Author: Rich Meister
If you’re big into farming/crafting sim games like me, you might remember a little game called My Time at Portia from a few years ago. Portia was a bit rough around the edges but was most memorable for taking a tried and true formula and setting it in a unique, almost studio Ghibli-inspired world. It’s been a while since Portia was released, and developer Pathea games are finally ready to launch the DLC turned full-fledged sequel My Time at Sandrock in early access.
My Time at Sandrock (PC Early Access Steam and Epic)
Developer: Pathea Games
Publisher: Pathea Games
Released: May 26, 2022, in Early Access
MSRP: $24.99
I spent a few days with an early access build of Sandrock and can confidently say that even in early access, what Pathea games deliver is a proper step up from the already charming original game.
Sandrock is set in a new area to the world already established in Portia, the Eufaula Desert, and the oasis town of Sandrock. You arrive by train and start by creating your character, the new builder in town. Those who played My Time at Portia will immediately notice a far more robust character creator. There still aren’t a ton of options, but there are fun and colorful hairstyles, and you can give yourself some pretty wacky anime pupils; naturally, I went with star-shaped ones.
Upon your arrival, you inherit a dingy-looking builders workshop and get started on learning crafting recipes. This loop will be familiar to anyone who has played any Animal Crossing like crafting game, but Sandrock has some new elements to set it apart. For starters, this desert is short on water, so that means you’ll have to purchase it and make sure your workshop’s tank is filled if you want to keep your machines running and the money flowing in. You’ll also occasionally need to clean the sand off them. The water mechanic, along with a town rule preventing you from felling any living trees( in order to conserve water), felt a little tedious, but once you get in the groove, it's easy to stay ahead of and really adds to the world-building.
The map is almost 50% bigger than My Time at Portia’s and has a lot more to see since the desert landscape doesn’t waste any real estate on water.
While getting the most out of your days is essential, none of the main story objectives are on a strict timer, so you can relax without stressing about letting down the citizens of Sandrock too much. You don’t strictly have to craft to get by either; you can spend time socializing with the villagers like Captian the cat or Justice the local sheriff. The characters in My Time at Portia were equally unique, but everyone in Sandrock feels far more fleshed out and takes a more prominent role in the overall story.
As much as I enjoyed Portia, the main story felt secondary, and Sandrock does a far better job investing the player off the bat.
The overall loop is the same as My Time at Portia use your workshop to build bigger, better machines, expand your property, and, through story missions, make expansions to the town of Sandrock as well. The role of the builder was already established as vital in Portia, but Sandrock does a better job of making the player take on bigger projects faster. When you feel like you’re making a visible impact on the world, the drive to keep going is stronger.
You can also craft various weapons to combat dangerous critters in the desert and some local dungeons. The combat is far from deep, but it feels a lot more responsive than the original game, and the ability to spar against almost any villager in the game is a feature I absolutely love. Plus, the desert cowboy with a sword and shield is a cool aesthetic.
Even in this early alpha stage, Sandrock is stable on the performance end, and I didn't experience a single crash in my ten or so hours of gameplay. A few framerate dips, but this is an early access title, so no one should expect perfection. The visual style is as striking as My Time at Portia but noticeably sharper, and while you would expect a desert landscape to be dreary, the devs still find plenty of colors to help bring the town to life.
Sandrock doesn’t change much of the My Time at Portia formula, but even in this early access stage, it feels like a true sequel that kept what did and didn’t work about its predecessor in mind while also throwing some interesting new ideas at the wall. If you loved the original or are just looking for a fun new crafting simulator, My Time at Sandrock launches in early access on Thursday, May 26, and it is well worth your attention.
[This preview is based on a media access build of the game provided by the publisher]