Solarpunk™

First of all, it’s worth noting that Solarpunk is very transparent on its store page about what players can expect from the game. I’ve already read a few reviews here that criticize the lack of PvP or a story, even though it was clear from the start that these elements weren’t part of the game. The game itself is definitely fun and works well for a quick session here and there. Still, many of the implemented features feel rather lackluster. Solarpunk is relaxing and cozy, but at the same time, it’s also very slow-paced and repetitive. The gameplay essentially consists of flying to the next island, gathering resources, and using them to unlock additional islands and crafting recipes. In the long run, it lacks variety. The building system, in particular, is unnecessarily cumbersome. Downward slopes can only be created via detours using half-stairs, while adjusting the cable snapping points is also unnecessarily fiddly. At times, this is reminiscent of ARK: Survival Evolved from 2017—frustrating building, but at least the end result is nice. Farming is also disappointing. The animals feel more like an extra chore, while the farming itself is so incredibly slow that it’s almost funny. No one expects the next Stardew Valley, but if almost everything can be automated, why not farming too? Especially since I basically only needed four crops for the entire game: cotton, berries, wheat, and one more for animal feed. At this point, I can only recommend Solarpunk with reservations—unless the price is reduced. The advertised features still need significant improvement, and the slow gameplay unnecessarily drags out the progress. As other players have already noted, this increasingly creates the feeling that the focus isn’t on having fun, but rather on artificially stretching out the time spent playing. Solarpunk has a relaxing atmosphere and definitely has potential, but many gameplay elements are still too underdeveloped to be compelling in the long run.