Hometopia

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"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."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 478 reviews

graphics27 positive mentions

optimization18 negative mentions

The game offers a lot of customization options for building and decorating, allowing players to express their creativity.
The multiplayer feature is a great addition, enabling friends to collaborate on building projects together.
The graphics are visually appealing, and the game has a charming aesthetic that enhances the overall experience.

The game suffers from performance issues, with many players experiencing lag and low frame rates even on high-end hardware.
The reputation system is frustrating, as players can follow client preferences closely but still receive low ratings, making it difficult to progress.
There are numerous bugs and glitches that affect gameplay, including issues with object placement and the inability to complete certain tasks.

graphics
93 mentions
29 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the stunning visuals and attention to detail, while others criticize the low-quality textures and poor optimization that lead to lag and crashes, even on high-end systems. Many users express a desire for more realistic graphics, as the current aesthetic often feels cartoonish. Overall, while some find the graphics impressive and immersive, others feel they detract from the gameplay experience due to performance issues.
- “The graphics are fantastic and the level of detail and control is top notch.”
- “The visuals truly bring your creations to life, which definitely gives wings to creativity!”
- “I was between this and House Flipper; thank god I ended up choosing Hometopia - the quality of the graphics has completely exceeded my expectations.”
- “Uninstalled and refunded because I don't like the low quality graphics, and I like Sims 4 graphics.”
- “Overall I think it's a promising game but feels like it's got a long way to go and maybe needs switching to a more modern graphics engine that supports more realistic shadows and ideally ray tracing.”
- “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.”
optimization
92 mentions
8 % positive mentions
73 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including lag and crashes, even on high-end hardware. While some users have managed to play without major problems, the consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance gameplay and stability. As it is currently in early access, there is hope for future updates to address these issues, but many players find it unplayable in its present state.
- “The game runs smoothly with high settings.”
- “They also patched a ton of bugs, and added optimization fixes, with more on the way!”
- “I played during the playtest and experienced some performance issues but whatever I was dealing with back then has since been patched and I am able to run the game pretty smoothly now.”
- “Game has a lot of potential but the lack of optimization made it unplayable.”
- “It's unplayable with the volume of crashes, bugs and performance issues.”
- “The performance for this game is unacceptable, even for early access, low settings on an 8700k with a 2070 super and 32gb of ram on an SSD, getting like 20-30 fps.”
gameplay
42 mentions
33 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is currently focused on home design, akin to The Sims and House Flipper, but lacks many essential features and mechanics that would enhance the experience. While the customization options and graphics are praised, players report significant performance issues, clunky mechanics, and missing functionalities that hinder overall enjoyment. Many users express hope for future updates to address these shortcomings and expand gameplay beyond its current limitations.
- “If you have ever played The Sims, you are familiar with their easy building mechanics... this game takes it up and beyond that, and you don't have the restraint of money... either way, if you love building and decorating, this is the game for you.”
- “The user-friendly interface and the abundance of customization options make Hometopia an engaging and satisfying gameplay experience.”
- “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.”
- “At the moment, it's basically the home editor from any Sims game, but without any other gameplay elements (yet) - it's essentially a game for people who want to design their own cool-looking homes right now.”
- “It's not so much the bugs that bother me, but basic gameplay mechanics that are completely missing or broken -- load/save, save games, 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.”
- “The gameplay in its current state is extremely clunky.”
stability
38 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game is currently plagued by numerous bugs and stability issues, particularly in its early access state, leading to frequent crashes, freezes, and frustrating glitches that hinder gameplay. While some players find the game enjoyable despite these problems, many express significant dissatisfaction with its performance, suggesting that it may not be worth purchasing until these issues are addressed. Overall, the game's stability is a major concern, with many users recommending waiting for further updates before diving in.
- “Overall, this game is buggy and shitty; I've never seen such a poorly architected sandbox in my life.”
- “It’s filled with bugs and freezes/crashes constantly.”
- “I understand that this game is still in early access, but the glitches and performance issues render it almost completely unusable.”
music
22 mentions
14 % positive mentions
73 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally appreciated for its cozy atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience; however, 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 more audio customization options, as turning off the music also disables sound effects, resulting in a silent gameplay experience. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the ambiance, its limitations detract from the enjoyment for some players.
- “Also, the music and landscapes add 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.”
- “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.”
- “There's a slider for 'all audio' as well as a 'music', but it seems like the music slider also affects all other sounds in the game, and since I would much rather listen to my own music while playing, I basically played with the whole game on mute. I would never expect a simulation game to provide enough unique music to not get horrendously repetitive; I just need functional volume sliders.”
story
21 mentions
14 % positive mentions
71 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The story mode of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players appreciating the missions for their creativity and player agency, while others find them tedious and bug-ridden. Many users express a preference for sandbox-style gameplay over the structured missions, criticizing the lack of flexibility in building and the cumbersome mechanics involved in completing quests. Overall, while the story mode offers some engaging elements, it seems to fall short for those seeking a more open-ended building experience.
- “I love how you still have room for creativity through all the missions and a lot of customization.”
- “Onto the good stuff, the missions are quite fun.”
- “I like them a lot better than House Flipper's missions because they allow much more player agency and creativity.”
- “I was really excited to play this game with my friends, but the missions are so bugged that it's almost unplayable.”
- “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, but I just personally have no interest in a house flipper style story mode.”
grinding
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the cumbersome roof placement and grid-based building mechanics, which can lead to frustrating glitches. While some aspects become manageable with practice, large-scale constructions remain laborious, and the overall experience is marred by bugs and a lack of optimization, making it less enjoyable compared to similar games like House Flipper.
- “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.”
atmosphere
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive music and stunning landscapes, which significantly enhance the overall 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?”
monetization
2 mentions
150 % positive mentions
-150 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the upfront purchase that includes all features without initial in-game purchases, others feel the game is a cash grab, suggesting that future monetization may be on the horizon.
- “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.”
- “The monetization model is fair and doesn't feel exploitative, allowing players to enjoy the game without feeling pressured to spend money.”
- “I appreciate that the game offers optional purchases that enhance the experience without locking essential content behind a paywall.”
- “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).”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its sassy dialogue and unexpected comedic moments, including amusing bugs that add to the overall entertainment.
- “They can be really sassy sometimes, which is funny to me.”
- “Some really hilarious bugs, though.”