My Time at Sandrock by developer Pathea
Games and publishers Pathea Games and PM Studios—PC (Steam) Early Access review written by Susan N.
with a copy provided by the publisher.
At long last, the eagerly-awaited sequel
of My Time at Portia comes My Time at Sandrock and I'm excited to finally
review it. This game had a long and tumultuous delay due to licensing issues.
Released in Early Access is the successor to My Time at Portia where I have
sunk over 400 hours into. Sandrock like Portia is part of the Free Cities
Alliance which explains the appearance of a particular character from the first
game. It is a sandbox RPG game and life simulation, thus I was all over it.
Plus, I think it rates really high for me.
Gameplay
My Time at Sandrock is a wonderful life
sim and RPG game that begins with a novice builder answering the call to aid of
the fledgling town. The notable first improvement of the game is the
customization options in the character menu. Players are able to adjust the
length of their hair and have several more options than in the previous game. I
immediately went for purple hair because purple is the best color.
The second most notable change in
Sandrock is the scenery. Unlike Portia where trees grow aplenty, in Sandrock it
is bad practice to chop down trees. Immediately this strikes me as a game that
wants to show the cause and effect of human interaction and the environment. Gameplay-wise,
this requires players to rely on salvaging old broken-down vehicles and items
for parts. So far, the game has a great message but it continues to improve
throughout gameplay.
Like Portia before it, players are sent
tasks to build various items that help the town prosper. As they fulfill these
tasks, players can pick up additional jobs from the commerce board or from
other characters. There is mine hunting, research disks to analyze, town
meetings, and even pet interaction like we’ve come to expect, but each element
has improved dramatically from the first game.
First, let’s talk about some of the
quality of life changes that make Sandrock a massive improvement from its
predecessor.
●
After picking up missions, players
often go to their crafting bench to make whatever item is needed. While this is
an aspect available in Portia, Sandrock shows the items needed for commissions
but also displays how many items you own and you can craft. This is true even
if the items are in storage containers.
●
The assembly station is critical
for building a variety of items needed for the town. Sandrock has made building
those items easier by giving players a cycle button, allowing us to switch to
components that we already have. No more hunting for where components go!
●
The combat is fairly basic but
looks more satisfying. Players break an enemy’s bar to interrupt their attacks.
And while on the topic of combat, players also have an innate healing ability
making it easier to survive encounters.
●
There are more character
customization options than in the previous game and it looks better
graphically.
●
In the mines, the ore is separated
from the ground and into nodes, making materials easier to obtain. Additionally,
players don’t need to dig as far down in order to find artifact pieces or other
materials. But that’s not all! Players are finally able to mine while the
scanner is active! It even remains on for a bit of time before shutting off.
●
Farming is better streamlined in
Sandrock. Players get an all-in-one tool that shows all of your seeds,
fertilizer, and water availability.
There is plenty more quality of life
changes in Sandrock that could be listed but this gives people an idea about
the game improvements. Overall, these changes are excellent, particularly the
assembly station material placement! I don’t know if I could ever go back to
Portia because of this change alone!
Combat
The combat in Sandrock is not a
blockbuster hit, but it is visually entertaining. Sandrock’s combat system is
rather simplistic but flashy. The gameplay focuses more on the other aspects
than it does on combat, but honestly, this doesn’t take away from my enjoyment
of the game. Combat doesn’t need to be intense for a game to be a hit.
Regardless, players get to choose between
a couple of different weapon types but fundamentally it doesn’t change the
combat difficulty. That said, there is a skill tree where players allocate
points to improve their maximum HP or increase the damage dealt by weapon type.
Distributing points in specific weapon knowledge allows players to combo their
attacks. Depending on the type of weapon, most of them give the ability to
combo five hits on an enemy, which is oddly satisfying.
Workshop Maintenance
My Time at Sandrock adds a new element to
the core gameplay loop which introduces building maintenance. Each machine
still needs topping up with fuel, and also has to be regularly swept of sand.
In the desert, players encounter strong sandstorms. To continue their work,
players equip protective headgear. It also means that the crafting machines
will clog up with sand particles. If the sand builds up too much, the machines
will stop working. As such, players craft a feather duster to periodically wipe
away the sand.
What also sets Sandrock apart from its
predecessor is the requirement for water. The desert doesn’t have many water
sources and the large pond in the town is the primary source of water. Machines
that players use to craft objects require water to run, meaning they have to
keep an eye on their consumption. Thankfully, crafting dew collectors is key to
a builder's survival. Otherwise, purchase some at the water tower maintained by
Burgess. The skill tree has available abilities like water conservation which
also helps to conserve water!
Character Interaction and
Story
Sandrock does a lot more than Portia did
in terms of its story progression. It feels much faster because there is less
downtime between story events. Where Portia’s mission to craft a bridge felt
like it took forever to complete, Sandrock’s objectives seem easier to fulfill.
Perhaps this is due to the ability to mine specific ore nodes which makes it
simpler to stock up on materials. Or maybe I felt it was faster due to having
the ability to get a basic supply shipment earlier in the game. It just felt
like I didn’t *need* to run into the mines every day to collect materials.
On top of the game’s cadence, I found
that I related to and liked more of the townsfolk than I did in Portia. The
Church of Light members care about their fellow townsfolk in Sandrock. For
example, quite early in gameplay, Burgess visits your workshop to do a quick
survey on your mental health. Adding this acknowledgment in a relaxing RPG game
like Sandrock made me smile and I respected the Church of Light more.
But this wasn’t the only aspect of
character engagement that hooked me into the story. I enjoyed listening to
Cooper babble on about whatever was on his mind. Even the dialogue options let
players tell him to get to the point or keep going. As a chatterbox myself,
this character amused me because I was half expecting my character to pass out
from boredom.
Another thing I love about the character
interaction and story progression is the helpful rival. When you arrive in
Sandrock, another person has also answered the call for aid. Mi-an is a fellow
builder that is kind-spirited and rather friendly. Unlike what’s-his-face from
Portia, the drive to complete commissions was more of a friendly rivalry as
opposed to all on war. I didn’t really like the egotistical manner of that
character from Portia. Mi-an is much more interesting. Players even assist her
in a critical investigation later in the story, which also makes me feel like
I'm a part of the town.
Mini-Games and Events
My Time at Sandrock has a number of
unique mini-games and events that players experience. One of the first events
that players can participate in is the experiments with Dr. Fang. On specific
days, players can head over to the medical clinic and try one of Dr. Fang’s
concoctions. Some of these experiments go well while others do not. I think my
character ingested a minor poison at one point, but thankfully it didn’t affect
much in the way of gameplay. Regardless, this event was amusing.
Later, we get to play wack-a-mole at the
arcade with one of the townsfolk. Not only was this event fun, but
participation in the event harkened back to the concept of mental health. All
work and no play make for stressed individuals. This event isn’t a throwaway
concept about how protecting one's mental health is key to a healthy life, but
a reminder. In this way, I praise Sandrock for this inclusion. And if that
isn’t enough, wait until you try Yakmel racing! I had too much fun with that
event. Seriously.
Other Points
Early access titles are rife with issues.
As such, I expect there would be minor grievances throughout my run of the
game. Presumably, these will be rectified through the early access phase but
here are some of the issues I encountered:
Minor Issues:
●
When on horseback, the animal
tends to get stuck at the top of the stairs. Horse-riding is quite smooth in
Portia, so I hope this is rectified quickly.
●
The longer you play the game, the
more it loses stability. So, be sure to restart the game after a couple of
hours. And remember to save often.
●
Out in the desert, there were some
rocks that were missing their textures. They appeared as 2D purple shapes.
●
One of the missions doesn’t
clearly show where to go. It displays the mine entrance, not the meetup point
before arriving at the mine.
●
Every now and then, a popup box or
dialogue would appear with unreadable text. Usually, I would see a string of
characters, presumably a dialect of Chinese. I’m hoping that all text displays
in the proper language selected by the user in the future!
●
Certain navigation aspects on the
controller are not well optimized. While this isn’t game-breaking, controller
navigation needs a bit of love. That said, playing Sandrock on keyboard and
mouse is fantastic, so don’t hold this point against the game!
Final Thoughts About
Sandrock
My Time At Sandrock is a much better game
than its predecessor. I felt that I was much more invested in the story, the
characters, and the events. Even though it felt like we were doing more to maintain
our workshop, I didn’t feel bogged down with any aspect of the game. In fact, I
love this game so much that I already have about 80 hours of playtime! The
graphics are much cleaner, many gameplay aspects are greatly improved, and I’m
much more invested in the world than I was with Portia. All we have to do is
wait on the multiplayer feature and it'll be mostly perfect!
Summary
Fans of My Time At Portia need not
look any further than purchasing My Time At Sandrock. This game builds upon a
solid foundation and is much better for it. Special attention was paid to a
vibrant and realistic world that is environmentally conscientious, includes
diverse characters, and showcases positive mental health messaging.
Players familiar with the previous
title will enjoy almost every aspect of Sandrock to a point where they will
easily lose track of the time. Because Sandrock impressed me, even in the Early
Access stage, it’s fair to say that it is game of the year material!
Score: 10 / 10
