My Little Blacksmith Shop

About

In "My Little Blacksmith Shop," you become a blacksmith in a fantasy world, gathering resources, smelting ingts, forging weapons, and selling them for profit. The game is currently in early access, with version 0.1.1 patch 1 released in July 2019. Donations of $10 or more on Itch.io after December 31st, 2017, do not guarantee a Steam key. Minimum system requirements include a quad-core Intel or AMD processor, a Nvidia Geforce 470 GTX or AMD Radeon 6870 HD Series graphics card, and 8GB RAM.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 698 reviews

gameplay17 positive mentions

stability70 negative mentions

The game has a charming aesthetic and offers a relaxing experience for players who enjoy crafting and shop management.
There is a lot of potential for future updates, with many players expressing excitement about the game's development and features.
The core mechanics of forging weapons and managing a blacksmith shop are engaging and can provide a satisfying gameplay loop.

The game is plagued with numerous bugs and crashes, making it frustrating to play and often resulting in lost progress.
Many players have reported that the game lacks a proper tutorial, leading to confusion about mechanics and objectives.
The current state of the game feels incomplete, with some features missing or not functioning as intended, which detracts from the overall experience.

stability
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs, glitches, and crashes that severely impact gameplay. Many players express frustration over the lack of updates and fixes, leading to a near-unplayable experience despite the game's potential. While some find enjoyment in the core mechanics, the overwhelming consensus is that the game is currently too unstable for a full recommendation.
- “Long story short, the game is buggy as hell to the point it's near unplayable. Rather than fix the bugs, the dev seems intent on adding more stuff that's likely just going to break the game more. I can't recommend a game that has been out as long as this and has yet to fix bugs I encountered several years ago.”
- “The game keeps crashing, and when it finally stops for a while, it does it again. It's buggy overall, but I guess it's in alpha. I cannot even send a bug report at the moment because it crashes before it lets me.”
- “In conclusion, this game is a broken, buggy mess in its current state, and until these major bugs are fixed, do not buy this game.”
gameplay
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
66%
8%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of enjoyment and frustration, with many players appreciating the core mechanics of blacksmithing and shop management but expressing concerns over numerous bugs, poor design choices, and a lack of polish. While some find the gameplay loop rewarding and relaxing, others criticize it for being slow, convoluted, and often unplayable due to technical issues. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant improvements to its mechanics and stability to fully realize its charm.
- “The soothing atmosphere, combined with the satisfying mechanics of forging weapons and managing your own little shop, makes it a perfect game to unwind with after a long day.”
- “The gameplay is both fun and rewarding, with a perfect balance of simplicity and depth.”
- “The blacksmithing mechanics are fun and there are many secrets that are still unknown to me.”
- “Clicking when the bar enters the green zone is just not fun or engaging gameplay, especially when half the time the green zone doesn't even register.”
- “Items frequently glitch, and core gameplay elements that should be polished by now remain unfinished.”
- “Throughout my 34 hours of gameplay, I've encountered consistent crashing, major frame drops, items merging into a single item, falling through the map, and almost all of my ingots despawning upon saving/reloading.”
graphics
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
57%
14%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the simple, stylized art style and overall decent visuals, while others criticize the high brightness levels, lag, and glitches that detract from the experience. Many users note that despite the low-poly design, the game can still be immersive, though some feel it falls short of expectations compared to promotional images. Overall, while the graphics have seen some improvement, they remain a point of contention among players, with calls for further refinement.
- “The map and graphics are nice, and the portals are useful for making walking between places not be a chore.”
- “The graphics are good, I'm in love with the art style and there are quite a few things you can do in the game.”
- “The low-poly and simple art style is enjoyable and this game scratches an itch I didn't know I had.”
- “I really came optimistic and open-minded to this one (despite the horrible graphics), but unfortunately the game just isn't fun and boring.”
- “Rarely will I comment on a game's graphics, but what is shown in the images is basically false advertising.”
- “I was really hoping things would have gotten better, but things are worse and the game used to look so pretty and now it looks like it's trying too hard, and I miss the old graphics style.”
story
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
77%
12%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and clarity, with many players noting that it feels more like a sandbox experience than a narrative-driven game. While there are some minor story elements and a previously implemented story mode, it has been removed due to bugs, leaving players with minimal guidance and a focus on gameplay mechanics instead. Overall, players express a desire for a more developed story and better tutorial support to enhance their experience.
- “Third, the game has a variety of little story elements and adventure elements sprinkled throughout.”
- “While this game is good and I like the concept, it is a true early access game. I hope it gets a story soon; this game is awesome.”
- “When you start a new game, you have the option of sandbox mode or story mode.”
- “Also reading the other reviews, there used to be a story mode partly implemented that has been removed because it was too buggy, leaving almost nothing to the game other than a sandbox mode and tutorial, meaning there is literally less to the game than is shown in the 30-second video here on the store page.”
- “A game that is 3 years old and doesn't even have a tutorial... story mode doesn't explain anything either and just drops you into the world.”
- “I started a new story game and outside of some directions on a tiny little piece of paper I luckily finally noticed on the wall, I figured out how to make a sword blade but that's about it, and I really loathe the idea of wandering around trying to figure out simple things that I personally feel the game should be walking me through.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
86%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring significant effort to progress. While some appreciate the ability to adjust difficulty and find satisfaction in the grind, many express a desire for a more rewarding sense of progression and less repetitive tasks. Overall, the grinding can detract from the enjoyment, though some players still find the experience relaxing and worthwhile.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It's a bit grindy at times.”
- “Traversing the map is tedious.”
- “Some of the game's progression seems really grindy.”
- “My only wish would be for a more rewarding sense of progression as progress can feel slow and tedious.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
9%
27%
The music in the game is widely praised for its peaceful and relaxing ambiance, enhancing the overall experience and allowing players to immerse themselves for hours. Many reviewers highlight the impressive variety and quality of the soundtrack, comparing it favorably to renowned composers like Jeremy Soule, and emphasizing that the music is a significant reason to play the game. However, some users noted sound issues that detracted from their experience, leading to mixed feelings about the audio quality.
- “This game not only has incredibly relaxing great background music, but there's a ton of them and they are different enough that there's variety and none 'suck'.”
- “The peaceful ambiance, accompanied by the gentle background music, enhances the overall experience, making it a game that you can easily spend hours in without realizing it.”
- “You need to buy this game for the music alone.”
- “But otherwise still worth it for the music, the atmosphere, and of course that hopefully this paves the way for future 'blacksmith' games.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as charming and amusing, with players enjoying the comedic elements of interacting with NPCs, such as hitting them with tools for fun. While some feel the game has shifted towards a more serious tone, the presence of funny bugs and quirky secrets still elicits laughter. Overall, despite minor issues, the game successfully maintains a lighthearted and entertaining atmosphere.
- “Oh yeah, and the funny little secrets I'm still finding, heh, it's wonderful.”
- “This game isn't bad; it's just a minor game that does its job trying to be fun. It's still funny to hit NPCs with an axe or any weapon that is a tool. It feels like I'm being the police from Payday 2, beating the snot out of players, but now I'm beating the snot out of NPCs instead.”
- “The game is still under work and has massive bugs, but it's still funny to watch the stuff being fired at random as you see it bounce around your shop really fast.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players experiencing significant bugs, low frame rates, and performance issues even on higher-end systems. Despite some improvements noted in recent updates, many users still report persistent lag and freezing, indicating that the game requires further optimization to fully realize its potential.
- “This game could definitely use some optimization, as even on my higher-end rig I found this simplistic-looking game to barely hit 60 fps at some points with numerous freezes in the default version of the game.”
- “This game has so much great potential; I want to enjoy it, but it is buggy in its current state and doesn't seem well optimized.”
- “The game seems to be a bit more optimized as it is less laggy besides the lag spikes mentioned above.”
- “I come back every few years, and some critical bugs plague the game, from your tools getting permanently removed from your inventory, to your hard-earned and crafted products getting eaten by a weird clipping bug with the deconstructor (through a wall). Poor optimization and the smelters just not working for like 3 years straight. It isn't the developer's fault at all; it was an unfortunate time to make an Unreal Engine 4 game right as 5 was coming out.”
- “This game could definitely use some optimization, as even on my higher-end rig I found this simplistic-looking game to barely hit 60 fps at some points, with numerous freezes in the default version of the game.”
- “The game seems to be a bit more optimized as it is less laggy, besides the lag spikes mentioned above.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its soothing and calming qualities, making it an ideal choice for relaxation and unwinding. While players appreciate the tranquil environment and enjoyable crafting mechanics, concerns about bugs can disrupt the experience, though many remain optimistic about the game's potential as it continues to develop. Overall, the music and ambiance contribute significantly to its appeal, despite the technical issues.
- “The soothing atmosphere, combined with the satisfying mechanics of forging weapons and managing your own little shop, makes it a perfect game to unwind with after a long day.”
- “The game has a really nice atmosphere and is extremely calming, making it enjoyable to just turn your brain off and craft items.”
- “It's still worth it for the music, the atmosphere, and hopefully this paves the way for future 'blacksmith' games.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the world.”
- “Despite some interesting elements, the overall atmosphere is dull and fails to evoke any real emotion.”
- “The game’s atmosphere is inconsistent, often breaking immersion with jarring transitions and poorly designed environments.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, highlighting a strong desire for its continued development and fearing abandonment. They appreciate the evolution of the game while also cherishing its enduring elements, which evoke nostalgia and attachment.
- “It's touching to see what has changed in the game since then, and what still remained the same.”
- “The potential for further development and new features is immense, and it would be heartbreaking to see this game abandoned.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's replayability is hindered by significant bugs and an overall lack of polish, leading some players to feel reluctant to engage with it until improvements are made. While it is technically playable, the experience is marred by issues that detract from the desire to revisit the game.