Home Improvisation: Furniture Sandbox
- January 26, 2015
- The Stork Burnt Down
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Home Improvisation: Furniture Sandbox" is a simulation game that allows you to build and design furniture for an entire house, with a catch - none of the furniture comes with instructions. The game features a variety of furniture items and rooms to decorate, as well as local and online multiplayer options for up to 3 players. The game also supports HTC Vive for virtual reality building. Use your creativity to discover intended designs or create your own unique masterpieces.
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Reviews
- The game is a hilarious and unique take on assembling IKEA-style furniture, providing plenty of laughs and chaotic fun, especially in multiplayer.
- It offers a creative sandbox experience where players can build absurd furniture creations without strict rules, making it enjoyable for casual play.
- The VR experience enhances the gameplay, making it more immersive and entertaining, and the game has a charming soundtrack that adds to the overall atmosphere.
- The controls are frustratingly unintuitive, with no tutorial or clear instructions, making it difficult for players to figure out how to assemble furniture properly.
- Multiplayer functionality is plagued by bugs and region locks, making it hard to play with friends, which detracts from the overall experience.
- The game feels incomplete and lacks depth, with limited content and frequent crashes, leading to a sense of boredom after a short period of play.
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is characterized by its absurd and chaotic approach to furniture building, which initially elicits laughter but may lose its charm over time. Players find the comedic elements engaging, especially in co-op mode, though some report frustrations with controls and online play. Overall, it offers a lighthearted and silly experience that can be particularly enjoyable in a VR setting.
“This is a unique little game which makes building furniture so much more complicated and hilarious.”
“I never found myself frustrated, only laughing.”
“It's simple, cheap, and hilarious.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Gameplay experiences vary widely, with some players enjoying the humorous challenges of assembling furniture and the unique mechanics reminiscent of games like Surgeon Simulator, while others criticize the game for its buggy physics, broken camera, and lack of novelty. Despite some fun elements and a solid core experience, issues such as frequent crashes, limited replayability, and confusing mechanics detract from the overall enjoyment. The asymmetrical multiplayer adds a silly dimension, but the game's technical problems hinder its potential.
“The asymmetrical multiplayer makes for some pretty silly gameplay, and some of the furniture is actually quite challenging to assemble.”
“The gameplay feels super solid and made it fun to actually assemble furniture... then destroy it... then play in confetti...”
“Into gameplay you can fall in love with this masterpiece of a game, plus, there is a workshop, so you can share your creations in this game!”
“Bugged physics, gameplay, and broken camera.”
“I don't get the mechanics.”
“Well, you get about 3 hours of gameplay, no replayability, frequent crashes, and graphical issues.”
- music8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its soothing and calming qualities, contributing positively to the overall experience and enhancing focus. However, some users feel that the soundtrack can become repetitive and annoying over time. Overall, it is described as a lovely addition that complements the game's visuals.
“The music alone just makes me smile.”
“This is a really good game and the music helps calm the nerves!”
“The music in the background really allows you to relax and focus on whatever you are working on.”
“The music gets old pretty quickly and becomes an annoyance more than anything else.”
- graphics7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the artwork and soothing ambiance, while others report significant issues such as poor performance, texture problems, and lighting glitches. Many users express frustration over the game's graphical settings being locked initially, leading to a lack of control over the visual experience. Overall, while the game has potential in its aesthetic appeal, technical shortcomings detract from the overall enjoyment.
“Graphically it's pretty, and has a nice soothing soundtrack.”
“+really nice artwork and overall ambience (i.e. you can adjust the lights and play with everything in the rooms)”
“The game runs very poorly, with texture issues, lighting clipping, and modifying graphics settings completely breaking the UI.”
“I have one problem that instantly made me dislike the game: I'm not going to drop 10 bucks on a game like this if it's going to restrict me at the get-go and make me play for a few hours to unlock menus like graphics or sound settings.”
“I've played it a couple of times now and have experienced significant graphics lag, but I'm not using any controller and I'm playing this single player.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for not fully utilizing its potential, as it lacks a performance grading system, which detracts from the overall experience.
“Another reason why this game doesn’t feel like it used most of the potential it had lies in the fact that there’s nothing grading your performance.”
“Truly what peak performance looks like.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features impressive lifeforms enhanced by advanced joint movement and physics, but suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous bugs and a lack of tutorials, making it difficult to play effectively.
“There is absolutely no tutorial or instruction for controlling, and the game is generally too buggy to play.”
- story2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is perceived as secondary to the enjoyment of building and customization, with players finding more satisfaction in these activities than in traditional missions. While there is a challenge present, it may not appeal to everyone, suggesting that the game's narrative may not be its strongest feature.
“Admittedly, I get more satisfaction building furniture than playing a mission in any other game.”
“Don't get me wrong, unlike Goat Simulator, there is a challenge involved in this (though whether or not you like this sort of challenge is another story). However, I'd imagine the demand for watching this type of game is much higher than the demand for playing it.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game's replayability to be enjoyable and engaging, making it a strong choice for those seeking a title that offers fresh experiences upon multiple playthroughs.
“If you're looking for a game that has a fun and interesting replayability value, then this is the game for you!”
“The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more; every playthrough feels fresh and exciting!”
“With multiple endings and different character paths, I find myself replaying this game just to see what I missed the first time.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players liken the grinding aspect to a farming simulator experience, but instead of managing crops, it involves collecting and managing furniture, suggesting a repetitive and resource-intensive gameplay loop.
“It's like a farming simulator without farms and with more furniture.”
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I spend more time grinding for resources than actually enjoying the game.”
