Sapiens

Starting at €24.50Buy now

"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."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,211 reviews

gameplay positive mentions

grinding negative mentions

The game has a unique and engaging concept, allowing players to guide a tribe from primitive beginnings to a more advanced civilization.
The graphics and art style are charming, providing a relaxing atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
The developer is actively updating the game and listening to community feedback, showing a commitment to improving the game over time.

The game currently lacks content, with many players reaching the end of the tech tree and running out of things to do within a few hours.
Micromanagement is excessive, as players must constantly direct their Sapiens to perform basic tasks, leading to frustration.
The AI behavior of the Sapiens can be problematic, as they often ignore their surroundings and make poor decisions, such as wandering into danger.

gameplay
125 mentions
26 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Sapiens is characterized by a mix of innovative mechanics and significant room for improvement. While players appreciate the unique investigation and discovery systems, as well as the potential for creative building, many express frustration with the lack of direction, AI issues, and limited content, leading to a gameplay experience that can feel repetitive and simplistic. Overall, the game shows promise but requires further development to enhance its mechanics and depth.
- “Sapiens brings the settlement-survivor 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 lack of direction in its gameplay is exhausting, but at the same time helps you to feel more 'free' in a weird way.”
- “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.”
graphics
94 mentions
35 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting a simplistic yet charming art style that suits the indie nature of the game. While some appreciate the unique visuals and animations, others criticize the overall quality, describing them as outdated or lacking detail. Overall, the graphics are seen as functional and fitting for the gameplay, though improvements are desired in certain areas.
- “The graphics are amazing!”
- “The graphics are very good for the game's art style; you have the options to max out the animations, grass density, and other render distances.”
- “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.”
- “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 fisheye lens effect that can't be changed without reducing the FOV option to 60 in the graphics menu.”
grinding
48 mentions
0 % positive mentions
8 % neutral mentions
92 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often requiring extensive micromanagement of tasks and resources, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. While the game offers engaging mechanics like farming and building, the lack of automation and the overwhelming number of tasks can make gameplay feel like a chore, especially as the player’s tribe grows. Despite these frustrations, some players appreciate the depth and investment in their evolving societies, suggesting that the grind can be rewarding in the long run.
- “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.”
- “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.”
music
31 mentions
58 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
3 % negative 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 and prehistoric feel of the soundtrack, although some express a desire for more variety and additional tracks. Overall, the music is considered a significant highlight, contributing 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.”
- “Lazy colonists will also give up on tasks and just drop whatever they're doing to take a seat somewhere, so they're usually my cooks or musicians lol.”
stability
24 mentions
38 % positive mentions
4 % neutral mentions
58 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with some players experiencing frequent bugs and crashes, while others report a smooth and enjoyable experience. Many acknowledge minor glitches but find them manageable, often resolved with resets or troubleshooting. Overall, the game is still in development, and while some users face significant issues, others enjoy a mostly bug-free experience.
- “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 runs great on Linux!”
- “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.”
story
18 mentions
6 % positive mentions
78 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The game lacks a traditional storyline, with players encouraged to create their own challenges and narratives instead. While some reviewers see potential for a compelling story, the current gameplay offers minimal content and objectives, leading to a mixed reception regarding its storytelling aspect. Overall, the absence of a structured narrative has left many players feeling that the game is more about personal experience than a guided story.
- “Great potential and great opportunity to tell a great story.”
- “Not far off from the story of Hello Games and No Man's Sky.”
- “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.”
- “No storyline, but who cares, right?”
- “You create your own challenges and goals; there are no missions or objectives.”
- “Not a lot of content... so... make your own story ;)”
optimization
10 mentions
20 % positive mentions
70 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report good performance on higher-end systems, others experience significant issues, particularly on lower settings. Many users note that the game is still in alpha and requires further improvements in rendering and asset efficiency to enhance performance. There is a consensus that the engine needs substantial optimization to ensure a smoother experience across various hardware configurations.
- “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 improving rendering and asset efficiency to make it 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 improving rendering and asset efficiency to enhance performance.”
- “I got an RTX 2070 card, game set to performance and low settings just to test things out, and it was pushing my card way too hard.”
replayability
8 mentions
25 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as limited, with many players noting a linear progression and shallow content that diminishes long-term engagement. While some appreciate the mechanics of discovery and find enjoyment in the initial gameplay, the consensus is that the lack of variation and depth significantly hampers replay value, leading to disappointment for those seeking a more robust experience.
- “I see replayability will be good as well, which is important to me.”
- “It still has good replayability even with what it has now; not the best or most captivating, but it's still fun nonetheless.”
- “I really like the mechanics of discovering new things as a species, but it might need some variation on how you discover things based on biomes or resource availability for better replayability.”
- “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.”
- “I say that knowing I just sank 12 hours into the game and enjoyed every second; however, I don't see a huge amount of replay value at the moment.”
emotional
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional attachment to the game, highlighting it as a key factor in their enjoyment and engagement. They hope future updates will enhance character relationships and friendships, further deepening the emotional 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 elements of emotional relationships and friendships between the characters.”
humor
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by the amusing antics of the characters, such as their clumsy attempts at hunting and investigating, which provide a lighthearted and entertaining experience. Players find the animations and interactions, like a spear-wielding alpaca and a child lifting heavy logs, to be particularly funny, contributing to the game's overall charm. The relaxed atmosphere and quirky moments enhance the enjoyment, making it a delightful experience for those who appreciate comedic elements in gameplay.
- “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.”
- “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!”
- “Amazing game! Mammoth hunting is hysterical, and the relaxing soundtrack combined with the fast-paced time is funny if you like minion speech.”
atmosphere
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its captivating music, which contributes to an engaging experience. Despite its simple graphics, players find it to be one of the most beautiful and atmospheric city builders in the 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.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for its lack of automation and control, leading to tedious workloads as players manage limited resources. 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 essential features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra.”
- “The game constantly bombards you with ads and offers, which detracts from the overall experience and makes it feel more like a cash grab.”