My Time at Sandrock
Developer : Pathea Games
Publisher : Pathea Games, Focus Entertainment, PM Studios, Inc., DMM Games
Platform : Steam
Release Year : 2023
The Life of a Builder
At first glance, My Time at Sandrock looked to be just another life-sim/farming game, albeit in an awesome wild west setting (which I love). Yet after playing the game for a good chunk of time, and getting through the first year in-game, I am here to tell you that Sandrock is so much more than that. Even after a hundred hours, the game is still introducing new areas, people, and events; it is kind of crazy how much content is here, and how much of it feels really good. Now that is not to say that everything is amazing, and there are some areas of the game that aren’t all that great, but those low points are far from game breaking. Sandrock has blown me away time and time again, and even if I have fallen off because I got a Retroid Pocket 5, this is 100% a game I will be coming back to.
Gameplay
In My Time at Sandrock you have just moved to the small town of Sandrock from the ‘big’ city of Highwind as one of the town’s new builders. Before you get into the action, you create your character, picking from either a boy or girl and then customize them with a few options. While it would have been nice to have a few more options to pick from for your character, the game more than makes up for it by giving you a healthy amount of clothing options in the (hundreds of) hours to come. With your builder ready and named, you jump into the world and start the surprisingly hefty story, as well as the day-to-day grind that is a hallmark of these life-sim and farming games.
The bulk of Sandrock’s gameplay revolves around gathering materials and the using said materials to craft new tools, items, and machines, so you can craft more advanced tools, items, and machines. While the gameplay loop is nothing new or game changing, it is so addictive once it gets its claws in you, and you will find yourself saying just one more day over and over, until you notice that the hours have melted away. The crafting is quite involved, with multiple machines being needed to make the multiple components for a single item or building, and those machines needing a variety of materials found either out in the world, or deep within one of the game’s many dungeons, to make said components. It is an addictive loop, and at first it will seem overwhelming, but once it all clicks, you are in for a damn good time.
Yes, you read that right, My Time at Sandrock has dungeons, which blew my mind when I first stumbled across them. I was very much not expecting dungeon crawling in my wild west themed life-sim, but here we are. The dungeons in Sandrock are a basic, but a fantastic addition to the life-sim game formula. You delve into the ruins of the old world’s collapsed civilization, battling the old and forgotten robots who served the people of yesterday. Within these ruins, you collect ore and scrap from the old world and use them in the increasingly complex recipes needed to craft more and more goods. It is down in these ruins that you really engage with Sandrock’s combat mechanics, and while they’re serviceable, Devil May Cry they are not. Even after you upgrade your skills, the combat never evolves past a simple one, two, three hit combo. While it’s not going to blow anyone away, for what it is, the combat is fine, and for being a part of the overall amazing whole, I don’t mind that the combat is basic,
As with all the other life-sim and farming games, a huge part of the experience is interacting with the townsfolk, whether that be making friends, doing odd jobs, or falling in love. I really enjoy how much more involved this part of the game is versus the handful of other games I have played in this genre. It is so much more than simply talking to them everyday, or even just giving them the things they like here and there, you actually have to put the work in to get people of Sandrock to like you and consider you a friend. Making you put the work in to getting to know your neighbours helps to make you feel like you’re a part of the town; it makes you feel like you are more than just an avatar running around, but that you are a member of the community. This made me want to go into town and talk to everyone, not just because it was expected of me, but because I wanted to, which I think says more than anything.
The romance in this game is also quite a bit more in-depth than I have seen before (which could be because I don’t play many of these games), and you can tell that some real thought and love was put into it. You slowly get to the know the love interests and go dates with them where you actually take them out on the town. Once you are good friends with you love interest, you can ask them out and to be your partner, and depending on who you pick, they will either say yes or no depending on story and their personality. It’s cool that you actually have to put the work in here, and that it is more than just something to check off the game’s to-do list. I also loved the little details they added to the whole romance side of thing, like when you’re a couple and on a date, you will hold hands with your partner. I know it’s not mind blowing or anything, but it’s sweet to see, and helps to make you feel so much more connected to your partner and the world.
One of the best quality of life features Sandrock brings to the table is the option to change how long an in-game day lasts. If you find yourself struggling with getting everything done, you can slow down the in-game clock to give yourself more time, or speed it up if you want to get to some event in the future faster. This simple option changes everything and I recommend everyone find what speed is good for them. Having that extra time makes all the difference, and even then, I still found myself wanting more time here and there. I don’t know if other games like this have this feature, but I think it should be in every life-sim/farming experience.
Presentation
The graphics in Sandrock are clean and stylized like a cartoon. The player character and the NPCs have a unique look to them with their large heads and smaller bodies; a somewhat deformed look halfway between a “normal” and a chibi style. I quite like it, and I find it gives the game are real charming vibe, and the larger heads also let the characters have expressive faces, which makes them all seem more alive. It is a look you’re either going to like, or find off-putting, but I am a fan. The world also looks pretty good, and while a desert isn’t all that graphically intense, or some would say even interesting, I found it just as charming as the NPCs. While the game is not going to blow anyone away with its graphics, the charm that is oozing out of the presentation is sure to win more than a few people over.
Where the game does suffer is in the sound department, primarily in the voice quality. The music and ambient sounds are fitting for the setting (wild west vibes all around), and while I never found myself humming any of the game’s tunes after the fact, I don’t feel that is a bad thing; the music does what it needs to do in setting the mood and tone. What is pretty bad is the recording quality of some of the voices, and when I say bad, I mean really bad. Some of them sound like they were recorded with a cheap microphone in the actor’s house, definitely not in a studio with professional equipment. When everything else about the game is so good, having such terrible voice recordings really stand out. It makes the whole thing feel almost amateurish at times, which is a real shame, because the rest of the package is so topnotch.
Story
Sandrock’s narrative is a grounded tale that is heavily inspired by westerns, which should really come as no surprise; you are not fighting a god or saving the world, instead you are making a life for yourself out on the frontier along with everyone else who calls Sandrock home. After making your character, you arrive in the backwater town of Sandrock, and it is your job to help revitalize the town and the people who call it home. There are also the classic western stories like hunting down the local bandits and fixing the water tower, and while they’re nothing fans of the western genre haven’t seen before, they work for the game and help set the tone. Even after a year past in-game, more is still being added to the narrative. It’s kind of crazy just how robust it all is, and that the creators are able to keep things fresh after 100 hours of play.
I don’t want to go in-depth into any of the stories the game tells, but I will say that they’re fun and well worth the experience. If you’re not a fan of westerns, then I can’t see Sandrock changing that, but if you are, you are very much in for a treat. There are a few twists and turns here and there, and while they’re not all that shocking, it has been a fun ride.
Home on the Range
I was expecting My Life at Sandrock to be little more than a basic life-sim/farming game where you grow some crops, meet some people in town, and go to a festival of two. I was seriously surprised at how much more there was to the whole thing, and just how wonderful an experience it has been. From the interesting and realized townsfolk, to the complex crafting and the surprisingly fun and weighty story, Sandrock blew me away again and again. If you’re not a fan of this genre, then Sandrock is not about to change your mind, but if you are a fan of life-sim games and westerns, then this is one game that you definitely need to experience. I am definitely looking forward to the next game in the series, My Time at Evershine, and I have high hopes that it will be even better than Sandrock.
