Dustland Delivery
- November 5, 2024
- Neutron Star Studio
- 11h median play time
Dustland Delivery is a post-apocalyptic survival business simulator. Scour the wastes for profit, complete missions to grow your trading empire, and assemble a rag-tag band of adventurers to turn your city into the capital of the Dustlands. Dustland Delivery 1.0 features an all new map—Twilight Valley—with tons of new main story and side story events, new recruitable characters, new bosses to f…
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and engaging mix of trading, exploration, and character management in a post-apocalyptic setting.
- There is a surprising amount of depth and complexity, with various systems like crafting, settlement building, and character relationships.
- The game has a charming art style and a humorous tone, making it enjoyable to play for extended periods.
- The UI can be cluttered and confusing, making it difficult to navigate and understand certain mechanics.
- Some players have reported bugs and issues with the tutorial, leading to frustration and a steep learning curve.
- The stress management system can feel punishing, with characters easily becoming overwhelmed, leading to game-ending scenarios.
- gameplay76 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by an addictive loop and a surprising depth of mechanics, blending elements of crafting, trading, and town management in a post-apocalyptic setting. While many players appreciate the engaging core mechanics and the potential for replayability, there are significant concerns regarding the lack of clear explanations for various systems, cumbersome UI, and some frustrating character interactions. Overall, the game shows promise but requires further refinement and content updates to fully realize its potential.
“Addictive gameplay loop, can't wait for further updates for max replay value.”
“The combination of anime-esque pixel graphics and post-apocalyptic desolation work surprisingly well, and it offers an engaging veneer to a surprising amount of mechanical complexity, though I rarely felt overwhelmed.”
“The gameplay is engaging, and there is a ton of content for an early access title.”
“I was looking forward to playing a cheap little indie game to burn a few relaxing hours on, but this game feels like it's trying to be Skyrim or something, just so many junk features that I really didn't want to spend literally hours learning all the little perks and aspects of the gameplay.”
“The issue is being infected doesn't seem to make that much of a difference in interaction between characters or overall gameplay.”
“There is a good concept in here and an interesting premise/world building, but it's all held back by a cluttered and confusing UI and poorly explained gameplay elements.”
- story53 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mix of entertaining and serious elements, featuring a variety of main and side quests that allow for exploration and character management. While many players appreciate the depth and potential for replayability, some criticize the linearity of the main quest and a lack of immersion in the post-apocalyptic setting. Overall, the narrative is seen as promising but in need of further development and refinement to enhance player engagement.
“The story has been very entertaining, silly, and also serious.”
“There's settlement building, a main quest line with multiple branches, side quests, points of interest to explore, a party to manage... quite a bit of depth and breadth.”
“I have spent many hours just driving from town to town, buying and selling and slowly feeling the story unfold around me.”
“The story that I experienced was completely unfulfilling as it had no attempt at immersion into a post-apocalyptic world.”
“Another part of the game that breaks the immersion is the constant visual and story references to other movies, anime, and games.”
“While there are late-game objectives in the form of bosses, the main story ends before you're even in spitting distance of gear needed for them.”
- graphics27 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a blend of anime-inspired pixel art and a post-apocalyptic aesthetic, which many players find engaging and immersive. While the retro-style visuals are praised for their quality and atmospheric contribution, some inconsistencies in character art and user interface design have been noted. Overall, the graphics effectively complement the game's mechanics and narrative, creating a nostalgic yet modern experience.
“The combination of anime-esque pixel graphics and post-apocalyptic desolation work surprisingly well, and it offers an engaging veneer to a surprising amount of mechanical complexity, though I rarely felt overwhelmed.”
“Audio is serviceable and the weather effects are really quite nice, and the retro-styled pixel graphics are nearly luscious in how well they're done, particularly the weather.”
“The art style is great and really lends to the wasteland feel.”
“The UI could be improved (e.g. you can't click on a building to enter it, you have to click on the name of the building in the top right of the screen) and the graphics are a somewhat higher resolution version of 1980s graphics (I mean that literally, not as hyperbole).”
“The art style isn't my favorite but it works, and honestly it's my biggest gripe beyond quality of life stuff that is likely to come.”
“Good game, please give us the option to remove the anime portraits though, it really doesn't fit the aesthetics of the game.”
- music16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating the relaxing and immersive soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. However, some users express concerns about the limited variety, noting that repetitive tracks can become tiresome over extended play sessions. While there are standout pieces, such as a quirky German pop song, the need for more diverse music options is a common request among players.
“This seemingly little game is a lot of fun and has already given me many hours of entertainment, while being very relaxing due to a varied game loop and an excellent soundtrack.”
“Yes, the visuals and music allow for maximum immersion.”
“It's a great foundation and has some great artwork, atmosphere, and music.”
“Equally, I love the music, but listening to the same tune for hours on end will start to drive me a bit nuts, I think.”
“The bar song is annoying as hell, and the Starlight City song is just confusing, grating, and weird.”
“I do hope for some more music though; there are a lot of tracks that are just on repeat, and while they're good, they do become a bit stale after a while, so some added variety is something I hope for in the future.”
- replayability9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a strong replayability factor due to its addictive gameplay loop and mod support, with many players expressing excitement for future updates that could enhance the experience. However, some users feel that the current content can become repetitive after a while, and suggest improvements like procedural map generation to further increase replay value. Completionists may find additional replay incentive through achievements and maxing out vehicles, but the game still has room for growth in terms of quality of life features.
“Addictive gameplay loop, can't wait for further updates for maximum replay value.”
“At its core, the game is plenty of fun with maximum replayability and mod support.”
“All in all, a very enjoyable play with truly ridiculous amounts of replayability.”
“- not really replayable (I wish it had a random generation map option)”
“A lot of the game as of current release is fairly basic once you've seen all there is to see, quest all there is to quest, shoot all there is to shoot, but if they develop the game more with better quality of life updates it has potential to become a pretty replayable apocalypse trucking simulator.”
“My only suggestion is that it would be a nice addition if it has an option to generate the map procedurally to maximize replayability.”
- grinding9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is described as both approachable and tedious, with players finding success in grinding for resources but often feeling bogged down by repetitive combat mechanics and a cumbersome crafting system. While some enjoy the grind as a relaxing way to progress, many express frustration with the micromanagement and the overwhelming number of resources, leading to a sense of monotony. Overall, the grind is seen as a necessary part of the experience, albeit one that could benefit from improvements in pacing and variety.
“The vast majority of every combat encounter boils down to 'click, shoot, end turn.' It's tedious, and the UI doesn't help at all.”
“And even if the stress nonsense didn't exist, you'd still be stuck playing a game where you only actually care about three different resources out of the bajillion displayed, and the only consistent way to get them is annoying and tedious.”
“The game is harsh and filled with tedious small micromanaging bits; most of the terrain is filled with nonsense that makes you slow down to a crawl, and money is always on the short end, with leveling requiring a hard-to-find resource (books).”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised, with players noting its immersive qualities and strong post-apocalyptic vibe reminiscent of the Mad Max universe. The combination of engaging landscapes, effective artwork, and fitting music contributes to a compelling experience, making exploration and decision-making feel impactful. Overall, it establishes a solid foundation for an indie title, leaving players eager to delve deeper into its world.
“This game has a lot of atmosphere for an indie title; it's been a while since I've felt so immersed in a game.”
“It's a great foundation and has some great artwork, atmosphere, and music.”
“The side quests have a nice atmosphere, and I couldn't help but think, 'Agh, but now I want to know what would've happened if I did the other thing!' on a bunch of them.”
“The atmosphere feels like a Mad Max setting, capturing that post-apocalyptic vibe.”
“Exploring the space is enjoyable, but you must pay attention to the landscape and your options to avoid being killed by your own bad decisions. The sense of atmosphere, despite some clashing between character portraits and the rest of the game, of driving a big rig through a zombie post-apocalypse is spot on.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant bugs that affect core functionalities, such as the tutorial and shop mechanics. While some players have experienced a relatively smooth experience without crashes, the overall consensus indicates that the game is too buggy for many to fully enjoy or commit to at this time.
“Buggy, not even the tutorial is functioning.”
“Still kind of buggy with one of the most basic features like buying and selling at shops not adding or subtracting weight correctly.”
“Appears to be a fun game but it's too buggy for me to commit anymore time to the game for now.”
- humor4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of dark comedy and quirky character interactions, contributing to an engaging and addictive experience. While some players appreciate the clever and funny elements, others find certain aspects, like recurring bad luck events, less amusing. Overall, the humor adds a unique flavor to the gameplay, enhancing the overall enjoyment.
“Cool storylines, great gameplay loops, and funny characters.”
“Fun, darkly humorous, and addictive as hell.”
“(I clicked a body that was crucified in a town, and it gave me a tip; I thought that was funny.)”
“Having a bad luck event once a week is not funny.”
“The jokes feel forced and often fall flat.”
“The humor relies too heavily on clichés and lacks originality.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game offers a robust character development system alongside a variety of features such as trading, settlement building, and an extensive upgrade system. Players can engage in crew hiring and manage their characters' growth, enhancing the overall gameplay experience in this early access post-apocalyptic trading sim.
“A post-apocalyptic trading sim with simplistic combat, an extensive upgrade system, town building, crew hiring, and character development.”
“Random events, inventory management, trading, character development, settlement building, and more... for an early access game, it has so many features.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful choices that impact the story.”
“I was disappointed by the lack of depth in character progression; it feels more like a checklist than a journey.”
“While the game offers many features, the character development is underwhelming and fails to engage the player.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players have noted that the game's optimization has significantly improved, particularly with a quick fix addressing major UI issues within a week of release.
“I already liked where this game was going, and they optimized one of the major UI gripes I had within a week.”
“The developers are constantly improving the game, and their focus on optimization has made a noticeable difference in performance.”
“I appreciate how the team listens to player feedback and implements optimizations that enhance the overall experience.”
“The game runs poorly on my system, even with the lowest settings. Optimization is clearly lacking.”
“I was excited to play, but the constant frame drops and stuttering make it nearly unplayable. Optimization needs serious work.”
“Despite the interesting gameplay, the optimization issues ruin the experience. It feels like the developers didn't prioritize performance.”