stable multiplayer, excellent mod support and receives constant updates by the devs. Even though it's labeled as Early Access, it might as well be released as a finished game and I wouldn't complain - it's working great and has plenty of content, especially considering its price.