Inspired by legendary classics from the ’90s, Craftlings will take you on a journey full of strategic decisions and test your skills in optimizing automated production chains and Craftlings’ paths. Gather, deliver, build, and fight for wealth and glory in the unique, nostalgic world of Craftlings.
Developed by: ARIANO Games GmbH
Played on: Steam
Length: ~20 hours
A review key was provided by Neon Noroshi.
The appeal of city builders is that you get to essentially design your personal utopia. One such city builder that I had a blast playing was Craftlings. Developed by ARIANO Games GmbH, the game is a return to classic city builders with its art style and music, while adding the challenge of managing the Craftlings themselves.
When I first started the game, I was expecting it to be like any other city builder. However, I was soon taught otherwise when I learned that the Craftlings themselves, whom I was supposed to help, were kind of working against me. These little beings test your time, and resource management as well as multitasking, which in a way, hilariously simulates real life with the behaviour of the Craftlings imitating people in real life. To be honest, the real test is on your patience! Haha!
Craftling features beautifully designed environments and regions to test your mettle. Brilliant colours as well as smooth animations makes it really appealing to the eyes. This is despite so many things moving and happening simultaneously. In addition, the music really adds to the feeling of whimsy and humour the game bases itself on!
Crafting With The Craftlings
Similar to other city builders, you need to gather resources and continue crafting to meet objectives. The various facilities enable or train the people of your island in different skills and abilities to make them more useful. Gather and build enough, and you’ll soon be able to unlock more facilities, skills and items.
This is the general crux of the game. What makes the game different are the little Craftlings, who have a mind and will of their own. The only time they change their current behaviour is if there’s something in their way. Hilariously, they can even wander off to their own demise!
Your role as the player is the force that guides them into doing productive things around the island, while avoiding death. This is done by dropping the right tools in front of them as they are walking. Mind you, the Craftlings are constantly moving to and fro, in a rigid pattern.
And I love it! It looks so easy on paper yet as you progress through the game, it gets more tedious. Lots of trial and error was the best way to get the hang of things and their timing. The first things to learn was to keep your workforce alive of course! Step by step, one thing at a time, and soon enough, everything will feel like clockwork. Very satisfying!
Another fun bit the game does is provide a snarky review of your performance after accomplishing a scenario. The game encourages learning from your mistakes, taking it in stride, and overcoming challenges. With every misstep, a lesson is learned! Albeit in the style of the games dark humour. So don’t fret over hitting a wall, laugh and move on!
Another cool aspect of the game is the scenarios you can play! Though there isn’t much of a story, there is a general flow of how the things progresses. The scenarios essentially gives you the task of building something, beating a foe, and/or move to somewhere new and each has their own twists. The are 12 scenarios, the first four basically serve as the tutorial.
Each of the scenarios has their own set of objectives to fulfill. Think of them as reaching new lands. Having to start anew, moving forward. While the overall goals are the same, i.e. survival, the path to it isn’t. While the Craftlings are simple-minded creatures, give them the right tools and they can even take down monstrosities. Yep, there are monsters in the game as well.
Be Prepared To Hit Walls — A Lot
Due to disorderly nature of the Craftlings, you’ll very quickly realise when you’ve hit walls. It will be really frustrating, but once you do get the hang of how to manage the Craftlings, satisfaction will definitely follow. Aside from that, the frustration also sometimes can be due to how difficult the scenarios can be.
There’s a real steep climb in difficulty in later levels. While it could be skill issue, I really believe the difficulty spike may lead some to drop it entirely. Personally, I did stop for a bit only to come back later to solve the scenarios. Again, patience is a virtue and your friend here. That and thinking outside the box a little.
Another challenge is the how busy your screen will get. The art is indeed beautiful, but it gets cluttered in a hurry. When things increase or expand, your screen will be bloated with icons, activity and many, many other things. Hopefully, there’ll be an update to compartmentalise and have them sorted for more visual clarity.
Verdict: Multitasking As A Game
Craftlings is a unique take on the resource management genre that not only entertains you, but trains you! While it is still a game, the way you have to manage completing the objectives and the self-destructive nature of the Craftlings really hones your ability to multitask. While it is challenging, your micromanaging, resource management and creative thinking skills will definitely improve by the end of it.
(Hey look at that, a game your parents will definitely be glad you’re playing!)
