My Time at Sandrock

This is one of those feel good games you are sad when it is all over but all good things must come to a end and you will always have the memories. I loved connecting with the characters in this universe. My only two gripes are that combat is way to easy and that you only get to marry and spend more time with Nia towards the end of the game shes a great character and its sad you do not get more time with her. Otherwise a game you need to experience and I can't wait for the next one.

I had a fantastic experience with My Time at Sandrock! The gameplay is engaging, and the world feels alive with its detailed lore and unique setting. I especially loved learning about the Alliance, Sandrock's history, and even connections to Portia and Vega 5. The developers have put a lot of effort into world-building, and it shows.

That said, I found My Time at Portia a bit more fun and easier to play overall. Sandrock's difficulty makes sense given its desert environment—resources are scarcer, and survival is more challenging compared to Portia's lush overworld. I get the direction they were going for, and it fits the story well, but it might take some adjustment if you're coming from Portia.

If you enjoyed My Time at Portia and are looking for something with a bit more challenge and deeper lore, My Time at Sandrock is definitely worth playing. Looking forward to more updates and adventures in this amazing world!

THIS GAME IS CRAAAACKED!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO GOOD!!!!
I will spoil nothing, best grind based town builder with combat mechanics.

(Needs Hard Mode and more available multiplayer, like more than 4 people even, not necessarily all at once, in your city.)

I love this game, from the beautiful art and stunning location to the rich story and the interesting people. I've been playing the my time games since the first and this game lives up to all the hype and more.

Amazing immersive game set in the post-apocalyptic future. You are young, leaving home for the first time, arriving in a rundown small town in the desert. Gorgeous landscapes, witty writing, moving plot.

One of my fav cozy game. I didn't expect the story progression, townies events and dialogue would be hilarious. The dev put so much unexpected humor inside. Love it. Now waiting for My Time at Evershine release. Good luck Pathea.

A fun builder/adventure/farming sim, the music is relaxing the characters are compelling and most of them are likeable and loveable. most of the game's story is steady and pretty smooth as long as you keep up with the main quest. It does suffer from pacing problems near the end and feels like a slow and long epilogue.
10/10 will play again. Loved all the refferrences.

This is one of the greatest life sims i have ever played there is a great story great amount of content and it does take time to beat it. This game has every thing i could want from a life sim and it is actually appropriate.

It's such a great sequel to My Time At Portia. The story is interesting so far (haven't finished it yet). I love all the characters and am enjoying the social aspect of the game much more than in Portia. It's really enjoyable to just explore the map. The music is great and the game is overall a very relaxing experience. Highly recommend.

Possibly more addictive than My Time at Portia. I haven't finished the game yet, but the story so far has been engaging. I don't (usually) feel overwhelmed with activities. Days where multiple events can occur at once are an exception.

A lot of features have been improved on (eg: you can repair things/build on the assembly station/turn in commissions without having the item(s) in your hand or backpack; so long as they're in your inventory at home, you're good to go). The only thing I find myself missing from MTaP is a piece of furniture like the reclining chair that refilled your stamina bar super quickly. I'm sure that if I went looking for a mod like that, I could find one, but I'm enjoying the game enough on its own to not have any interest in modding my first playthrough.

The townies are delightful, and fun to get to know. None feel like copy/pastes of each other. Getting to be friends with people in the game feels rewarding, and earned. Also, the romance is kind of blowing me away. I've been pursuing Owen, and it's been cool to see him return my interest and even plan activities on his own. It doesn't feel like I'm just buying affection or interest with gifts. Doing the story missions and slowly getting to know the people in town naturally has made the developing relationships feel much more authentic.

MTaS is funny, with the same sort of humor and charm that I loved about MTaP. This is the epitome of cozy gaming to me; this series has so much heart, I can't help but adore it, even when it's not always perfect.

Good game, very fun, would make heart-eyes at Owen again.

A Wholesome game

A fantastic game and a great sequel to My Time At Portia. Like it's predecessor but unlike other games in the farming/crafting game genre, My Time At Sandrock prioritises story and characters over pure crafting. It really is special to see how Sandrock and its inhabitants grow and change throughout the course of the game from your interactions and quests.

If you enjoy cosy farming/crafting games this is definitely the game for you, there is a lot of content so be prepared for it to keep you entertained for quite a while.

I'm having a blast so far in Sandrock, and I still have a long way to go to unlock everything. The player is a builder that will take on requests from the townsfolk to build stuff for them or for the town, instead of being a farmer which I am used to in these kind of games. So that's a new twist. I do think we will unlock desert farming so I'm looking forward to that. I like interacting with the characters and getting to know them, which you do gradually over time. I'm really looking forward to meeting the bandit that's causing trouble for the town and what his motives could be. There is a lot of grinding to get all the required materials you need in your work, but I think it will get better later on, probably unlocking easier ways to get everything. You can explore the world, mine in dungeons and fight in other dungeons. You can fight the wildlife too, but why would you. Overall I'm having a good time and can recommend the game to anyone that likes collecting materials, interacting with NPC's and maybe marry one of them and start a family, and exploring!

This is a story review and it spoils a large part of the main story and many secrets. Please refrain if you don't want that.




Spoiler Warning




For a game in this genre, it is kind of expected that the story is very long, starts off slow and picks up gradually. What I did not expect was for it to pick up THIS MUCH. You go from a builder revitalizing a desert town to THAT PERSON who held off the game's equivalent of the 1939 German Invasion of Poland.

Yes, the halfway point of the main story is marked by significant military action where you help repel an invading force wearing grey uniforms. Bet you didn't see that coming. I didn't. Also you remember Fallout 4's Brotherhood airship? The enemy has that, too. It sounds like I am drunk and making this up, but this is 100% real. You just have to put like 40 hours into the game to get to that point.

I thought the invasion was the ending climax, to be honest. But apparently not, and the story just continues after the siege, leaving you to pick up the pieces left by a military operation. Just another day in Sandrock, I guess?

Also the character named Grace - When I first saw her I thought, "She looks like a blonde Ada Wong". What I didn't know was that she literally is blonde Ada Wong - a secret agent sent to Sandrock and develops a friendship/romance (your choice) with you. So if you want a blonde Ada Wong, Leon, you are in the right place, unexpectedly.

It sounds like madness, I know, but I promise the story is oddly engaging, bolstered by a cast of unique, memorable characters that all feel alive. There are ALMOST no bland characters apart from the rando travelers. (Though I say almost because there are one or two really forgettable ones.)

Do I recommend the story? Yes, absolutely. A game with such a casual look has no right having a story this engaging and interesting. And if you like the feeling of "I love it but I'm sorry - WHAT?", then I urge you to try.

Buy it at any time, waiting for discounts is optional, and you are better off buying it based on when your vacations are instead of when discounts will be, considering how time consuming the game is.

Can we just talk about the fact that its has personal online servers where your friends can login whenever? 10/10, every multiplayer building game should have this.

I recommend My Time at Sandrock—but with significant caveats. Many reviews portray it as an unparalleled cozy game, perhaps the best in its genre. Unfortunately, that’s an overhyped perspective, possibly influenced by support for an underdog or nostalgia from Patreon backers. While the game is enjoyable, it is far from polished and comes with numerous frustrating issues that feel amateurish for a full release.

Issues Encountered:
1. Unrealistic Requests: Villagers often ask for items I am incapable of crafting, both as gifts and commissions, which disrupts progression.
2. Clunky Aiming System: Mining is unnecessarily difficult due to poor targeting mechanics, making it a frustrating experience.
3. Confusing Farming Mechanics:
• Farming involves a hidden submenu that’s hard to discover.
• Managing water for crops is overly complicated.
• Midgame recipes provide minimal help in regaining stamina, making farming feel unrewarding until (possibly) the late game.
• Overall, the purpose and benefits of farming are poorly explained.
4. Bugs and Glitches:
• A character tasked me to find a treasure, but it vanished when I didn’t retrieve it immediately. After searching aimlessly, I discovered online that this is a known bug.
• Outdoor cutscenes are frequently interrupted by wild animals wandering into the frame, blocking the view and shoving characters around.
• In the final level of the mines, a misleading arrow at the bottom suggests a door to another level, but it doesn’t exist. Many players waste in-game weeks digging aimlessly.
5. Poor Optimization on Switch: The Switch version has unreadable text, blurry graphics, and overall poor performance. Yet, reviews for this version remain disproportionately positive.
6. Inadequate Instructions:
• Planning a birthday party? The game never explains you need to earn tokens in the arcade to buy a banquet table.
• Halloween ghost hunting? Following the instructions to sign up led to nothing happening.
• Pets and mounts are hinted at but remain unexplained, even after 60+ hours of gameplay.
7. Frustrating Friendship System:
• Repeated gifts reduce their friendship value, forcing players to hunt for alternatives.
• Discovering good gifts, crafting them, and carrying them clutters inventory.
• Maxing friendships feels unnecessarily punishing and tedious. Even as a completionist, I couldn’t justify the effort.
8. Unpleasant NPCs: Yan, the player’s supervisor, is outright stressful. His constant belittling, credit-stealing, and manipulative behavior disrupt the cozy vibe. I play these games to relax, not to endure toxic work environments.

Final Thoughts:

My Time at Sandrock is fun but plagued with awkward, clunky mechanics and frequent moments of frustration. You’ll need to forgive its many faults to enjoy the experience. While it has potential, in many ways it feels more like an amateur title than a polished release.

awsome game, was in a bit of a slump on games i play, tried this as id been debateing it for a while, 14 hours in and im still thouroghly enjoying it

Probably one of the most fun games I ever played, I would a thousand percent reccomend giving it a try. : D

To Start This Review Usually Pathea Games Are Known To Be Pretty Decent And Looking At
And Playing My time At Sandrock The Game Is Nice To look At I Would Say The Characters
Are Fine And I Love The Idea Of Being Able To Have a Relationship The Game Runs Smooth
Could Probably Run On A Lower End Machine
HOWEVER The One Huge Huge Fault With This Game Is The Building And Crafting
Why the Hell Make It Like Rocket Science Just To Upgrade A Work Bench
If You Accept Quests From The Towns Folk You End Up Failing The Quests and Achievements
Way Before You Can Update If At All Any of Your Work Benches
This Game Could Have Been Great If The Crafting Had Not Been So Difficult
A Game Is Meant To Be Enjoyed Not Frustrating To The Point You Want To Throw
Your PC Out the Windows [ lol ] Now If It Was Possible To Do SomeThing About The
Crafting And Building Then Maybe I would Change This Review But Cannot see That
Happening Due To Probably To Much Of A Huge Code Change Who Knows
But As It Stands This Is A Big Thumbs Down From Me ....

This game is a lot of fun, and a good mix of cozy and still interesting.

Takes 5ever to load on my terrible computer, but I do really love this game and play it whenever I have the patience to wait for it to load. I loved MTAP, and this game develops further on that concept without straying too far from the original. Very pleasing!! The characters are wonderful, story line is captivating, and the mechanics are very fun. Definitely a must play for the average cozy gamer, especially if you're getting a little sick of just planting crops constantly!

I have 190+ hours and every other time I load it, my computer restarts!!! And only THIS game does it. Great game besides... that.

Great game, lots of improvements from My Time at Portia, So far I am loving the story.

Big fan so far of the My Time series. Portia was great and this improves on everything from that. Lots of fun feeling like a real member of the town and watching it grow from your actions.

This game is absolutely astounding. I loved Portia so much it changed the way I view gaming and Sandrock took what Portia had and made everything ten times better. The characters are richer, the story is fuller, the humor is dialed up, the meaningful moments mean more, the mechanics are smoother, and more and more. I have fallen so in love with pathea games and their works and I couldn’t recommend them enough. I highly recommend playing Portia and Sandrock. The only critical thing I will say is that it feels like there is a lot of dead air between story points in Sandrock especially into the third act. It’s too easy to stockpile resources and be able to build everything immediately and then just have to sit there and wait. I felt more of a sense of urgency in Portia which helped with the flow. This game is a 10/10 for me though and everyone considering buying should do it.

Great evolution from My Time at Portia. A beautiful game, with tons of contents and stuff to explore!

Listen - the art can be .... jarring at times. But, after 2 days of playing it, you really do get used to it. The game is good.

I like the farm life sim, and this game does it pretty well. Story is well done so far and the characters all have different personalities, which makes it more fun. The mini games are always a nice break and have been a lot of fun.

I happened upon the "My Time franchise" while looking for something similar to Harvest Moon and Rune Factory.
Here farming was switched with crafting "or building" but in all other aspects it plays just like those games.

The core of the game is resource gathering and crafting to complete story quests, side quests and earn some money. Money in turn can then be spent on building and upgrading all the various machines used for crafting, but also expanding your yard, building a bigger house, or spending time with NPC's.

Like in RF and HM, Social simulation also plays a big part in My Time at Sandrock. There are plenty of people inn town to befriend or even date and eventually marry. The characters are really well developed and makes it hard to pick a favourite.

The dialogue is in most cases are funny which adds to the charm. The side content will take you from running dungeons to fishing and farming and cover a variety of mini games!

If you're into casual gaming or need a break from competitive play, give this a shot!

I can’t recommend this game enough—it’s everything! As someone who enjoys crafting, farming, and building, this game feels like it was made just for me.

The desert town of Sandrock is stunning and full of life, with vibrant characters and an atmosphere that feels so immersive. I loved getting to know the quirky NPCs, each with their own stories and personalities. The relationships you build—whether friendships or romances—feel genuine and rewarding, and they add so much heart to the experience.

The crafting system is deep and satisfying, giving me a real sense of accomplishment as I built up my workshop from scratch. Whether it’s creating essential tools or massive machines, the progression is incredibly rewarding. The farming mechanics are also unique, with water conservation adding a fun twist that fits perfectly with the desert setting.

Exploration is another highlight—there are so many places to discover, from ancient ruins to hidden treasures. It’s like there’s always something new to do or uncover, and I never felt bored. The game’s music and visuals are also beautiful, drawing me further into its charming world.

Overall, this game is an absolute joy to play. If you enjoy games like Stardew Valley or My Time at Portia, this is a must-play. It’s relaxing, creative, and packed with content that kept me coming back for more.

i've played more than 236.2 hours... not sure why it says that, but I play on GFN and I couldn't play for the last week due to the long queue, 329 people..... lol but the game itself is good.

I absolutely love this game, it has SUCH an expansive story line. All of the My Time game have been BANGERS so far and i am also beyond excited for the new evershine game as well. It has tonnes of replay value in my opinion and even when i first started playing it in early access i still loved it. 10/10 all the way

It's just a great game. The whole My Time series are. Definitely worth buying and giving a shot. You don't need to play My Time at Portia first, but that one's well worth it also!

One of the best cozy game with a good story-rich and world building. Every characters design in my time series are so unique and lovable.

I love this game and the studio. The story and NPC's are very well done. I loved the desert theme a lot.

Very engaging game. One of the better crafting games I have played. I enjoy the balance between the game's progression and other crafting tasks.

Personally, I will put My Time at Sandrock in a league of its own, if I compared them to any other Cozy/farming sims games I've ever played. I easily clocked 200 hours playtime in less than 2 months, it's a little bit "addicting", immersive and engaging to say the least.

The quality of life update this game got compared to Portia, makes it even better as a sequel.

Pros :

• Basically a refined version of Portia, this game take cozy/farming sims game genre to a whole another level.
  It's in 3rd person perspective. You can build and expand your farm or workshop, build and construct your house/workshop from the ground up.
  
  
• Immersive experience. Interact with the townsfolk, the town, and the environment, and watch as things around you develop and change over time.
  You can take a commission(s) from the townsfolk each day, rebuild the town, make friends (and of course you can get married), fight and/or befriend mutants, grow crops or raise animals if you wanted to (neither are mandatory), there's still a jealousy game mechanic, mining and dungeon, fighting monster & other opponent like an RPG games, upgrade your skill tree, and much much more.
  
  
• This game got so much quality of life update compared to Portia like:
  - You can take more than 1 commission per day.
  - You don't need to put material on your quick bar back and forth when you want to build something on your assembly station.
  - Your backpack, storages, and late game factory inventories, mostly interconnected.
  
  
• Graphics/Visual/Art style is vastly improve compared to Portia. The townsfolk character design are good/look more lively.
  
  
• The Story surprisingly good and engaging, at least for me. It took me 300 hours with 0.6 game speed to complete all Main and Side quests (including post marriage quest, having 2 kids, etc.)
  
  
• Compared to Portia, in this game your children can grow up, up to school-age child
  

Cons :

• You have less social interaction with your own baby/child compared to Portia. Like you can't pet them or take a group photo with your spouse and your children simultaneously.
  
• Photo mode in this game is a little bit frustrating sometimes. You can't take an actual "group photo" like in Portia. And like I said above, you can't take a group photo with your spouse plus your children either. Of course there's no special pose for a group photo, because the group photo feature is not available to begin with.
  
• Another frustrating part of photo mode is, when you enter photo mode, the game doesn't automatically pause the time, you need to manually set them, and missed your best shot/scene you want to take along the way. Yes, you can enter photo mode with the time automatically paused, if your character do some action like punching, running, etc.
  
[*]This game has more than hundreds if not thousand different items. Sorting them in different storage boxes and sifting through them all when you need it is nice and all, but I wish this game has search function to search an item(s) in your inventory and storage boxes.

Absolutely love this game. It's story rich, plenty of adventure but you can go at your own pace. I love interacting with the towns folk, building all sorts and bobbing around the map exploring. Brilliant game with a beautiful storyline.

Amazing game with a dev team that clearly loves this game too. It's really fun and addicting. The social aspects of the game are great and the story is great and very well written. I highly recommend this game as you can probably tell from my 131 hours lol. That's just from one save/playthrough too.

This game has all the elements I like in one: farming, building, connecting with the residents, also kind of otome game feel but better, since I can actually interact with the characters. Can't wait for Evershine to release <3 Gonna get the romance DLC next month and probably restart with a new play.

A relaxing fun game with lots of crafting. I also enjoyed the story.

My time in Sandrock was a delightful adventure! The game's rich world-building and engaging story kept me hooked. I enjoyed crafting, farming, and building relationships with quirky characters. The charming desert setting offered a unique experience, making it an enjoyable and relaxing sandbox adventure. Highly recommended!

🎮 My Time at Sandrock — A Delightful Desert Adventure!
If you've ever dreamed of being a master builder in a quirky post-apocalyptic desert town, My Time at Sandrock by Pathea Games is your ticket to an unforgettable adventure! It's a vibrant mix of crafting, farming, exploration, and good old-fashioned small-town charm. Let's dive into the sandy details!

🛠️ Gameplay: Crafting, Building, and... Cactus?
Sandrock takes the solid crafting foundation of its predecessor, My Time at Portia, and turns up the heat (literally). You play as a builder tasked with restoring the struggling desert town of Sandrock by gathering resources, crafting essential structures, and upgrading your workshop.

The crafting loop is addictive: mine for resources, refine materials, and build everything from simple tools to massive machines. Need better gear? Time to delve into ancient ruins, where multi-floor dungeons offer treasure and danger in equal measure. Combat is straightforward but fun, with four distinct weapon types to choose from.

🌵 World and Characters: A Town Full of Life
The star of Sandrock is undoubtedly its people. The town is filled with memorable characters, each with a unique backstory and daily routine. From the dedicated Zeke, who fights to grow plants in the harsh desert, to the charismatic saloon owner Owen, every interaction feels meaningful.

Building relationships isn't just about gameplay perks; it's about connecting with the community. Give gifts, complete quests, and even romance your favorite characters. There are heartwarming moments and plenty of humor—Sandrock’s residents are full of personality!

🎨 Visuals and Atmosphere: Desert Chic
The game’s visuals strike a perfect balance between cartoony charm and detailed design. Sandrock’s dusty plains and quirky architecture are beautifully rendered, with bright character designs standing out against the rugged landscape. Seasonal changes and dynamic weather keep things visually fresh, though occasional bugs and frame rate drops can be a minor annoyance.

🎮 Side Activities: Never a Dull Moment
There’s no shortage of things to do! Beyond crafting and building, you can:

🌾 Farm crops and raise animals
🎣 Go fishing in the local oasis
🎲 Play mini-games at the Golden Goose
💕 Date and build relationships with townsfolk

Each activity adds depth, ensuring there's always something new to explore​. The multiplayer mode (still evolving) offers a fun co-op experience where you and friends can build and adventure together​.

🌟 Final Verdict: Worth the Sand in Your Shoes?
Absolutely! My Time at Sandrock is a charming, immersive crafting adventure that builds on the strengths of Portia and adds its own desert flair. While there are a few rough patches (like technical glitches and occasional texture pop-ins), the rich world, engaging mechanics, and lovable characters make it a must-play.

Rating: 9/10 – Pack your sunscreen; Sandrock’s calling!

Also My Time At Evershine will be the newest instalment to the series, smashed its kickstarter stretch goals of $2.5 million. Look forward to it.

This game is a Jack of all trades, master of none type of deal. Sandrock does a lot of things but it never focuses to heavily on anything. This isn't a bad thing. It makes the game accessible to everyone. Now if you are looking for deep game mechanics for combat or building or really anything specific this is not what this game does. It's fun but really easy. The worst part of this game is in the mental gymnastics you have to do for the story to make sense.

The main story line becomes a mess about half way through. This isn't about understanding what is going on. Like everything in this game that part is simple. It is about trying to rationalize what you are seeing. We go from "look we have a water shortage" to "lets dump thousands of gallons of water a minute over the cliff so we can have a rainbow" or how it takes power to run your machines and water to cool them but an amusement park and all of the rides don't seem to have those issues. I can build dune buggies but I am riding a horse. I can build a robot that I could drive around in but still I am riding a horse. This game leaves me asking "why" far to often. At the end of the story line the town seems even more desolate and empty. Why didn't the Devs add more tourists? Something, anything to make it feel alive? Everyone in town seems to give these "it's over" speeches to you at the end of the story line that make you feel more depressed than accomplished. Maybe that is because they know the game feels even more empty than in the beginning.



It is a fun ride and worth the money. Just don't expect anything to deep in any part of the game. I did want to add that the game doesn't feel finished. It plays fine. A bug here or there but that isn't what I am talking about. The interaction that you have with NPCs feels rushed and incomplete. Simple things like taking a family photo or hugging your kid (and the kids do ask) are not there. NPCs interacting with in game objects does not happen. You can build a huge house and fill it with all sorts of toys and furniture and it means nothing to the NPCs. You may as well just have the beds in an empty square. It feels like you are living in a town of mannequins. The only difference is that the NPCs move but thats really about it. I would gladly pay for a DLC that adds life to the game.

I've been playing this game for awhile now. I find it immensely entertaining. I normally get bored of games like this fast, but I have yet to find a point in this game where it bores me. The story is so engaging and I really feel connected to the characters in the game. I have yet to play this game with others, but I know that it would be an amazing experience to have with friends. I have yet to get pick an NPC to marry in the game, but I can't wait to get to that point in the story.

I absolutely love this game and it's creators! It has a beautiful premise and is really well made. I love the little details in the game that help with mindfulness of conserving water, taking care of the environment, building community, and working together. Incredible game <3

if you want to play this game for the story, it will take like more than a hundred of hours just to finished it as a whole from start to credits, game delays you too much, wasted too much days, story progression is so bad, its like "oh we have to plan this and that, i'll give you the diagrams tomorrow" then they gave you the diagram and built in just a couple of minutes, then they say, "wait for the reply in a couple of days", it got a lot of worst if the main story overlaps with the calendar events, and also with the planting of trees, oh maaaaaaan, you have to waste so much days in that, but ofc if you have animals and plants, you wouldn't do that, even the npc dialogue is cringe, its like kids in an adult clothing, you would've get pity to the enemy soldier. they think like kids... Logan, Zeke and Mort are the only matured Adult there tbh....

my advise if you play the single player, do not reduce the game speed at 0.6 speed, but i do recommend this if you play this with friends in multiplayer game, Sandrock Online makes the game much more better... without the story ofc! HAHA

i hope evershine is story-wise better, reception is for Everyone, but with their physique in the trailer, i hope they think as mature adult person,

Definitely a step up from my Time at Portia which I also greatly enjoyed. Love the updated mining mechanics and different places to explore and I really enjoy the intergration of the overarching story with the social elements of this game. At this point I'm 90 hours in and have just over half of the achievements and I'm on player level 35 of 60. It's a truly unique game that encourages player exploration and thinking outside of the box, definitely up there for one of my favorite RPGs

Absolute Cinema would 100% recommend if you love a long cozy game with a strong narrative.

I was disappointed with the state Coral Island had been released in, so I asked people on the subreddit if there were other games I should play instead.
A few people suggested Sandrock - and now over 100 hours later I wish I could meet each of them in person to thank them for pointing me in the direction of this game.
I tried Portia once, didn’t like it, and assumed I wouldn’t like this. Especially because I’m not usually a fan of desert/cowboy aesthetics.
But the heart and uniqueness the world and characters have is so endearing and well-realized that I fell in love pretty quickly.

The gameplay loop itself is very satisfying, very much its own thing (you could never call this another Stardew ripoff like most other games in this genre).
I personally changed the time setting to 0.8 because I like a more chill experience and this worked amazingly well for me. Tons to do, tons to work toward, but never felt stressed or overwhelmed.

The story and town progression are surprisingly long. It takes a lot of cool twists and turns and I still haven’t gotten to the end at over 100 hours!
Every character is worth maxing out and getting to know because the writing is so good, genuinely funny, and at times surprisingly deep and emotional. Good luck picking a romance candidate because they’re all awesome (I ended up going with Mi-An, but it was a hard choice).

Is it a technically perfect game? No. There are definitely bugs here and there. I suggest saving often, however updates and fixes are always being rolled out.

Point is, I have rarely played a game where the dev’s passion, heart and love ooze out of every frame.
This game has helped me with my anxiety and put me in a good mood more times than I can count.
I will now be following everything this studio does and cannot wait for Evershine.

If you’re disillusioned by all the Stardew clones, or even if you just want to play a great game, just get it!