My Time at Sandrock Review

thesixthaxis.com:

While there are plenty of cozy farming games coming out at a constant clip these days, My Time at Sandrock has been the one I’ve kept my eye on for a while now. Pathea Games’ previous title My Time At Portia seemed promising, but didn’t ever grip me. With this follow-up, though, the team has not only done a lot to improve on the solid foundation established by their last game, but they’ve also created a unique world, visually and mechanically, that sets My Time at Sandrock apart from so many other cozy farming games.

Plenty of these games whisk you away to a gorgeous meadow-y town full of trees and flowers, but not My Time at Sandrock. Instead, you find yourself moving into the rugged, desert town of Sandrock – a community with a strange meld of modern technology and rustic roots. 330 years ago, something called the Day of Calamity struck and destroyed most modern technology – leaving you in the present, post-apocalyptic day as an aspiring Builder here to help Sandrock flourish.

Despite the incredibly ominous backdrop of the world, My Time at Sandrock is an incredibly chill and heart-warming game. A lot of that endearing charm comes from the impressively fleshed out nature of the town itself – there are dozens and dozens of unique NPCs with their own voices, quirks, appearances and interests – over 40 of them can be befriended, and a couple dozen of them are even potential romance options. Every character being so unique and real helped add such a meaningful layer of importance to your duties – whether it’s a side quest to gather materials or a main quest to track down a mysterious bandit or fix a broken bridge, the characters involved are always the townsfolk you spend your day-to-day bonding with, making you really feel