Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure

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In "Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure," players design automated workshops, craft items, and explore a fantasy world with adorable Sparks companions. This game combines automation and real-time strategy elements, appealing to both genre enthusiasts and newcomers. Customize your experience by decorating and building unique systems to optimize production.

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 494 reviews

story11 positive mentions

grinding28 negative mentions

Charming blend of Pikmin and Factorio, offering a unique and engaging gameplay experience.
Cute graphics and adorable Sparks create a delightful atmosphere that enhances the overall enjoyment.
Smooth controls and intuitive mechanics make it accessible for both newcomers and seasoned players in the automation genre.

Feels unfinished in some areas, with certain quests requiring items that are not yet unlocked, leading to frustration.
The inventory management can be cumbersome, making it difficult to efficiently transfer items and resources.
Some players experience performance issues and bugs, particularly in multiplayer mode, which can detract from the overall experience.

story
86 mentions
13 % positive mentions
81 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as having potential but currently feels underdeveloped, often relying on repetitive fetch quests that can disrupt gameplay flow. Players appreciate the depth and charm of the quest system, but many express frustration with unclear progression paths and tedious inventory management. While the art and overall concept are praised, the quest structure can feel overwhelming and lacks sufficient guidance, leading to a mixed reception regarding the narrative experience.
- “The art style is great, the sounds are so satisfying, and the storyline interests me.”
- “There's a fun story with discovery and combat, and I see this being enjoyed by a wide range of people, but at least one of those people needs to like automation.”
- “The villagers add a bit of story to the game, and their quests lead you to your next achievements smoothly.”
- “The art is phenomenal, the concept is great, but the core gameplay loop of exploration and doing quests just sucks.”
- “Progression only comes from story quests, and quests pretty much all boil down to a lot of inventory management and running back and forth.”
- “It's an absolute informational nightmare, and just results in feeling frustrated stabbing blindly in the dark and praying that maybe, just maybe, this next quest will unlock something useful to finally make progress again.”
gameplay
68 mentions
38 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game features a mix of enjoyable factory mechanics and automation systems reminiscent of titles like Factorio, providing a solid core loop that encourages exploration and experimentation. However, some players find the rigid base-building mechanics limit creativity, leading to a repetitive experience, while others appreciate the charming visuals and engaging quest system. Overall, the game shows promise with its unique mechanics and potential for depth, though it currently feels unpolished and may not appeal to everyone.
- “The mechanics never punish you for starting an area over from scratch, so not only do you have fun the first time, but you'll have fun redoing your factories over and over as you unlock more features and learn from your mistakes.”
- “Overall, the gameplay even now is 'omg it's 2am!'-level engaging.”
- “Absolutely charming game with quirky and fun automation mechanics!”
- “Currently, auto-saves also freeze the gameplay, which can be annoying.”
- “The game's mechanics also stifle creativity and freedom when it comes to building bases, which was a big letdown for me.”
- “The monotony of its tasks and the rigid gameplay mechanics made it feel more like a repetitive job than an enjoyable gaming experience.”
graphics
62 mentions
45 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their cute and charming art style, which enhances the overall experience and immerses players in its whimsical world. While many appreciate the vibrant visuals and animations, some players express a desire for more customization options and find the aesthetic can become repetitive over extended play. Overall, the game's graphics are considered a strong point, contributing to its appeal, especially for those new to the automation genre.
- “The graphics, colors, music, everything about the game just pulls you into its world.”
- “The art style is nice, the game handles well, the fights so far are easy but if not careful then costly and the sparks happily toil in my factory.”
- “Cute graphics, solid automation mechanics, satisfying interactions and animations.”
- “In fact after playing it for 40 hours, I can honestly say I find all the buildings to be ugly. Going back to Factorio made me realize how much cooler everything looks compared to this game. The character customizer is truly awful. I feel like we also need tons of flourishes to add and different aesthetics to make each automation your own, like fences, different path types, building colors, and other decorations or pieces that make your automation more detailed.”
- “Also, my playtime is at 40 hours. I'm pretty sick of it, which is very odd for an automation game that should provide endless joy and eye candy. The fruity cartoon aesthetic wore me out, I think. In fact, after spending yet another 40 hours with Factorio, I'm certain this game's ugly buildings and aesthetics are rubbing me the wrong way.”
- “Despite the game's charming and cute graphics, it's hard to imagine who would really get hooked on it.”
grinding
28 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, primarily due to the repetitive fetch quests and the manual farming required to progress. Many reviewers express frustration with the lack of automation, as they are forced to repeatedly gather resources and return to town, which detracts from the overall enjoyment and flow of gameplay. While some acknowledge that there is potential for fun in building and crafting, the current grind-heavy mechanics overshadow these elements, leading to a sense of monotony.
- “You spend way too much time manually farming resources and running back to the town to drop off items to unlock the next tier only to have to go manually collect even more resources.”
- “After putting in some time, I came to realize that the primary gameplay loop is fetch questing and resource grinding, not automation and not exploration.”
- “This repetitive cycle of sending and retrieving your units becomes tiresome, turning what should be exciting combat encounters into tedious chores.”
optimization
14 mentions
43 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
21 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with good performance even in complex scenarios and multiplayer settings. However, some players report occasional performance issues, particularly during autosaves and in busy environments, indicating room for improvement. While the game runs smoothly for many, there are calls for better controls and space management to enhance the overall experience.
- “The game is gorgeous looking, performance is surprisingly good even on highly saturated late game bases, the systems are sufficiently complex and the geography generated poses a continuous challenge that is enjoyable to surmount while using the tools the game provides.”
- “Even more impressive is that there is no performance loss in multiplayer.”
- “The automation side of the game can be understood by casual players as well as be optimized by people that are used to factory games.”
- “In 40 minutes of playtime, I've noticed performance issues several times already.”
- “Gameplay has optimization issues; there are chugging problems.”
- “The performance issues I've seen are the same as from Satisfactory.”
music
13 mentions
46 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as light, relaxing, and fitting well with the cozy art style, evoking a nostalgic vibe reminiscent of Nintendo games. However, some users find the music repetitive and generic, with a tendency to become annoying over time. Overall, while the sound design has its merits, it lacks variety and depth, leading to mixed feelings among players.
- “The musical atmosphere is light and relaxing, and the interface is well-designed and user-friendly.”
- “The art style is cozy and reminds you of Nintendo games, the music fits perfectly into that cozy setting and the sparks are just adorable.”
- “The music is beautiful and really relaxing, accentuating the chill mood and cozy setting.”
- “The music becomes annoying really fast.”
- “Music is terrible... I think there is 1 song... I can't really tell; it just feels like 1 very repetitive song.”
- “The music is generic and loops too hard.”
stability
10 mentions
60 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates impressive stability, particularly on the Steam Deck, where it runs smoothly at 30fps even during intense moments. Players have noted it as one of the least buggy early access titles they've encountered, with minimal glitches reported and a polished experience overall. The only minor issue mentioned is a momentary freeze during autosaves, which may be hardware-related.
- “For an early access game, it runs almost bug-free, which is impressive!”
- “Also runs great on Steam Deck; 30fps no matter how much craziness is on screen with everything set to high.”
- “Game runs great and the controls feel natural, not like some last-minute add-on for the Deck verified status.”
- “The autosave is nice but freezes the game momentarily, which could be an aging hardware issue on my end, but otherwise runs smoothly.”
- “Reached the 'might be buggy from here on' notification after 3.2 hours.”
- “Haven't run into any glitches yet, so for this early on it's very stable!”
atmosphere
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game excels in creating a unique atmosphere that blends automation with a fantasy setting, featuring a light and relaxing musical backdrop. Users appreciate the bubbly vibes, well-designed interface, and charming animations, all contributing to an engaging and enjoyable experience.
- “This game really nails the atmosphere of automation in a fantasy setting, which is unique in this type of genre.”
- “Great vibes, bubbly atmosphere, and fun mechanics.”
- “The musical atmosphere is light and relaxing, and the interface is well-designed and user-friendly.”
humor
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its adorable characters and amusing sound effects, which consistently elicit smiles from players. The clever creature naming and engaging storyline further enhance the comedic experience, making it both visually appealing and entertaining.
- “The little sparks are adorable, and the funny sounds they make always bring a smile to my face.”
- “The funny creature naming catches my humor.”
- “They're adorable and hilarious at the same time.”
replayability
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-67 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while procedural world generation offers some variety, many players feel that once the main objectives are completed, there is little incentive to continue playing. Some suggest that the game may only support a limited number of runs, particularly distinguishing between single-player and multiplayer experiences.
- “The worlds are procedurally generated, which really adds to the replay value.”
- “Each playthrough feels unique due to the random world generation, keeping the experience fresh and engaging.”
- “With multiple game modes and varying strategies, there's always a new way to approach the game.”
- “At the moment, I am not sure how long a single run from beginning to end will be until reaching maximum village and research level, and even with the random world generation, I am not sure about replayability (perhaps one world for single player, another one for multiplayer at most).”
- “There is also no replayability; once you have done your chores, you are done. There is no reason to keep playing, unlike in other games where you can create your own buildings, factories, or such.”
emotional
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players find the game to evoke a cozy and wholesome emotional experience, filling a gap in the genre that has been lacking such warmth and comfort.
- “I played a lot of Satisfactory, and I feel this is the kind of cozy, wholesome game that the genre has been missing.”
character development
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Character development in this game is praised for its unique blend of automation and exploration elements, featuring charming character designs that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the integration of fighting and exploration mechanics, which contribute to a more engaging and dynamic character progression.
- “The character development in this game is incredibly engaging, allowing players to form deep connections with each character as their stories unfold.”
- “I appreciate how the game allows for meaningful choices that impact character growth, making each playthrough feel unique and personal.”
- “The diverse range of characters, each with their own backstories and development arcs, adds a rich layer to the gameplay experience.”