Factorio (2020)

Factorio is a crafting game centered on automated production. You create factories which turn raw resources (ore, coal) into bigger and greater products (electronics, weapons, more factories). So you'll do something like set up a mine which transfers ore to a furnace area, which smelts it into bars, which then are turned into useful products. Sounds like usual, except in Factorio the number of resources (iron, copper, etc) you'll use in a game is on the order of 100,000. A TON of product, made easy since it's all automated. The magic of Factorio is that all of this factorymaking is very simple. There are only a few tools, but as the game progresses you will organically learn more efficient ways to use them. You will adopt a style for your factories, which will be different than the next person's. Comparing and sharing factory designs is a really neat part of the game, which you can experience in the multiplayer.

Of course, there are enemies that will try to impede your progress, the neat thing in Factorio is that their aggression is based on the amount of pollution you make in your factories.

As a sandbox game, you can't really "beat" Factorio, but there is a win condition, which you'll reach after 15-25 hours (The range depends on how experienced you are, if you have friends helping you, etc.)

Update: Factorio v 0.15 was released.

I neglected to mention the progression system in Factorio because I didn't deem it necessary at the time, but now it is relevant when talking about 0.14 > 0.15 changes. In Factorio, you progress the game through research, which unlocks recipes for more objects such as better guns or unlocks the utilization of a new resource. Science is done by building science "packs" and processing them in a lab. Eventually you research how to build a rocket and launch a satellite into space, which is the win condition. 0.15 changes dramatically the recipes (and complexity of said recipes) for science, which means you'll need to build more complex factories to output these more complex science packs, which is a good change overall, and made the game fresh again for me when I played it.

0.15 also introduced nuclear power, which isn't really necessary - you can get through the game without it, but adds another thing you can do (the setup is fairly complicated and unique) and gives the devs an option to add some extremely power-intensive options for additional lategame content.

Factorio can be a pretty Long game I haven't finished the campaign. The campaign is kind of fun. you have certain tasks that play out like a mission as you learn the basics. (It almost feels like an RTS type campaign) at the end of each mission you get a new base/factory with which to repair, use, and develop.

I have mixed feelings on this campaign.

One of the things that make Factorio fun, is you customize every little aspect of production. This is in essence the same feel as Tekkit mod for Minecraft, however, it's a more friendly (and less buggy) approach. One of the big headaches is when you get a new base, it takes some time to really figure out how to develop a whole new damn factory. It's actually easy (for me anyway) to mess things up and send items in palces they arent supposed to go. I managed to do this a few times and it was a real headache. Assembly is a big hassle if one of your iron mines runs out, because you ahve established a whole assembly line to use the iron products. Resolving bottlenecks is the continual challenge however, especially as you expand production. There's always something slowing you down and it can be a task to fix it.

I felt painful loss at the goodbyes to each base I painstakingly would build, fix, optimize and then simply move on from. Only to find myself overwhelmed at a new one.

I will revist this in sandbox mode. But I dont think I will go back to the campaign mode.

The game has good simple music. (almost dark) Ambient, Electronic it is a good tone. There is a slight industrial feel to both the music and the world

There are a few quirks in the game. Such as driving vehicles/collision with things you build. and research catalysts. But nothing to criticize. The game is a gem, and a welcome change from Tekkit. Highly reccomended to Minecraft players especially Tekkit/Technic pack. It's a strange compulsive OCD type of game. I found it much more approachable than I thought I would, compared to many other Sim/management type games. I think it deserves an extra star for being a game that is approachable. (Tekkit requires tons of wiki-reading and is very 'dry'. This game you can jump in, experiment, and make things as you go.) The campaigns function as a tutorial as well.

This is one of those games you probably can beat but never truly master.