Kubifaktorium

About

Kubifaktorium is a single player economy city builder game with a economy theme. It was developed by Kubifaktorium and was released on December 16, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Kubifaktorium is a colony building and management game set in a variety of biomes with complex machinery and production chains. The demo includes tutorials showcasing its features, with the full game available on Steam Early Access. Players should expect some bugs as it's still in early alpha development. Join the Discord, or follow on Facebook or YouTube to learn more.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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80%

Audience ScoreBased on 366 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

optimization6 negative mentions

The game has a charming art style and relaxing gameplay, making it enjoyable for casual players.
It offers a unique blend of colony management and automation, allowing players to create complex production chains.
The developer is responsive to feedback and actively updates the game, showing commitment to improvement.

The game feels unfinished and lacks several quality of life features that would enhance the automation experience.
There are significant bugs and performance issues, especially with larger colonies, leading to frustrating gameplay.
The campaign can become repetitive, as players must restart on new islands without much variation in objectives.

gameplay
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
66%
7%
The gameplay of the game offers around 20-30 hours of engaging content, centered on a logistics system that underpins various mechanics, though some players find certain features overly complicated and repetitive. While the campaign introduces a smooth difficulty curve and enjoyable mechanics, it suffers from a lack of urgency and challenge, leading to some frustration with its design. Overall, the game is considered a solid entry in its genre, providing a mix of colony management and factory mechanics, but it could benefit from improved variety and depth in gameplay.
- “The gameplay is based around a relatively simple logistics system that serves as the backbone for the entire game; everything you do will use the logistics system somehow.”
- “Relaxing combination of perfectly charming voxel models, no-risk gameplay, breadth of food varieties, and surprising depth of endgame factory management.”
- “Love everything about it from the art style to the gameplay; simple enough to pick up quickly yet complicated enough to stay entertaining for many hours.”
- “There's no sense of urgency, no challenge (other than dealing with asinine mechanics).”
- “Instead of gradual development and improvement of the chains, for each new resource or game mechanic, the game simply forces you to start the same boring process from scratch over and over again.”
- “I quit the campaign at around island 4 due to repetitive gameplay and boredom; this really needs work.”
graphics
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
63%
9%
The graphics of the game are a mix of voxel and pixel art styles, often described as cute and charming, appealing to those who enjoy a simplistic aesthetic. However, opinions are divided; while some praise the graphics for their coherence and detail, others criticize them as low-quality and blocky, leading to visual discomfort. Overall, the graphics are generally seen as functional and suitable for low-spec systems, but they may not satisfy players seeking more detailed visuals.
- “The graphical aspect is really pretty and coherent, probably the nicest of all the industrial genres.”
- “I love the art style and the controls, the music, and also the nice little details like if you click certain things.”
- “They really put a lot of effort into the graphics while keeping a minimal approach.”
- “Visuals are typical indie low-poly brain-farts that require no talent or attempt at detail.”
- “Maybe this has potential, but the graphics are just so outdated and laughably bad, I couldn't get into this.”
- “The mechanics seemed solid for the 20 minutes I could stomach those graphics, but alas, the graphics became too much of an eyesore to deal with.”
story
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
78%
6%
The story in Kubifactorium is generally viewed as simplistic and poorly written, serving primarily as a tutorial for the game's mechanics rather than a compelling narrative. While some players appreciate the lighthearted tone and gradual introduction to gameplay elements, many find the repetitive nature of the missions and the forced progression tedious. Overall, the story mode is seen as a functional but underwhelming aspect of the game, with players often prioritizing gameplay over the narrative.
- “The story also acts as a slow introduction to all the different tech levels, providing a supportive but steady understanding of the mechanics.”
- “Very satisfying and well-paced factory game, with a fun and lighthearted story.”
- “For now it seems pretty intuitive and the 'story mode' helps you to get into the game.”
- “The story writing is unfortunately incredibly poor and the 'message' of the game is trite and overdone.”
- “The campaign storyline, on the other hand, reads like it was written by a 12-year-old and the game would be dramatically improved by removing it entirely.”
- “They really need to work on their story mode progression, because what they have right now is not rewarding or engaging enough to continue playing.”
optimization
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
43%
38%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with players noting smooth controls and easy automation but highlighting significant performance issues, particularly with the interface and larger maps. While some improvements have been made, many users still experience lag and stuttering, especially as the game progresses and the number of villagers increases. Overall, the game requires further optimization, particularly for lower-end systems, to enhance the overall experience.
- “The controls are smooth and building sequences of automation is relatively easy: you're never stuck on certain optimization or trying to calculate ratios.”
- “So gradually, as you play the game, you realize the 'real' optimization is to just avoid certain goods and production lines and focus on what is needed for the next goal, if there is any.”
- “Edit: as of this review, the game has received significant performance optimizations.”
- “Interface performance is very poor, making it a chore to navigate between menu items, load/save games and move around the map and place items.”
- “The UI and menus are pretty clunky and larger maps seem to have performance issues like hitching on an 8700k with a 1080ti, which isn't top of the line, but no slouch by any means.”
- “Most of the issues I've had are the slowdown and choppy gameplay when you get 30+ villagers; it seems the FPS shows as constant but the game is stuttering really bad nonstop once you reach a point.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
92%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often leading to a sense of burnout after extended play. While some appreciate the balance between micro-management and gameplay, many feel that the repetitive tasks and resource management can detract from the overall experience, making progression feel cumbersome. The game's design allows for potential soft-locking of resources, which can further exacerbate the grind, leaving players feeling stuck and unmotivated.
- “Excellent balance between micromanagement and not being tedious.”
- “The grinding feels rewarding and keeps me engaged without becoming a chore.”
- “I appreciate how the game makes grinding enjoyable with varied activities and meaningful rewards.”
- “I played for 5 hours and don't feel like continuing anymore; it's just tedious.”
- “This means you can somewhat almost soft-lock yourself out of certain resources, which seems to be a bit of a flaw in the attempt at having an epic final level, which in reality was just rather tedious.”
- “But then you start to feel a little frustrated by not knowing how to progress in tech or grinding long hours just to unlock something that could have made everything a whole lot easier to begin with.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The music in the game is consistently described as calm and relaxing, enhancing the overall chill and low-stress atmosphere. While some players noted repetitive loops, many appreciated the soothing sound design that complements the gameplay, making it suitable for multitasking or listening to other content. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's charming aesthetic.
- “I love the art style and the controls, the music, and also the nice little details like if you click certain things.”
- “Kind of like Factorio, but without combat and with beautiful music.”
- “The music is super relaxing!”
- “Same goes for sound/music (same one loop before I muted it).”
- “Protip: turn down the music and working sounds by half after the first couple of hours... cheers!”
- “Music in brain out.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
23%
33%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players feel it lacks depth after completing achievements, others appreciate the potential for endless replay through mods and custom maps. Many users find enjoyment in improving their skills with each playthrough, suggesting that the game offers significant replay value, especially for strategy enthusiasts. The modding support enhances longevity, making it a worthwhile experience for those who enjoy exploring new content.
- “It's still above average and I will spend over 50 hours playing it, which for this price is a bargain. I think it's made by one developer, which is super impressive, especially considering that it has mods (Steam Workshop support), so it basically has endless replayability and huge potential.”
- “After finishing the campaign, I was concerned about the lack of replayability, but it's been surprisingly fun to keep starting over because I get better every time I play, so I get more efficient.”
- “There are many hours of great gameplay in Kubifaktorium. The campaign is fun, the custom maps are replayable, and with the game being very modding-friendly, there's sure to be more for years to come.”
- “In terms of replayability, after getting all the achievements and playing at a leisurely pace, I've enjoyed it and feel finished.”
- “After finishing the campaign, I was concerned about the lack of replayability, but it's been surprisingly fun to keep starting over because I get better every time I play, so I become more efficient.”
- “Forcing someone to replay does not increase replay value magically.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players report a generally smooth experience with minor glitches, others highlight significant issues with transportation systems, particularly trains, which can lead to frustrating visual bugs and gameplay interruptions. Overall, the game is still in early development, resulting in a range of bugs and balance problems that detract from the experience.
- “1. Speed conveyors and inserters, horse carts are limited use, balloons are limited use, and trains are buggy if you have more than one track running alongside each other. Even using the two-level verticality with signals leads to a pretty nasty train overlapping visual bug.”
- “2. I get the title screen and then a black screen which freezes.”
- “3. Right now, it's buggy, it's lacking in content, and it's kind of poorly balanced too.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is derived from the absurdity of managing chaotic supply chains, with players finding amusement in the ridiculous scenarios, such as using horses to transport wheat. Additionally, there's a satirical take on the endless grind and lack of content, which players recognize as a clever trap, adding a layer of dark humor to the experience. Overall, the game cleverly plays with expectations and the genre's tropes, eliciting laughter through its ironic commentary.
- “The complicated supply chains get messy, and it's funny trying to figure out how to get goods from A to B (hint: don't use horses for wheat as they will eat it!).”
- “You know, it's funny that these types of games aren't called DF-like.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its wholesome and delightful nature, offering a more uplifting experience compared to Factorio.
- “It is more wholesome and delightful than Factorio.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized as laid back and relaxing, allowing players to explore and engage with various elements without feeling pressured. This creates an enjoyable environment for leisurely gameplay.
- “I quite enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere, as I didn't have to worry about anything and could just explore all the little things I could do.”