Hometopia
- September 27, 2023
- Hometopia Inc.
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"Hometopia is a simulation game in early access, allowing 2-4 players to cooperatively build and design homes with career progression. While it has spectacular game mechanics and good graphics, it is currently hampered by optimization issues and bugs. The developers emphasize Hometopia as an ongoing, creative platform for players and are responsive to feedback."
Reviews
- The game offers a lot of customization options for building and decorating, allowing players to express their creativity.
- The graphics are visually appealing, providing a pleasant aesthetic experience while playing.
- Multiplayer mode adds a fun social aspect, allowing friends to collaborate on building projects together.
- The game suffers from performance issues, with many players experiencing lag and low frame rates even on high-end hardware.
- The reputation system can be frustrating, as players may receive low ratings despite meeting client preferences, leading to a lack of clarity on how to improve.
- There is currently no sandbox mode available, limiting players who want to build freely without the constraints of a career mode.
- optimization80 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, crashes, and bugs that hinder gameplay, even on high-end systems. While some users have noted improvements in recent updates, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization work to enhance stability and performance. As it is currently in early access, players express hope for future patches to address these concerns, but many recommend waiting until optimization is improved before purchasing.
“They also patched a ton of bugs and added optimization fixes, with more on the way!”
“With the understanding that this is in early access and there are going to be bugs, hiccups, and performance issues, the foundation is here for a really good game.”
“The game currently suffers from optimization issues that I'm sure will be fixed in future patches.”
“Unfortunately, I can't really say much about the game's content as such because, as others have stated, the performance is abysmal.”
“The core mechanics and gameplay are engaging; however, the game suffers from severe performance issues on higher-end hardware, which greatly diminish its enjoyability.”
- graphics75 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals and attention to detail that enhance creativity, while others criticize poor optimization and performance issues, particularly on higher settings. Players with powerful hardware report better experiences, but many still face significant lag and crashes, especially when attempting to run the game at maximum graphics. Overall, while the aesthetic appeal is acknowledged, the game's performance and graphical stability remain a concern for many users.
“The visuals truly bring your creations to life, which definitely gives wings to creativity!”
“The graphics are fantastic, and the level of detail and control is top notch.”
“The game is fun and relaxing, with beautiful graphics and lovely background music.”
“Graphics are absolutely horrible...”
“That, combined with the game's lackluster graphics (textures look like shit) and the worst performance I've ever experienced in a game, makes this game completely non-worthwhile in its current state.”
“Current state of the game is constant crashes when trying to load levels, poor optimisation even on higher end graphics cards it can struggle.”
- gameplay34 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
Gameplay in this title has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its engaging mechanics and user-friendly interface, while others criticize significant performance issues and missing features that hinder the overall experience. Although the game offers a variety of customization options and enjoyable core mechanics, many users report clunky controls, lag, and a lack of essential gameplay elements, leading to frustration. Overall, while there are enjoyable aspects, the game requires substantial improvements to its performance and mechanics to fully realize its potential.
“The user-friendly interface and the abundance of customization options make Hometopia an engaging and satisfying gameplay.”
“I really enjoyed the gameplay; the best part of House Flipper for me is completing jobs, so starting with the client mode suits my preferences.”
“The core mechanics and gameplay are engaging; however, the game suffers from severe performance issues on higher-end hardware, which greatly diminish its enjoyability.”
“Being in the same category as The Sims and House Flipper, this game lacks so many features that make the gameplay of those games so great.”
“It's not so much the bugs that bother me, but basic gameplay mechanics that are completely missing or broken -- load/save, savegames, sandbox mode, editable key bindings or mouse controls, terrible UI, no way to look at more than one other house, etc. -- loads of people also seem to have performance issues that render the entire game unplayable.”
“My major concern is with the gameplay - the game recommends that you run it on the lowest graphics if it is running slowly, but even with the lowest graphics possible, the lag is just unbearable and makes gameplay impossible.”
- stability30 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and freezing issues, particularly during multiplayer sessions and job loading. While some players acknowledge the game's potential and express hope for improvements, the current state is described as frustratingly unstable, making it difficult to enjoy the experience fully. Overall, many recommend waiting for further updates before diving in, especially for those sensitive to technical issues.
“Overall this game is buggy and poorly designed; I've never seen such a poorly constructed sandbox in my life.”
“Especially after the new updates, the game constantly freezes and crashes even on the lowest settings, which detracts from the beautiful aesthetics of the game.”
“I understand that this game is still in early access, but the glitches and performance issues render it almost completely unusable.”
- music21 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally appreciated for enhancing the cozy atmosphere, but many players find it repetitive and too loud, leading to frustration over the lack of separate volume controls for music and sound effects. Several users expressed a desire for the ability to enjoy sound effects without the music, as turning off the music often mutes all audio, resulting in a silent experience. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the ambiance, its limitations detract from the gameplay for some players.
“Also, the music and landscapes add up wonderfully to the overall game atmosphere.”
“Such a cozy game with the ability to build and decorate at your own pace while listening to the background music.”
“The game is fun and relaxing, with beautiful graphics and lovely background music.”
“There is no option to change just the music volume level, and I usually turn the music down in games because I like just the sound effects.”
“The music is a bit loud and can get repetitive, so it would be good to have different volume options for master, music, sound effects, etc.”
“I disabled the music in the game and it also disabled the sound effects part of the game.”
- story14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is generally seen as straightforward, lacking complexity, which some players appreciate for its simplicity. While missions are enjoyable and allow for creativity, there are frustrations with the lack of a sandbox mode and the constraints of NPC quests that require building specific structures. Overall, the game offers a career mode that may appeal to casual players, but some users express a desire for more freedom and less reliance on predefined tasks.
“I like them a lot better than House Flipper's missions because they allow much more player agency and creativity.”
“I love how you still have room for creativity through all the missions and a lot of customization.”
“When you get to the guest house mission, you'll understand.”
“Having to build other houses for NPC quests is not fun.”
“A career mode is clearly a good choice to keep more casual players engaged and feel rewarded for learning all the mechanics, I'm sure a lot of people will love this feature, but I just personally have no interest in a house flipper style story mode.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly in roof placement and building mechanics, which can be buggy and frustrating. The process of assigning room areas and managing large-scale builds is seen as laborious, especially compared to similar games like House Flipper, where client satisfaction and resource management are more streamlined. Overall, the game's unfinished state contributes to a grindy experience that detracts from enjoyment.
“The game is unfinished, unoptimized, and a bit grindy.”
“The roofing is kind of nightmarish, but workable once you figure it out; although large scale builds will prove tedious.”
“It does make building big kitchens kind of tedious, so this is something I'd like to see worked on.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of Baldur's Gate 3 is highly praised for its immersive music and stunning landscapes, which significantly enhance the overall gaming experience. Players have noted that the game's demanding graphics can push their hardware to its limits, further emphasizing the rich and engaging environment.
“The music and landscapes contribute wonderfully to the overall game atmosphere.”
“I beat Baldur's Gate 3 on max settings with this GPU, and it never missed a beat. The game makes my fans sound like they're trying to launch into the atmosphere!”
“I beat Baldur's Gate 3 on max settings with this GPU, never missing a beat... why does this game make my fans try to launch into the atmosphere?”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth and immersion I expected.”
“Despite the beautiful graphics, the overall atmosphere is dull and fails to engage the player.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a mixed reception regarding monetization; while some players appreciate the upfront purchase model that includes all features without initial in-game purchases, others feel the game is a cash grab, suggesting that future monetization strategies may be implemented.
“I love that the development team sold the game with all the cool features included rather than requiring in-game purchases at the outset (although I am sure some of that will come later).”
“Please save your money, this was a total cash grab.”
“I love that the development team just sold the game with all the cool features included rather than requiring in-game purchases at the outset (although I am sure some of that will come later).”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its sassy dialogue and amusing bugs, which contribute to a lighthearted and entertaining experience for players.
“They can be really sassy sometimes, which is funny to me.”
“Some really hilarious bugs, though.”
