Craftomation 101: Programming & Craft

About

"Craftomation 101: Programming & Craft" is a craft automation game where players program robots called CraftoMates to harvest and terraform a frozen planet. The game offers visual programming and regular updates every 2 weeks, with a discord stream every Friday for community engagement. Players can get involved by filling a form, joining the discord, wishlisting on Steam, or simply following on Twitter, with an optional Pay What You Want support offer available.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Craftomation 101: Programming & Craft screenshot

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 426 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

stability34 negative mentions

Engaging automation mechanics that reward logical thinking and creativity.
Intuitive visual programming system that is accessible for beginners and offers depth for experienced players.
Charming aesthetics and relaxing gameplay create an enjoyable experience.

The game suffers from bugs and UI/UX issues that can hinder gameplay.
Resource management can be tedious, with a heavy reliance on maintaining campfires and managing bot energy.
Limited content and progression can lead to a feeling of repetitiveness and lack of long-term goals.

gameplay
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
55%
13%
The gameplay of Craftomation 101 centers on automating tasks, crafting resources, and optimizing workflows in a visually minimalist frozen world, offering a unique blend of challenge and creativity. While many players appreciate the engaging automation mechanics and intuitive programming elements, some express frustration with repetitive tasks and minor bugs that can detract from the experience. Overall, the game promises long-term replayability and appeals to both newcomers and seasoned players, despite some criticisms regarding certain mechanics and tedious aspects.
- “The core gameplay revolves around automating tasks, crafting resources, and optimizing your workflow to conquer the challenges of a mysterious frozen world.”
- “Craftomation's gameplay offers a perfect balance of challenge and reward.”
- “In conclusion, Craftomation 101 is a masterfully crafted experience that seamlessly blends crafting, automation, and programming into an addictive gameplay loop.”
- “Parts of the game are fun, parts of them are tedious, and the thorn mechanic is just straight obnoxious.”
- “But the gameplay is bad... too repetitive, but the worst thing is that they use up things you need; they ate a storage?!?”
- “I wanted to like this, but I found the core gameplay to be a bit tedious and frustrating.”
stability
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that hinder gameplay. While some players appreciate the concept and enjoy the game, the overall experience is marred by instability, making it difficult to recommend at this stage. Improvements are hoped for in future updates, but currently, the game is described as a "buggy mess."
- “But the game is so buggy at this point that I can't recommend.”
- “Really great idea, but it's just too buggy to be fun at this point.”
- “It is very buggy (I crashed 2 times with progress loss and was locked in interface 4 more times in 2 hours).”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming retro aesthetics and clear 2D visuals, contributing to a relaxing and engaging atmosphere. While many reviewers appreciate the pleasant art style and ambient soundtrack, some note that there is room for improvement, particularly in terms of functionality for advanced users. Overall, the graphics are well-received, with an average rating of 8/10, making it a notable aspect for fans of indie titles.
- “The charming aesthetics and ambient soundtrack create a relaxing yet engaging atmosphere, making it easy to lose track of time.”
- “With charming retro visuals and a fitting soundtrack, this game is a gem worth exploring for any fan of indie titles.”
- “Nice, meditative gameplay with pleasant graphics.”
- “The graphics are quite outdated and lack the polish expected from modern games.”
- “The 2D graphics feel simplistic and do not offer much detail or depth.”
- “While the visuals have a retro charm, they may not appeal to players looking for high-quality graphics.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling that it relies too heavily on repetitive tasks, such as producing fire and batteries. While there are enjoyable elements and opportunities for creativity, the necessity to grind for resources and complete quests before automating actions detracts from the overall experience, making it feel overly grindy.
- “Everything relies on fire (2 stone combined, + 1 coal, combine) which is extremely tedious and you need to devote the majority of your robots to just produce batteries and fire.”
- “Feels like a tedious (even when automated somehow) and repetitive version of a supply chain game that leaves only a very thin margin for your creativity.”
- “Also, even basic actions are locked behind quests, which means that you cannot automate anything properly without first grinding semi-manually.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
40%
40%
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with users reporting significant performance issues such as low frame rates and stuttering, particularly in the full version compared to the demo. While there are engaging optimization puzzles, the overall experience can be hampered by these technical problems, especially when the game is played offline.
- “There are a lot of simple scripting puzzles and one pretty interesting optimization puzzle that appears in both 'fire' and 'water' tending tasks.”
- “But again, if you like optimization and logic games, you could be entertained for hours without making much progress on that content.”
- “Very bad FPS and stuttering in the full product and not in the demo.”
- “The game also asks for internet access, which I blocked, and I am unsure if this causes the stuttering issue.”
- “Once I had a performance degradation when I reached a certain number of bots.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
37%
13%
The music in the game is praised for its charming aesthetics and ambient quality, contributing to a relaxing and engaging atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. However, some users noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive over time. Overall, it is considered a fitting complement to the game's retro visuals, making it appealing to indie game fans.
- “The charming aesthetics and ambient soundtrack create a relaxing yet engaging atmosphere, making it easy to lose track of time.”
- “With charming retro visuals and a fitting soundtrack, this game is a gem worth exploring for any fan of indie titles.”
- “Music gets repetitive”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game features a captivating story that enhances the gameplay experience, complemented by intuitive mechanics and innovative frozen ground elements. Players appreciate the engaging narrative and the creative possibilities it offers, making it a standout title for those looking for a unique adventure.
- “With its captivating story, intuitive mechanics, and endless possibilities for creativity, it's a must-play for anyone seeking a truly unique gaming experience.”
- “All coupled with an interesting story and frozen ground mechanics.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
While the game shows potential for long-term replayability through the introduction of new mechanics and challenges, current reviews indicate that it lacks sufficient content, making it feel less replayable at this time.
- “The potential for new mechanics and challenges promises long-term replayability.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players consistently highlight the game's humor, noting that it successfully delivers comedic moments that enhance the overall experience. Many reviewers appreciate the game's ability to be genuinely funny, contributing positively to its reception.
- “This is a funny game.”
- “I was trying to be funny the first time around, but this game deserves a good review.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is characterized by charming aesthetics and an ambient soundtrack that together foster a relaxing yet engaging environment, allowing players to easily immerse themselves and lose track of time.
- “The charming aesthetics and ambient soundtrack create a relaxing yet engaging atmosphere, making it easy to lose track of time.”

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10h Median play time

8h Average play time

2-12h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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