Dinkum

Naaaaaah, for a game I already bought and played and the brand-new and (in my personal opinion) pretty invasive EULA I refuse to agree to it. So this means I will not be playing the game further (and can't play it), as I do not agree to this new contract. So the game itself is a no from me. Shame too as it was pretty fun with friends at one point a long time back, but... no thanks

I'd love to recommend this game - however, since Krafton has taken over, the new EULA is absurd, invasive, and contradicts statements made by the dev and by Krafton themselves. The restrictions included, and the data collected, do not mesh with what this game is. Krafton is being decidedly vague and shady about the whole thing, and until an official statement or change to the EULA is made, I don't recommend buying it.

Otherwise? The game is fun. Getting money is a bit grindy, but it's fun to explore and the game lacks a lot of my issues with other farm sim / town builder kind of games. I like the gameplay loop - it reminds me a lot of Animal Crossing. The game is very charming, and would definitely be fun with in multiplayer. If the EULA issues are fixed, I'd happily change this to a recommendation.

Since they changed the EULA mid development, after selling the game as Early Access to thousands of players, I can only downvote this.
Steam should protect players against these practices.

Love animal crossing, figured i'd love this too, i bought it on EA the moment i saw it, waited nearly 3 years to give it a proper go an well, it's just not enjoyable

it's way too grindy, tool durability is abysmal, the stamina nonsense when mining/cutting trees down is too much even with food, friendship decay is terrible design in any game like this, enough with that already i mean i do the little task for visiting towns folk to get them to join they leave town the next day an when they come back their hearts have gone down a big chunk

combat is not fun in any way, recipes are too expensive material wise and the shovel only being able to pick up one block at a time unlike other games where it adds the block into your inventory who thought that was a good idea?

licenses, licenses, licenses....

I've had this game since the 1st month of the Early Access release and I can tell you that I had tons and tons of fun. The sort of fun where you can turn off your brain and just mindlessly wander, cut woods, break rocks/ore nodes, kill Jackaroos and Crocos and get killed by a Shark for trying to kill it. I've never played Animal Crossing before so this is my first time playing this type of game. I only play ti'll I get bored then come back later after 6 months to enjoy the new contents then quit then come back again and finally, they have released 1.0. Even after their final patch notes, I believe that I will always come back to this game and I think 10 years from now(hoping that nothing bad will happen to Steam in general) I'll still come back and play for a couple of months more. This is the kind of game that you'll never get tired of playing. I may have found another home and its truly comforting. I just wish there is a physical copy of this game that I can just display in my room, that would be incredibly cool. Thank you James Bendon!

Great game, but grind is the main mechanic

I think I rather liked this game at the beginning, but the progression is bad. While you are seeing new content it is fun, but at some point you have to grind to see just a bit of something new. Later the ratio of repetition vs new content becomes unbearable.

I am sad because there is a huge ton of content that I am missing out. I saw great community creations and beautiful cities, but I just could not force myself to unlock it. Spending weeks of game time on catching animals & fish without no end in sight is not for me.

Maybe there are much more activities later on, but before I got to discover those - I already started HATING the activities that brought me pleasure during early hours of the game.

The co-op part is also does not feel great. There is a primary player with more access to everything, and everyone else would be lacking progression. The host and the other players are not equal, and if you are not the host, you have to spend time on playing in your own world for a bit. Remember I told you that the beginning of the game is fun? Well, even that thing you have to do twice, which is too much.


Some positive things to say: the style and atmosphere is great, the Australian vibes are quite unique and integrated in the game with a lot of attention to details. This does not feel just like Stardew Valley, it has own charm. Somewhere, in the depth of useless time-wasting grind.

I cannot recommend this game at the moment and am seeking a refund due to the EULA changes. I have two major reasons. Update: Sadly Steam will not grant me a refund. I understand that I was not likely to get one, but by no means should anyone else not try on their own to refund.

No game should be able to change their terms post you buying something in a single player or player-to-player co-op non-MMO game. I should be able to do whatever I want with a game that only I or people who choose, specifically, to interact with me in.

Most definitely should not be allowed to track data you did not originally sign up for and have no actual recourse to remove or opt-out of said collections. There are tons of games made in Unity that have a checkbox to tick for this instead of a contact them and get no response or feedback.

----- Game Review ----

1.0 is not much different than when I bought it with a single season. It really didn't go anywhere, but that is the risk of purchasing Early Access. From a person with Godus sitting in the Library.

Fighting is janky and feels far too hard with too high a resource cost of both weapons/heals.

Having to still click every single item to pick up, click to process each item one by one, and then pick up processed items one by one again is terrible. The fact that their are mods to do this means that this was a choice against having pleasant gameplay.

With James february partnership with Krafton and their vague QA on forced data collection/mining i cannot recommend this title anymore.

Krafton is accused of legal issues of selling personal data to 3 parties with no consent. That alone is a turnoff. I bought the game from indie dev and supported it, not some shady mega corp.

The gameplay is a little bit of Stardew Valley and a little bit of Animal Crossing put on top of a whole lotta Marmite. It's got your usual cozy game aesthetic, but beyond the change of the four seasons affecting what crops and wildlife grow, the only real pressure to turbonerd out and get stuff done around the island is what you impose upon yourself.

There is a little spice mixed in, because the game takes place in definitely-not Australia. So you'll have to worry about crocodiles, cassowary, and other baddies that want to give you some thunder from down under. The combat's got some nice light complexity in that regard. You won't be dodge rolling, but you can get tacticool with it. If it's dark out, you can use your flashlight to blind your target to get free hits in. Hammerblows to the head will stun your target, Spears have extra reach, and your cricket bat can get a fire upgrade that doubles as a light source and has a burn damage effect.

Farming is likewise simplistic but competently done, with little tricks you can employ for example, like intentionally leaving gaps in your crop fence where you can plant cage traps. It'll snap up the pests and you can sell them off for big dinks. Or digging water channels through your crops, not only for watercan refilling, but also to plant rice in the water channels, which will never need maintaining as well as rice being a year-round crop. The water will also act as a barricade to keep plant offshoots from spreading out and wasting space. Lots of little details like that.

It's been a great cozy game experience tied together with some Aussie humor that you rarely get to see. The progression has a lot of that stardew valley feel to it, and I wouldn't be surprised if you see Nintendo lifting ideas from Dinkum, especially the scientist villager's QoL features and Dinkum's terrain manipulation ones.

Absolutely love this game, still a bit rough around the edges, but nothing that disrupts game flow or my enjoyment of it. VERY ADDICTING

Ive been using the DevCommand "save" feature because of the unpredictable disconnect issues Multiplayer has in this game. Only the host retains progress and every guests will get all their progress for that day WIPED back to the start of their day like it never happened. All items they had before Back at them that means DUPING can be a problem. Thats why i usually Manually save my progress in case i get disconnected my items will be saved and plus we dont always have the time to finish off a while day and sleep just to save. Wtih the Dev mode completely exclusive to creative mode which disables achievements in the future. Atleast give us the option to manually save anytime so we dont lose progress from disconnection.

I currently have 740 hours under my belt and I'm STILL DISCOVERING NEW STUFF.

There are so many fun things to do in this game!!! From collecting hilarious outfits, to designing a zoo, to building a volcano, to diving for pearls, to beating up crocodiles... you'll never run out of things to do on your island!!

This is my favorite game - which is high praise from a former-hardcore gamer. I work a super stressful job and at night, no matter how late, I hop on to spend a day decorating, hunting magpie, farming, petting my animals, and get those kinky freaks flys late at night.

Thank you to the developer.

I never like to leave negative comments for a hardworking developer, but selling your player base out to a company that uses GenAI and has legal issues revolving around some heinous stuff is where I draw the line. I bought this game to support a developer, not your bad choice in a publisher actively harming developers and artist rights.

Changed EULA AFTER purchase and steams refund time elapsed, and to even READ the EULA you get redirected out of steam to a website that forces cookies if you want to even READ the EULA your signing up to.

That's unethical and a whole lot of nope to me.

This game is like if animal crossing, stardew, and valhiem got mushed into a soup. And the soup slaps. They really need better advertising cause It looks like boring dog water on the steam page. But then you play it and 6 hours disappeared. Truly a gem hidden behind its own mask. Rpg style leveling. combat, gathering, building, taming, farming, fishing and more. All to the sound of friends in coop multiplayer. If youve played the games I listed youre already familiar with the systems at play here. But youll see theyve been improved upon as well. Like fishing for example. Its animal crossing style fishing. But now you reel in the fish and you can actually see what youre catching instead of just a shadow. Im highly critical of games but I havent really found anything wrong with this one yet. And believe me Im looking. In fact it keeps impressing me. Its more than just a cozy farm sim. I know youve looked on the store for something to play and seen this orange lookin snore fest with a funky name over a thousand times. Im telling you now its a good time.

This one surprised me. A very cozy life sim survival/crafting game. A bit like Animal Crossing, except it's far easier to terraform and move buildings around. There's combat but its not that difficult and not the main focus. The fishing in this game is fun and I spend way too much time doing that over farming. Haha!

Great Game. This is the very few games my gf willing to play with me (she doesn't like games). I have downloaded this game since it was released. Wishing for more wild animals like koalas, turtles, sugar gliders, and more farm animals.

Easy to lose your problems when playing this game. Peaceful and a lot of fun :)

Play this game if you like when you die you get taxed and your tools and your friends tools lose durability. oh right don't forget your tools in your chest they'll lose durability too. Pretty chill for a game right?

WHAT CAN I SAY!!! This game is so addictive and it has so much to it, it's like if animal crossing had combat and deep crafting mechanics. Seriously when i bought this game and started it up i was on it for 13 hours before i realized what time it was. IT WILL CONSUME YOU. JOIN US :) :)

For the non-game related reason I'm saying "don't buy this game": Developer sold out to a crappy third-party publisher, KRAFTON, who immediately tried to foist a new EULA on its existing player base, which contradicted the previous terms, in the hopes of selling your data. Since then, the dev has been completely radio silent about his reasons for selling, for why he's allowed KRAFTON to change the terms of service, etc. I suppose he's hoping the furor will die down and he can get back to bilking customers.

For the game-related reasons I say, "don't buy this game": The UI is horrible; building mechanics are a slog; the game is laggy and grindy. This type of survival game has been done to death; it offers nothing new and doesn't respect your time. My personal playtime is so high because I had to restart 3 different times due to game-breaking bugs that forced a new world. After the last game-breaking bug, I've given up playing this game to the end. Which is fine, as there really is no "end" to this game. It has no quest structure or end-goal, anyway. You just build stuff and try to get all the things until you're tired of playing.

For those who are fine with an indie game (of all things; I expect someone like Squeenix to sell your data, not an indie title) selling your data, and who need another casual survival game out of the MANY casual survival games in existence, I suppose you could buy this game. But I sure wouldn't. I'd have gotten a refund if Steam's policy on refunds wasn't so draconian. Apparently they're totally fine with a game changing its terms of service, so long as you went past the 2-hour limit before doing so. Personally, I think it allows for abusive practices, but I'm not a billions-of-dollars software delivery company making money hands over fists. Maybe if I needed to protect another $250,000 against "greedy, entitled consumers who think they own their games," I'd feel the same way? Who knows?

This gameplay is just...weird, choppy and a complete copy of Animal Crossing which wouldnt be bad if done correctly. Which makes it funny is their Terms and Conditions- making it almost scary to even agree to and play. They want no sharing, no streaming, no modding or 'exploiting' which is rich coming from a company who basically robbed Nintendo's whole AC game.

No thanks. Uninstall.

I played most of the time before Krafton got added on and let me say this, it is a very fun game. This has been my go to for a survival game. On that note, once Krafton was added to this I have gone out of my way not to play it. Krafton is one of the scummiest publishers. They're the same people that f****d up PUBG too. I used to play PUBG all the time and now i never play anymore cause the changes they've made to that one too.....change publishers and id absolutely play again. Other than that ill get into a little bit of the game itself now. Alot of it was similar to Animal Crossing, but with challenging wildlife. I never got really far into animal crossing so i cant tell you if there were similarities in that regard. The controls were a little off putting at first in the regard of you have to be very specific with your placement. It does not pause unless you hit the pause button on the right side of the journal exit page. That being said you also cannot save, Sleeping/ ending the day is when it saves. Other than being unable to save whenever and the pause not being integrated into the exit screen, every other aspect was great.

I learned to use controller just so I can play this game from the sofa - really relaxing. Progress can be as slow or fast as you want. Chill game :)

This is an amazing game. The programming is excellent, the gameplay never disappoints, you are guaranteed to have fun with this game. The best Aussie game on steam.

The game is incredible simple for someone starting into games with partners. My wife and me play this game and we are so into this. Quality time <3

A weird mix between Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley which seems really promising upfront but the gameplay just doesn't make much sense. The energy bar might as well not be there, and health does not respond to food (from what I could tell), so they're virtually pointless. The game mechanics for picking up objects, placing objects, mining, etc. are extremely clunky and mildly frustrating. The licenses seemed like a nice idea when it was introduced, but you can pretty much buy all of them right at the beginning, which makes no sense for game progression. Also, I have no clue how to fish. As much as I love the concept, and really wanted to love the game, this game needs a lot of work for me to revisit.

This is a great game! I have had so many hours of enjoyment out of this game, that I couldn't recommend it more!
Tons of gardening
Vehicles and tools
lots of adventure, and things to collect! This game has it all!
Please check it out, you won't regret it!

New publisher established a third party EULA. It's mostly not bad but some terms are intolerable:

"without written permission from Company, use, advertise or exploit in any manner the Game, the Documentation or the Services (in each case in whole or in part) for non-personal, commercial purposes;"
-Bye bye YouTube vids. Chrissy pointed out in the comments that this may not be so big of a deal as an earlier segment of the TOS permits gameplay videos- but there's a question of paywalled content such as patreon or youtube members.

"use the Game, or permit use of the Game, in a network, multi-user arrangement or remote access arrangement, including any online use, except as otherwise allowed through normal operation of the Game (as it is intended to be played) or explicitly permitted by Company in writing;"
- So, no family sharing. Is this even enforceable?

"harm the reputation of Company, our affiliates, our service providers or licensors, or the reputation of the Game, the Documentation or the Services;"
- You've already done it yourself. But seriously? Is this a joke? "Harm the reputation?" WTF.

"exploit errors and bugs found while playing the Game, the Documentation or using the Services;"
- Again, is this realistically enforceable? Also, why is this a TOS thing? It's our right to do what we want with a game we bought. It literally can't hurt anyone.

"use, develop, advertise, trade, or distribute unauthorized programs, including but not limited to any programs that intercept communications in the Game between a game and a game server or between a Service and its server, or any unauthorized third-party programs or Devices that may affect the Game or normal game play or access to the Services (including but not limited to hacks, cheats, helpers, bots, scripts, trainers, automatic programs, automatic mouse, mouse with macro function, programs that collect or modify game data by reading the game memory, etc.)."
- No modding. This line explicitly bans modding the game. This level of stupidity is just... embarrassing.

"manipulate the Game or Services in an unfair way or otherwise access or use the Game or Services in a manner that confers an unfair advantage or disadvantage to any player including yourself;"
- What unfair advantage? What inter-player competition is in this chill island builder game? Also, how the friction do you intend to enforce this?

"use IP proxying or other methods to disguise the location of your use or Device, whether to circumvent geographical restrictions on the use of the Game, the Documentation or Services or for any other purpose or in a way that violates these Terms"
- bans using any sort of VPN.

A lot of terms are protective at the users, but these highlighted terms are expressly anti-consumer. Unenforceable and frankly unacceptable.

I'll consider changing this to the deserved review when this EULA is repealed.

EDIT: I just noticed that I posted this on April 1st. NO this is not a joke or prank post. Read the EULA when prompted on launching the game.

Very fun, light hearted game a lá Animal Crossing, but the dev sold out to a mobile game publisher. Why's that a problem? Because I have yet to see a game that didn't get monetized to being borderline unplayable, and Krafton publishing pubg doesn't inspire confidence that this will be any different after release.

Awesome game. Dev sold out to Krafton. EULA changed, no way to opt out. Stay away.

I'll probably catch flak for this, but I think overall it's a better Stardew. The one area I think Stardew does better is the depth of the NPCs and the relationship mechanics. Everything else-- farming, crafting, hunting, mining-- is done better and is more engaging in Dinkum than Stardew. Plus, we get the added benefit of Animal Crossing's ability to completely terraform and organize the island.

If you like Stardew Valley, Roots of Pacha, Animal Crossing, Coral Island, or any of the other farming sims or "cozy games," I'm confident you'll love Dinkum.

Very fun to play on your own or with friends <3 Especially with adorable Australian friends X3

Good times. If you're looking for a Co-Op progression experience this is not it. Plus, the game was Sold to a Korean mobile game publisher which is a massive letdown

its animal crossing with more

Final Verdict: 81/100

Average: 75-84 (75-84%)
Performance or gameplay meets the passing mark but remains average.
There are areas that could be improved to enhance the gaming experience.
Cautiously Recommended To Certain Gamers -

Player Opinion Steam Review

Gameplay Experience (21/25)

Intuitive Controls - Easy to use.
☐ Very Difficult (+1)
☐ Difficult (+2)
☐ Moderate (+3)
☐ Easy (+4)
☑ Very Easy (+5)


Balanced Gameplay - Fair and equal.
☐ Poorly Balanced (+1)
☐ Somewhat Balanced (+2)
☐ Moderately Balanced (+3)
☐ Well Balanced (+4)
☑ Perfectly Balanced (+5)


Player Engagement - Involving and captivating.
☐ Not at all (+1)
☐ Slightly (+2)
☐ Moderately (+3)
☑ Very (+4)
☐ Extremely (+5)


Decision Relevance - Meaningful choices.
☐ Meaningless (+1)
☐ Not Meaningful (+2)
☑ Somewhat Meaningful (+3)
☐ Quite Meaningful (+4)
☐ Highly Meaningful (+5)


Rewarding Progression - Satisfying advancement.
☐ Very Unsatisfying (+1)
☐ Unsatisfying (+2)
☐ Neutral (+3)
☑ Satisfying (+4)
☐ Very Satisfying (+5)


Presentation & Immersion (17/25)

Compelling Storyline - Engaging narrative.
☐ Not Interesting (+1)
☐ Slightly Interesting (+2)
☑ Moderately Interesting (+3)
☐ Very Interesting (+4)
☐ Extremely Interesting (+5)


Immersive Atmosphere - Captivating environment.
☐ Not Immersive (+1)
☐ Slightly Immersive(+2)
☑ Moderately Immersive (+3)
☐ Very Immersive (+4)
☐ Completely Immersive (+5)


Visual Aesthetics - Stunning graphics.
☐ Not Appealing (+1)
☐ Slightly Appealing (+2)
☑ Moderately Appealing (+3)
☐ Very Appealing (+4)
☐ Extremely Appealing (+5)


Audio Quality - High-quality sound.
☐ Not Engaging (+1)
☐ Slightly Engaging (+2)
☑ Moderately Engaging (+3)
☐ Very Engaging (+4)
☐ Extremely Engaging (+5)


Polished HUD - Clean and functional interface.
☐ Very Unfriendly (+1)
☐ Unfriendly (+2)
☐ Neutral (+3)
☐ Friendly (+4)
☑ Very Friendly (+5)


Design & Technical Aspects (19/25)

Game Design - Well-crafted mechanics.
☐ Poorly Designed (+1)
☐ Somewhat Designed (+2)
☐ Moderately Designed (+3)
☑ Well Designed (+4)
☐ Excellently Designed (+5)


Content Quality - Rich and diverse.
☐ Poor Content (+1)
☐ Limited Content (+2)
☐ Moderate Content (+3)
☑ Extensive Content (+4)
☐ Abundant Content (+5)


AI Behavior - Intelligent and realistic.
☐ Very Poor (+1)
☐ Poor (+2)
☑ Average (+3)
☐ Good (+4)
☐ Excellent (+5)


Settings - Flexible and customizable.
☐ Very Limited (+1)
☐ Limited (+2)
☑ Moderate (+3)
☐ Flexible (+4)
☐ Highly Flexible (+5)


Technical Issues - Minimal or no problems.
☐ Numerous (+1)
☐ Moderate (+2)
☐ Limited (+3)
☐ Minor (+4)
☑ None (+5)


Final Considerations (24/25)

Overall Satisfaction - General enjoyment level.
☐ Very Dissatisfied (+1)
☐ Dissatisfied (+2)
☐ Neutral (+3)
☐ Satisfied (+4)
☑ Very Satisfied (+5)


Microtransactions - In-game purchases.
☐ Extensive (+1)
☐ Substantial (+2)
☐ Moderate (+3)
☐ Minimal (+4)
☑ None (+5)


Replay Value - Longevity and replayability.
☐ Very Low (+1)
☐ Low (+2)
☐ Moderate (+3)
☑ High (+4)
☐ Very High (+5)


Cost-to-Play Ratio - Money spent vs hours played.
☐ Overpriced (+1)
☐ Poor Value (+2)
☐ Fair Value (+3)
☐ Good Value (+4)
☑ Excellent Value (+5)


Recommendation.
☐ No (+0)
☑ Yes (+5)

Generate your review at https://playeropinion.com

It's a great game but they could definitely improve storage situation of the bugs/fishes etc. It looks awful and takes up so much space!😒

Me and hubby just loved this game! We played it for many many hours but it was early access so after a while we could't get any further. But it is just so fun and cozy. Like a MUCH funnier and more advamced version of Animal Crossing. Dinkum is like a little paradise island. :D

It's fine. It takes way too long to progress compared to the depth the game has. If you're going to make me grind forever then give me something interesting happening while I'm grinding.

But it's really still fine. I enjoyed it.

Aight so Dinkum is like stardew but aussie and more sigma u grind u build u fight crocs and get rich its actualy insane i went in like "yea ill play a bit" then boom 6 hours gone im in debt to a dude named fletch and john the shop guy lowkey got me feeling things idk man i like men

gameplay? banger u mine u fish u farm u fight animals and ur town goes from broke dirt patch to elite sigma empire multiplayer goes crazy too just runnin round w the boys committing warcrimes on emus

Final thots? if u like stardew but want more danger capitalism and suffering get this game if u dont like it? skil isue

score: 420/10 im dinkuming evrywere

57 hours

I found myself really enjoying this game! From it's so cozy and warm graphics, to the small similarities to other island games. But still sticking out from other's.

I like that you can befriend the villagers and get to know them a bit. The way you can really customize the city almost however you want, is really nice aswell. It's nice to look back at where you started and how a little plot of earth turned into a small, cozy town. Nice game to boot up if you're feeling like playing "for a while" and then glance at the clock realising you've been playing non stop for two hours xD. It really has a way of making you feel accomplished when doing small tasks for yourself, or villagers. Which then makes you want to keep going! Nice work, devs!

A lil complaint

It feels really robotic with the characters actually. Although they have different personalities and nice character designs, it does really feel like you are just reading the same dialouges when speaking to them. It would be nicer if they had a bit more backstory, beef or something to make you like the characters even more. Maybe being able to acutally talk to them about other small subjects would be cool! :)

LOve love love this game! Perfect mix of relaxing and exiting. Also love building up my town :) Definitly can recommend!!!!!

Changing EULA on the already purchased product is not acceptable.

This
is not
Animal crossing from down under.
This game is actually

A cozy looking version of Diablo

Yeah, you kinda help out town folks and some fruits. But your main game loop is dive into this Mouth-of-Hell-in the-Middle-of-the-Village dungeon, each level more infernal, so you loot, come back, and upgrade.

It was okay-ish but just felt off. I thought for sure I could easily get into this game with my many hours playing games such as Animal Crossing but I was wrong. It's just not as fun as it made itself out to be. And the nonsense with changing a EULA agreement and then forcing players to email personal information to a foreign company just to opt out of data collection, is not good.

Good luck on your future endeavours.

Changing contract (EULA) on the already purchased product is not acceptable.

Changing contract (EULA) on the already purchased product is not acceptable.

This is a fun game with elements of town building, befriending NPC's, survival, defeating monsters, foraging and mining it will not leave anyone bored!

Third party EULA? A new game announced while this one lingers in EA with sparse updates? No thanks.

Sad to see.