Sapiens Game Cover
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"Sapiens is a single-player strategy game with compelling mechanics, beautiful graphics, and an excellent soundtrack. Create your own prehistoric civilization, leading your tribe from the ground up and shaping the world freely. Choose your home wisely from thousands of procedurally generated lands across a vast map, and instruct your sapiens to perform various tasks as you grow your civilization."

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows

Reviews

83%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,435 reviews
gameplay66 positive mentions
grinding88 negative mentions
  • The game has a unique and engaging research system where players must investigate resources to unlock new technologies.
  • The building mechanics allow for a high degree of creativity and customization in constructing structures.
  • The game offers a relaxing and immersive experience, with charming graphics and a soothing soundtrack.
  • The game currently lacks content, with players able to unlock all technologies in a few hours, leading to a sense of stagnation.
  • Micromanagement is excessive, as players must constantly direct Sapiens to perform basic tasks, which can become tedious.
  • AI behavior is often frustrating, with Sapiens making poor decisions, such as wandering into danger or failing to prioritize essential tasks.
  • gameplay253 mentions

    The gameplay of "Sapiens" features a mix of innovative mechanics and a unique settlement-survival experience, allowing for creative building and exploration. However, players have noted a lack of direction and depth, leading to a sense of repetitiveness and limited content, especially in its current early access state. While the mechanics show promise and potential for expansion, issues with AI behavior and gameplay clarity detract from the overall experience, leaving many hopeful for future updates to enhance the game.

    • “Sapiens brings the settlement-survivor kind of genre to a very personal and less mechanical experience.”
    • “The controls are simple, the art style is executed beautifully, and the gameplay loop is fun.”
    • “The gameplay loop doesn't feel as grindy as any games similar to this I've played and it's really addicting.”
    • “The game really lacks features and gameplay.”
    • “Overall, currently the game is very simple and short, suffers from a lot of issues related to mechanics and AI, and there is no hope in sight.”
    • “The gameplay itself is very boring and the game feels pointless after completing the tutorial since the task at hand is to keep everyone alive, which is no challenge at all.”
  • graphics191 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally described as simplistic and charming, fitting for its indie nature, though opinions vary widely. While some players appreciate the unique art style and find it visually appealing, others criticize the graphics as outdated or lacking detail, particularly in certain textures and animations. Overall, the visuals serve their purpose in gameplay, but many hope for improvements as the game develops.

    • “The graphics are amazing!”
    • “The graphics serve their purpose in allowing a large scale and a lot going on on-screen at once, and the multitude of unique animations for the various tasks improve the visual aesthetic.”
    • “There's so much freedom to build and create, the setup and gameplay makes sense and is super user friendly, the graphics are really cute... just all around my favorite game in a really long time.”
    • “The graphics really shocked me for the $20-30 price range; it's more like a $5-10 effort.”
    • “Graphics are poor; gameplay is less than an hour at this point.”
    • “This game has made the terrible design decision to have an awful fish-eye lens effect that can't be changed without reducing the FOV option to 60 in the graphics menu.”
  • grinding97 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often requiring extensive micromanagement of tasks and resources, especially as the population grows. While some appreciate the depth of crafting and the evolving society concept, many express frustration with the lack of automation and the overwhelming nature of managing larger groups, leading to a gameplay experience that can feel like a chore rather than an engaging challenge. Overall, the game demands significant time investment, with some players humorously suggesting it requires "a second life" for grinding.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Would love to see an expansion to the farming and agriculture system.”
    • “Well worth the 100 hours, but I do want to point out that the game at its current state is extremely repetitive and grindy.”
    • “To sum it up, it is very tedious and unrewarding to put that much effort and micromanagement into obtaining new resources.”
    • “Task queuing is often cumbersome and the player has to micro a lot of the operations (like farming), which doesn't scale very well so as you get more people this is going to be a problem.”
  • music63 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Many players appreciate the vibrant, prehistoric-inspired soundtrack and the ability for characters to engage in musical activities, though some express a desire for more variety and volume in the music. Overall, the sound design, including tribal singing and sound effects, contributes significantly to the game's relaxing and engaging environment.

    • “The music is amazing and makes the atmosphere of the game engaging and enjoyable.”
    • “Everything from the music to the gameplay is phenomenal and inspires creativity.”
    • “The vast open vistas and realistically simulated landscapes are magical against the game's soothing prehistoric soundtrack.”
    • “Music not best so I shut off.”
    • “In less than a week I've managed to play 24 hours and I can hear the flute from the soundtrack as I fall asleep and mammoths shuffling around.”
    • “4) I'm expecting higher leveling of skills for sapiens in future updates, similar to how Sims 3 leveling works, including with musical skill, leading to better sounding play or better yield, etc.”
  • stability48 mentions

    The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many players reporting occasional bugs and crashes, particularly during extended play sessions. While some users experience significant issues that hinder gameplay, others find the game mostly bug-free and enjoyable, suggesting that stability may vary based on individual experiences and system configurations. Overall, it appears that while the game is still in development and has its share of glitches, many players are able to enjoy it without major disruptions.

    • “The game is smooth, with no glitches, jitters, pauses, load delays, or any negative effects whatsoever.”
    • “Runs great from start to log off, pretty much regardless of what's going on.”
    • “Game is bug-free for me at least; it's a great game, enjoyable and casual.”
    • “Was struggling for 2 hours with troubleshooting as the game didn't start at first, was already at the verge of refunding.”
    • “Great concept, terribly buggy and crashes constantly.”
    • “Most of my worlds last a couple of hours, then glitches start, constant crashes.”
  • story38 mentions

    The game lacks a traditional storyline, with many players noting the absence of missions or objectives, which allows for a more open-ended experience where players create their own challenges. While some see potential for a compelling narrative, the current gameplay is described as limited, leading to mixed feelings about its overall value. Overall, the consensus is that the game is fun but may benefit from more structured content in the future.

    • “Great potential and great opportunity to tell a great story.”
    • “Not a lot of content... so make your own story ;)”
    • “Not far off from the story of Hello Games and No Man's Sky.”
    • “No storyline, but who cares, right?”
    • “You create your own challenges and goals; there are no missions or objectives.”
    • “Give it a year or so, and it might be a different story, but right now, I cannot recommend this based on the limited gameplay provided.”
  • optimization20 mentions

    The game's optimization is a mixed bag, with some players experiencing good performance on higher-end systems, while others report significant issues, particularly on lower settings. Many reviewers note that the game is still in alpha and requires further optimization, especially in rendering and asset efficiency, to enhance overall performance. Despite these concerns, there is optimism about future improvements as the game develops.

    • “I am playing on a 2019 16" MacBook Pro, no issues so far (16 hours playing) and good performance (60fps with fairly high settings).”
    • “I can see the tech tree increasing, performance getting better, and quality of life improvements.”
    • “I know it's still in the alpha stage, but I do hope much of the focus in the future is related to touching up rendering and asset efficiency to make it just cleaner on the performance side.”
    • “Performance is trash.”
    • “I know it's still in the alpha stage, but I do hope much of the focus in the future is related to touching up rendering & asset efficiency to make it just cleaner on the performance side.”
    • “I got a RTX 2070 card, game set to performance and low settings just to test things out, and it was pushing my card way too hard.”
  • replayability17 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the mechanics of discovery and find enjoyment in the gameplay, many criticize the linear progression and lack of content variety, leading to limited replay value. Despite some positive remarks about its depth and fun factor, several users express disappointment, feeling that the game offers little incentive for repeated playthroughs. Ultimately, the consensus suggests that while there are enjoyable elements, the game currently lacks sufficient replayability to satisfy most players.

    • “It still has good replayability even with what it has now, not the best or most captivating, but it's still fun nonetheless.”
    • “Bug-free as far as I can tell, immense replayability, so much more depth than you would expect at first glance, a lovely piece of art, very well programmed.”
    • “I see replayability will be good as well, which is important to me.”
    • “There's really no replayability either because the progression is pretty linear.”
    • “It has grandiose and lofty aspirations, but years after early access release still has shallow content with no replayability factor for the average gamer.”
    • “Don't waste your money, plain and simple. It feels like the bare start to a game; they make it seem like there is progression, but the reality is not as it seems. You are limited to stone, bone, and flint, and you just get maybe 16 hours of gameplay with no replayability to it. Sad, really; I thought there was way more to this.”
  • emotional6 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional attachment to the game, highlighting it as a key factor in their enjoyment and engagement. They desire further development of character relationships and friendships to enhance this emotional depth, indicating that such elements could significantly improve the overall experience.

    • “It's that emotional attachment that makes this game good, and why I've binged it the last few days.”
    • “I think there should be things like emotional relationships and friendships between the characters.”
    • “It's that emotional connection that keeps players engaged and invested in the story.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The game is praised for its lighthearted humor, particularly in the amusing antics of the characters, such as their clumsy attempts at hunting and their quirky interactions with objects like rocks and oranges. Players find the animations and scenarios, like an alpaca walking off with a spear, to be both hilarious and endearing, contributing to a relaxing and entertaining gameplay experience. Overall, the humor adds a charming layer to the game's chill atmosphere, making it enjoyable to watch the characters navigate their world.

    • “It's a very chill game, where farming/automation doesn't really feel like farming/automation and actually feels like you are cheering on a fledgling group of humans who are hilarious to watch when they first try to 'investigate' a small rock or try to hunt an alpaca, but the alpaca ends up walking off with a spear stuck in its butt because it wasn't a kill shot.”
    • “Amazing game! Mammoth hunting is hysterical, and the relaxing soundtrack combined with the fast-paced time is funny if you like minion speech. It could use a few quality of life additions, like guard posts or patrol commands, and saber-tooth tigers and wolves would be great too.”
    • “Warning: Some animations are funny, for example, watching the sapiens think about what to do with an orange, while another child is strong enough to haul a huge tree log!”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its amazing music, which enhances engagement and enjoyment. Additionally, while the graphics are simple, they contribute to the game's status as one of the most beautiful and atmospheric city builders in its genre.

    • “The music is amazing and makes the atmosphere of the game engaging and enjoyable.”
    • “The graphics are simple, yet I find this to be one of the most beautiful and atmospheric city builders in the whole genre.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for its lack of automation and fine control, leading to tedious workloads as players manage limited resources and populations. Despite the promise of expansive gameplay across an entire planet, players often find themselves overwhelmed, only able to effectively manage a few small villages.

    • “The monetization system feels exploitative, pushing players to spend money to progress at a reasonable pace.”
    • “It's frustrating that the game locks essential features behind a paywall, making it hard to enjoy without spending extra.”
    • “The constant prompts to purchase in-game currency disrupt the gameplay experience and make it feel more like a cash grab than a fun game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

14hMedian play time
47hAverage play time
6-67hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 59 analyzed playthroughs

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