House Builder

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 717 reviews
  • gameplay
  • stability
  • graphics
House Builder Game Cover
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"House Builder" is a simulation game that allows players to design and construct their own houses. With various tools and materials, players can create unique homes and manage resources to complete projects. The game also features a free-build mode, landscaping options, and a sharing platform to showcase your creations or download others' designs.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 717 reviews
gameplay26 positive mentions
stability69 negative mentions
  • The game offers a relaxing and enjoyable building experience, allowing players to construct various types of houses from different cultures.
  • The graphics are beautiful, and the game provides a satisfying sense of progression as players unlock new skills and materials.
  • The developers are responsive and actively working on updates, which gives hope for future improvements and additional content.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with items disappearing, the crane mechanics being difficult to control, and occasional crashes.
  • There is a lack of content, with only a limited number of houses available, leading to a short gameplay experience that can feel repetitive.
  • The instructions and mechanics can be unclear at times, making it frustrating for players to know what to do next or how to properly use certain tools.
  • gameplay108 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a mix of engaging construction mechanics and frustrating inconsistencies, with players experiencing a blend of mini-games and clumsy physics that disrupt the flow. While some find the overall experience relaxing and enjoyable, others criticize the repetitiveness and lack of clarity in mechanics, leading to a sense of tedium. Despite its potential and interesting concepts, many players feel that the game requires significant improvements to its mechanics and stability to fully realize its promise.

    • “It's a relaxing experience, and the minimal game-breaking bugs allow the gameplay to be smooth.”
    • “The satisfaction of unlocking a new type of house or a particularly elusive building material cannot be understated, adding a rewarding loop to the gameplay.”
    • “The unique skills and mechanics for each different build keep you intrigued and learning, and it’s super satisfying!”
    • “The structure of the gameplay is all over the place and I can't just peacefully play and have confidence in my requisition of material prior to starting construction.”
    • “Many mechanics and materials will suddenly work differently with no info or reason as to why.”
    • “As-is, the tedious, buggy, and bad physics and mechanics come off as a lazy unfinished mess, and not a funny 'challenge'.”
  • stability69 mentions

    The game is widely reported to be very buggy, with numerous glitches affecting gameplay, such as freezing, erratic physics, and issues with mechanics like the crane and demolition sections. While some players find the bugs amusing or manageable, many express frustration over the game's instability, leading to a recommendation for caution, especially for those who dislike early access issues. Overall, the game's potential is acknowledged, but significant improvements in stability are needed for a more enjoyable experience.

    • “The demolition sections of the game are incredibly buggy and don't work properly.”
    • “Constantly freezes in creative mode, to the point where you have to force quit the game - then all your progress is lost.”
    • “It's just... so buggy.”
  • graphics42 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the vibrant colors and detailed textures that enhance the overall appeal, while others criticize the low-quality details and occasional graphical glitches. Many users note that the game runs well on higher settings but can be demanding on less powerful PCs, leading to performance concerns. Overall, while the visuals are generally considered good, there is a consensus that improvements could be made, particularly in character design and optimization.

    • “The graphics and visuals are charming, with vibrant colors and detailed textures that add to the overall appeal.”
    • “So after almost 8 hours I've finished everything there is to do in the game, beautiful graphics, a bit buggy but fun, a bit short and lacking what could potentially be more of a game.”
    • “The graphics are very good especially for a game like this.”
    • “Oh, let's also not forget it's full of bugs, UI problems, comically bad graphics and animation at times...”
    • “[b]🖼️ Low quality graphics and details[/b] graphics and details may be considered low quality for some players.”
    • “However, the amount of graphical stress it put my PC under for what it was showing me was... rather ridiculous, it almost made me worry it was mining Bitcoin in the background with how hard it was pushing my poor baby.”
  • story41 mentions

    The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many players noting that it feels more like a series of disconnected missions rather than a cohesive narrative. While the gameplay offers visually satisfying building mechanics and a variety of missions, the absence of a meaningful story detracts from the overall experience, leaving players wanting more in terms of narrative engagement. Overall, the game is seen as a fun, relaxing experience, but it fails to deliver a compelling storyline.

    • “The transition from a bare plot of land to a fully realized house is visually satisfying, with the changing environments and building materials providing a colorful tapestry that keeps the screen lively.”
    • “One of the earlier missions is cutting down trees to make a rustic log cabin.”
    • “Fun game, very relaxing and a good amount of missions to do.”
    • “☑ no story”
    • “The storyline, however, isn't engaging.”
    • “Bugs can be patched but competing ideas and lack of direction (or story, for that matter) are more difficult to reconcile.”
  • grinding25 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, repetitive, and at times monotonous, often requiring significant time investment to progress. While some enjoy the satisfaction that comes from skill progression and the fun elements of gameplay, many feel that the grind can detract from the overall experience, leading to mixed feelings about its enjoyment. Despite some bugs and unpolished mechanics, the game can still be addictive for those who appreciate simulation elements.

    • “This is enjoyable; you can build houses out of different materials. The fun part is that you actually build like in real life to a certain degree, and it's not that grinding because you unlock some skills that reduce your grinding considerably.”
    • “Boring, tedious, repetitive, monotonous, with absolutely no creative elements whatsoever.”
    • “You will lose random resources to bad physics and placing them too quickly which seems to register too many items in one spot, making you have to buy more items which is just tedious to wait for.”
    • “As-is, the tedious/buggy/bad physics and mechanics come off as a lazy unfinished mess, and not a funny 'challenge'.”
  • music20 mentions

    The music in the game is generally described as relaxing and fitting the game's style, but it suffers from repetitiveness, leading some players to turn it off in favor of other audio content like podcasts or music. While some appreciate the chill atmosphere it creates, others find the soundtrack ordinary or irritating, with a few noting that the sound design could benefit from more variety. Overall, the music serves as a background element rather than a standout feature.

    • “It's a really nice game to just play when you're in a chill mood, put on some music, and just build some pretty houses.”
    • “Great for listening to a podcast/video/music etc because of this.”
    • “The soundtrack is relaxing, matching the style of the game, but I confess that sometimes I took the music out of the game to listen to something else, as the soundtrack repeats itself a lot.”
    • “Okay, starting to get interesting... giving me green hell vibes, but with cheap, irritatingly repetitive, generic 'tribal' music.”
    • “The music loops are also incredibly repetitive - as you're drowning in a pile of infinitely vibrating boards that are stuck in the wall, you'll be treated to a Home Depot + Apple collaboration commercial.”
  • humor10 mentions

    The humor in the game is largely derived from its janky mechanics and quirky glitches, which many players find charming and amusing, particularly in moments like encountering a headless duplicate. However, while the comedic elements can enhance the experience, they can also lead to frustration when bugs interfere with gameplay. Overall, the game's humor is a mixed bag, offering both laughs and potential annoyance.

    • “This game is janky as hell, which was hilarious at first and I found it kind of charming.”
    • “Although, I did find it hilarious when a headless duplicate of me started walking around the property.”
    • “Weird bugs and funny glitches!”
  • optimization9 mentions

    The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, including slowdowns, freezing, and bugs that hinder gameplay. Many users express disappointment that the 1.0 release did not resolve these issues, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game requires substantial improvements in optimization and bug fixes to meet player expectations.

    • “Needs a lot of tweaks and optimization though.”
    • “The game's image quality, optimization, and performance may need improvement.”
    • “In short, I liked this game and am looking forward to a completed version, but I do seriously hope that very thorough testing for performance, graphics, and a friendly, easy-to-navigate UI will take place, because right now I have seriously mixed feelings about this developer's ability to deliver a top-notch game.”
    • “The game seems really good for the first few levels, but then it gets really bad and almost unplayable at times because of all the bugs. I thought that the 1.0 release would make it optimized and much better bug-wise, but it's crazy how it just feels like no developer ever played the game to see if it was working properly. The save system is also bugged and sometimes makes you redo levels. It's not worth your money.”
    • “Performance is horrendous.”
    • “Some missions are so poorly optimized you have to effectively glitch your way into buildings because the player model clips in the doorway once it's fully built. This is a problem I can see from other reviews isn't just me.”
  • monetization6 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with players feeling that the developer prioritized advertising and minimal effort in gameplay over quality. Many users suggest waiting for patches or improvements before purchasing, indicating a lack of confidence in the game's long-term support.

    • “Come on guys, you can do better than making a cash grab.”
    • “Edit: I've since reviewed the game post-launch and from my experience, the game still feels like a cash grab.”
    • “This early of a release really seems like a cash grab.”
  • replayability5 mentions

    The game shows significant potential for replayability, with players expressing enjoyment in their experiences and a desire for future updates to enhance this aspect. While improvements are needed, the current gameplay offers enough fun to encourage players to return.

    • “Very replayable too, very fun!”
    • “Loved what I played and hope for more updates in the future to enhance replayability.”
    • “I did enjoy it, and there's a bit of replayability to it.”
    • “This game has a lot of potential, but it needs significant improvements to enhance its replayability.”
    • “I loved what I played, but I hope for more updates in the future to increase its replayability.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Players report a strong emotional engagement with the game, highlighting how activities like building houses evoke feelings of learning and connection. The mention of an "emotional support lamp" suggests that even in-game objects can foster a sense of care and attachment, enhancing the overall emotional experience.

    • “I am absolutely getting sucked into playing it, and building one of the houses almost made me feel like I was learning something.”
    • “Gave the ladder an emotional support lamp to help move it around.”
    • “10/10 emotional support lamp.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    Reviewers emphasize the importance of graphics and audio in creating a compelling atmosphere, suggesting that a unique sound design could enhance the game's immersive experience. They caution that neglecting these elements could lead to a forgettable game, but with consistent updates and improvements, it has the potential to become a standout atmospheric building simulator.

    • “The graphics and audio work together beautifully to create an immersive atmosphere.”
    • “A more original sound design would enhance the game's atmosphere even further.”
    • “This could easily turn into a forgettable flop if the developers neglect it, but with regular updates, it has the potential to become a masterpiece of a chill atmospheric building simulator.”
    • “Graphics and audio: building atmospheres.”
    • “A more original sound design that will reinforce the atmosphere of the game may be preferred.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

8hMedian play time
9hAverage play time
5-14hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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