Diorama Builder
- June 21, 2024
- Virtual Arts Studio
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Diorama Builder" is a game that lets you construct and display dioramas in a LEGO-style voxel format. You can choose from various scenes and interact with them once built. The game features special music for each diorama, providing an immersive experience.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Relaxing and enjoyable gameplay that allows players to build intricate dioramas at their own pace.
- Beautiful voxel art and charming interactive elements once the dioramas are completed, enhancing the overall experience.
- Affordable price point with potential for future DLCs, making it a great value for casual gamers and puzzle enthusiasts.
- Limited content with only a few dioramas available, which may lead to a short playtime and a feeling of being underwhelmed.
- Some controls can be clunky and the camera angles may make it difficult to place smaller objects accurately.
- Lack of creative freedom as players can only assemble pre-defined dioramas rather than designing their own.
- music35 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its relaxing and thematic qualities, enhancing the overall experience while players build dioramas. Each level features unique soundtracks that fit the specific scene, contributing to a soothing atmosphere, although some players found the music repetitive or less impressive over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a pleasant addition that complements the gameplay, making it enjoyable for casual play.
“Great game to play and relax to the music.”
“Really nice relaxing music that matches the theme, pleasant and not overbearing or needlessly repetitive.”
“The soundtrack matches the theme of each scene, a nice touch.”
“My only point of criticism is the soundtrack.”
“While the music is somewhat relaxing, I wasn't too impressed with it.”
“The music becomes annoying after 5 minutes; something chill like the Dorfromantik theme would've fit better.”
- gameplay23 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as simple, relaxing, and enjoyable, making it accessible for players who appreciate diorama building and jigsaw mechanics. While some users noted minor frustrations with camera controls and the click-and-drag mechanic, the overall experience is praised for its detail and satisfying construction process. Many players express a desire for additional content, indicating that the gameplay loop, though potentially tedious for some, remains engaging and immersive.
“Aside from that, I think this is a very simple, relaxing experience that is brimming with detail with its easy-to-understand gameplay.”
“All in all, my opinion hasn't changed and I'd still recommend this game for its fun and relaxing gameplay.”
“With calm background music and somewhat addictive gameplay, you definitely lose your sense of time passing until you complete your diorama.”
“I wouldn't want someone getting frustrated by mechanics that make zero sense; it's supposed to be a diorama builder.”
“Very far from being interesting, with annoying gameplay mechanics and lousy camera view control.”
“On the negative side, I dislike the 'click-and-drag' mechanic (there are probably around 2,000 pieces all told doing some very rough maths) and at times it was very difficult to find which piece was missing from the actual level to be able to move on to the next.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming voxel art style that many players find appealing, though some criticize it for being overly simplistic and lacking interactivity. While the aesthetic choices are generally praised for their detail and suitability to the game's concept, there are complaints about the absence of resolution options and minor graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals are considered cute and enjoyable, contributing positively to the gaming experience despite some clunky elements.
“Great aesthetic choices in each level!”
“I love the details while building and the low poly graphics work really well with the concept.”
“Amazing game to those who love assembling miniatures, the sets here are very detailed in beautiful voxel graphics.”
“There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
“It also happens to be easy, and doesn't need any proper talent in terms of game development/graphic artists etc. that's why reviewers are faced with so many of these terrible games with confrontingly bad graphics.”
“Developers must learn that Minecraft succeeded despite the bad graphics, not because of them.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and finicky, particularly when it comes to tasks like zooming in on small objects or repetitively placing items. While some appreciate the attention to detail and the "true to life" experience it offers, others feel that the gameplay loop can become monotonous, suggesting that breaking larger tasks into smaller components might enhance the experience. Overall, the grinding is seen as a double-edged sword, providing depth but also requiring significant patience.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It's tedious in parts.”
“Some might find the gameplay loop tedious, but you get what you pay for and more.”
- story5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game lacks a cohesive narrative but offers engaging individual stories through its diorama designs, allowing players to immerse themselves in the unique scenarios of each level. While the overall concept is enjoyable, the absence of a full story may leave some players wanting more depth.
“The overall idea of the story is great and fun to imagine yourself in for each level.”
“You can tell that a lot of care went into the designs of the dioramas; my favorite is the crime scene set because I enjoyed trying to work out the mystery of what had happened. Each set tells its own story.”
“No full story (text, scenes, etc.), but the overall idea is great and fun to imagine yourself for each level.”
“No story.”
“Right now there are 4 dioramas to complete, and you can tell that a lot of care went into the designs. My favorite is the crime scene set because I liked trying to work out the mystery of what had happened; that said, each set does tell its own story.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game raises concerns among users, with fears that it may prioritize quick profits over quality, resembling a cash grab. Additionally, there are suspicions of fake reviews and a pattern of aggressive marketing tactics, including excessive advertisements in related mobile games.
“I want this game to succeed, I want these developers to succeed, but with a product like this, I fear that the potential is being lost, and steps are being followed to just create another quick cash grab.”
“They're all written in exactly the same style, appear at almost exactly the same time, very shortly after the game launched on Steam, all have a direct Steam purchase of the game, and the accounts are used consistently to write fake reviews for asset flips and other cash grabs/scams.”
“I have a mobile game that does something similar, but shows me way too many ads.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its high replayability, with players expressing enthusiasm for resetting and starting anew multiple times. There is also hope that future updates will enhance this aspect even further, potentially increasing its replay value.
“This game has a lot of replay value, and I look forward to resetting and starting again, which I have done several times.”
“This game has great replay value.”
“Fingers crossed this does become a thing, as it will add massive replayability.”
“This game has a lot of replay value, which I look forward to resetting and starting again, and I have done so several times.”
“Fingers crossed this does become a thing as it will add massive replayability.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users express dissatisfaction with the game's optimization, noting that even relatively powerful hardware, like the RTX 3060, struggles to run it smoothly. Many players report performance issues, particularly during animated scenes, suggesting that the game may not be well-optimized for a range of systems, especially older ones.
“I would really like it more if it was better optimized; it runs like a slug on my PC, and I have more than what it says it needs, so I don't know.”
“Biggest gripe is that it's not very optimized; my RTX 3060 was straining more than usual, so I shudder to imagine how well it runs on older hardware.”
“I would really like it more if it was better optimized. It runs like a slug on my PC, and I have more than what it says it needs, so I dunno.”
“Oh, and I was somewhat stuttering on the animated part of the WW2 scene, but my GPU isn't very good (nor is it, perhaps, horrible).”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a stable experience with no crashes or significant glitches, although some minor graphical issues may occur in certain scenes.
“No crashes, no glitches, no randomly being stuck somewhere or items disappearing - nothing.”
“Some scenes will have minor graphical glitches.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its relaxing qualities, creating a soothing environment that enhances the overall experience for players.
“I love the relaxing atmosphere of the game!”
“The game's atmosphere is incredibly immersive, making you feel like you're truly part of the world.”
“Every detail contributes to a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”
