WARNING, LOTS AND LOTS OF RAMBLING , THIS IS ME EXPRESSING MY LOVE TO THE GAME, don't read if you're bored it'll just get you more bored, this is for the devs :d.
I'm normally not into open world survival games, I don't even like Minecraft, but this game makes it so relaxing and intuitive to progress through the game because of it's simple graphics and easy-to-understand mechanics. I love that all the things that you can build can be easily used without the need for any instructions, like I figured out how to use cells, wood burners, robots etc. in a matter of just seconds. Just the direction keys, Q,E,F, and your mouse button can get you through the whole game and I absolutely adore that! I love the pixel theme (although some of the pixel themed text can get a bit hard to read at times) because it brings simplicity to the whole game and makes everything look uniform, neat and tidy. I also like that the devs didn't just leave me with an open world game, they took effort to add characters with quirky dialogues who give you tasks for rewards, and various locations named and designed based on the story that's driven by the tasks given by the in-game characters. I love the simple combat system that is just advanced enough to require good shoot-em-up skills from the player but not too advanced that it becomes complex and too challenging.
I love that it's so easy to save the game and even when you die in the game, all your resources stay and nothing happens to your base or any of your vital progress, the mission just gets reset. It puts no pressure on you and I find that so cool. I love that it's so easy to explore new lands, mine and kill enemies along the way.
I'm sorry I'm rambling a bit, I just want to give the devs my feedback. Anyways,
I love the money system in this game, I think the devs have got it spot on! The system of buying goods you need and selling ones you don't in order to build stuff to improve your farm is just amazing. It makes you more resourceful and has personally made me more organized and resourceful in real life. It's also nice that you get rewarded money for doing missions, adding another way to buy goods. It's a nice touch that you can change the prices of your goods too.
The crafting system is done so brilliantly in this game! It makes it so easy to build and know what you need to build something so that you can buy the required goods with no hassle. Unlike Minecraft, where you need an online manual just to build a damn torch if you're a new player. Not that I hate Minecraft, it's just that I think Sand does crafting better.
I love that it's set in a desert and not in like a lush forest, because it makes you value resources more, it gives you space to be creative, and sets a nice theme throughout the whole game. By the way, love the soundtrack, it's just right for this game.
I love the underlying themes like you're a slave kept captive by E.D.I.E and that you're saving all of humanity, it gives me a sense of purpose and a vague but present end goal and I'm not just doing all this hard work for jack. I love that characters refer to the devs as many names like "He Who Codes", that breaks the 4th wall and I absolutely adore that and it really cracks me up. I especially love the orphan mission where the lady says the kids can't die because "He Who Codes" thinks that it's demoralizing (you've got that spot on by the way).
I used to actually play a lot of graphically intense games like FIFA, GTA 4, Crysis, etc. but now that I've discovered this game, I've found that such a simple game can bring me more satisfaction that any of those games can. It's just because the game is so relaxing, but at the same time offers just the right amount of intensity in the form of the story, combat, missions, rewards, farming, buying, selling, etc to keep you captivated. It's a game that offers you such a high degree of playability that you can perform a wide range of actions, from free roaming, to completing missions for cash, to farming, to base building, to decoration, to electric circuitry, to even changing the price of good you sell, and so much more, yet it's all contained in a simple, happy, light package.
That's all from me, to whoever bothered to read this. I mainly hope the devs read this, if you are, I think you've made the most underrated game ever that deserves sooooo much more recognition. You've done an absolutely splendid job with this project and I absolutely adore it. I'll drop a donation when I can ( I'm 16, so I can't give much) but you guys deserve way more.
Thanks for blessing us with this game Voided Pixels Studio, cracking stuff.
Love from India
Cheers, Nikhil.
