Techtonica

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"Techtonica is a simulation game that offers both single-player and multiplayer/co-op modes, with an intriguing story and masterful atmosphere set in a bioluminescent alien world. Players build and optimize factories, automate production lines, and explore for resources with the goal of uncovering the mysteries of this subterranean world. However, the game can be buggy and requires extensive grinding."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,380 reviews

story360 positive mentions

optimization70 negative mentions

The game combines elements of exploration and factory building, creating a unique experience in the genre.
The visuals are stunning, with beautiful underground environments and vibrant bioluminescent plants.
The story is engaging and well-voiced, adding depth to the gameplay and motivating players to explore.

Performance issues are prevalent, with significant frame drops and stuttering as factories grow larger.
The UI is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for new players to navigate and understand the mechanics.
The research core system is cumbersome, requiring players to place large cores in the world, taking up valuable space and leading to clutter.

story
982 mentions
37 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The story in "Techtonica" is a standout feature, praised for its engaging narrative, well-developed characters, and immersive voice acting, which significantly enhance the gameplay experience. While many players appreciate the intriguing plot and the way it intertwines with factory-building mechanics, some express concerns about its incomplete state in early access and the potential for the story to feel forced or overly serious at times. Overall, the game is noted for its unique blend of exploration, automation, and storytelling, making it a compelling choice for fans of the genre.
- “The most distinguishing feature here for me is an engaging story with excellent voice actors bringing complex and nuanced characters to life.”
- “The story and lore for this are very compelling!”
- “It's wonderfully colorful, has a fantastic premise, and the devs are delivering in spades on the storyline.”
- “While the story is riveting and kept my attention for the first few hours, it loses its pizzazz fast.”
- “The game needs 5-10x the story content, and reasons to build big.”
- “The story feels promising so far, though I suspect it might make the opening feel a bit slow when replaying the game.”
gameplay
356 mentions
26 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Techtonica offers a mix of factory-building mechanics and exploration, with a focus on automation and resource management. While many players appreciate the unique setting and engaging narrative, they also highlight issues such as a clunky user interface, performance problems, and poorly explained mechanics that can hinder the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the core gameplay loop is generally considered enjoyable, with potential for improvement as the game continues to develop in early access.
- “The game excels in providing a satisfying gameplay loop where the joy of discovering new areas seamlessly blends with the thrill of automating complex factory setups.”
- “Between the beautiful atmosphere, great music, and fun gameplay, this game is very addicting in the best way possible.”
- “The core gameplay loop is building an ever expanding and ever-more efficient factory in order to obtain new materials to reach a new tier, unlocking the next set of advancements.”
- “The rest of the gameplay and the exploration isn't fun when the game is nearly a slideshow.”
- “Progression and game mechanics are not explained or guided properly; I got to a point where it told me to explore and find assemblers.”
- “The game has a solid vision but suffers from a tragic user interface as well as a lot of pretty bad game mechanics such as mole snapping.”
optimization
274 mentions
14 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
26 % negative mentions
The optimization of Techtonica is widely criticized, with players reporting severe performance issues, including low frame rates and frequent stuttering, even on high-end systems. Many users express frustration over the game's inability to handle larger factories, leading to significant lag and unplayable conditions as the game progresses. While some acknowledge that it is an early access title and expect improvements, the current state of optimization is deemed unacceptable, with calls for urgent updates to address these critical performance problems.
- “However, for reference, games like Satisfactory can run 4K on this rig at 140fps on all low, 90fps on ultra, so there is definitely room for optimization.”
- “At its core, it's a factory building game, with all kinds of recipes, machines, conveyor belts, challenging optimization, plenty of late game content, decoration, and some cool gadgets.”
- “Some optimization work needs to be done, there's a lot of quality of life improvements that are missing, but so far it's very promising.”
- “The performance in this game is awful.”
- “Optimization in this game is a disaster.”
- “Unfortunately, this game is ruined by terrible performance issues.”
graphics
268 mentions
46 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning art style and beautiful environments, while others criticize optimization issues and performance drops even on lower settings. Players appreciate the unique aesthetic that combines elements from games like Subnautica and Factorio, but some feel that the visuals are not as polished as expected and can be demanding on hardware. Overall, while the visuals are generally appealing, there is a consensus that further optimization and refinement are needed to enhance the gaming experience.
- “From the stunning graphics to the engaging storyline and challenging gameplay, every aspect of it was top-notch.”
- “Also absolutely incredibly gorgeous art style, this game is a pleasure to look at.”
- “The visuals are beautiful and the world is fully breakable.”
- “The graphics aren't as polished as what is seen from the demo video.”
- “Everything looks the same, there's no diversity in the visuals from cave to cave, and framerates (even on a high-end system) are horrible, the camera constantly glitches as you're moving your mouse, leading to motion sickness.”
- “I was playing on the lowest graphics settings possible and it was unplayable by hour 14.”
grinding
136 mentions
1 % positive mentions
1 % neutral mentions
99 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players finding it tedious and unfulfilling, particularly in the early stages where resource management and crafting can feel overly repetitive. While some appreciate the challenge and complexity it adds, others criticize the clunky mechanics and excessive requirements for progression, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. Overall, the game is seen as having a significant grind factor that may deter players looking for a smoother experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Factory setup quickly becomes tedious and this would help a lot with that.”
- “It should not require this much grinding in a game that makes automating the grinding so tedious.”
- “My biggest issue with this game is that I found pushing for mass scale and mass efficiency to be really tedious and I was easily able to complete all early access content in 30 hours while having a wildly inefficient factory.”
music
106 mentions
60 % positive mentions
37 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players praising its soothing and immersive qualities, describing it as a standout feature that enhances the overall atmosphere. However, some users express frustration with repetitive tracks and occasional technical issues, such as music not playing at all. Overall, while the soundtrack is often highlighted as a major strength, there are calls for more variety and improvements in its implementation.
- “Incredible soundtrack, ambient stone chorus makes me a bit teary-eyed and feels straight out of Mirror's Edge.”
- “Super addictive and the soundtrack is probably the best part of the game in my opinion!”
- “Amazing soundtrack that captivates and dynamically builds as the factories you create get more sophisticated.”
- “The music is so bad I want to just turn it off.”
- “There is a soundtrack bundle to this game but when I was playing, there was no music at all even with every slider at max. If it was a bug or not, the silence was definitely putting me in the character's shoes of going slowly insane without human contact.”
- “Soundtrack is pretty chill as well, granted it got muted after a few hours of it but there is only so much you can listen to the same thing on repeat.”
atmosphere
54 mentions
70 % positive mentions
24 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its vibrant visuals, immersive sound design, and intriguing storytelling, creating a compelling and vivid experience. Players appreciate the balance between a relaxed environment and engaging gameplay, with many noting the game's ability to evoke a sense of mystery and exploration. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature that enhances the enjoyment and addictiveness of the game.
- “Between the beautiful atmosphere, great music, and fun gameplay, this game is very addicting in the best way possible.”
- “Atmosphere, sound, and world design are on point and lend a hand to the ambience of waking up on an alien planet.”
- “Factory designs can be brute forced if you'd prefer to focus on the story and atmosphere (inefficiency is fine) due to a non-hostile environment and energy sources being functionally infinite; on the flip side, efficiency can be a driving focus, but most technology progression is linked to the story.”
- “- relaxed atmosphere, no rush, no dangers (not even from gravity), no hunger or health to take care of.”
- “The focus on atmosphere and storytelling through immersion and mystery is a fresh experience in the heavy cutscene gaming world we live in these days.”
stability
40 mentions
20 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
80 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players report minimal bugs and enjoyable gameplay, issues such as freezing after extended play, audio glitches, and placement difficulties persist. Some users experienced significant framerate drops and camera glitches, particularly on high-end systems, but others found it to run smoothly, especially on the Steam Deck. As the game is still in early access, players should expect some bugs, though they generally do not hinder the overall experience.
- “Take the awe and exploration of Subnautica (minus the water) and the logistics of Satisfactory, and you've got Techtonica. Although still in alpha, this game feels great, has a ton of features, and has already brought 11 hours of bug-free enjoyment.”
- “I have been playing on the Steam Deck and it runs great.”
- “Still a great game visually and runs great.”
- “Almost everything seems to be working except that after an hour or two, it freezes up and I have to restart the game.”
- “Everything looks the same, there's no diversity in the visuals from cave to cave, and framerates (even on a high-end system) are horrible. The camera constantly glitches as you're moving your mouse, leading to motion sickness.”
- “If you want me to be efficient, let me be efficient; every time you try to put something down, especially conveyors, you have to fight the god-awful snapping and placement glitches that are ever present in the entire game.”
replayability
20 mentions
15 % positive mentions
70 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as limited, with many players feeling that once the mysteries are solved and gameplay mechanics mastered, there is little incentive to replay. While some express excitement for future expansions that may enhance replay value, the current content does not offer substantial replayability for most users. A few players note that experimenting with different setups can provide some flexibility, but overall, the consensus leans towards a lack of significant replayability.
- “The plans for expansion have me excited and on the edge of my seat for new content, and the current content has a lot of flexibility and replayability if you want to try and min/max your setup.”
- “Won't get tons of replayability, but worth the buy.”
- “Still, I think one of the biggest open-ended questions regarding this was replayability.”
- “This kills any replayability.”
- “[*][b]limited replayability:[/b] once you've unraveled the mysteries and mastered the gameplay mechanics, the replayability factor might diminish.”
- “I will play it again once it's fully released, but it otherwise doesn't have a lot of replayability for me.”
humor
10 mentions
60 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while players appreciate the quirky dialogues and the amusing paradox of improved framerate with more building, the yellow block's attempts at humor often fall flat, resembling a less charming Wheatley from Portal 2. Instead of enhancing the experience, its lengthy, unfunny quips can become more of a nuisance than a comedic relief, leaving players chuckling at the absurdity rather than the intended jokes.
- “It's an absolute delight to play, the funny dialogues while placing stuff down, the great mechanics of the game that actually work well once you get the hang of it.”
- “This is so funny.”
- “(In a funny way, the more you build, the more stable your framerate gets, when normally in games like these it's usually the opposite. Hehe.)”
- “Often times, the yellow block just spits out 30 seconds of unfunny small jokes and expressions of feelings, without giving any hint to more lore or any information useful for advancing the game.”
- “In Techtonica, the yellow block is supposed to be more like a guide figure (like Wheatley in Portal 2), so when it tells unfunny jokes and is useless, it feels more annoying.”
- “The humor in the game often falls flat, making the interactions with the yellow block feel tedious rather than entertaining.”
character development
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game features strong character development that fosters a deep emotional connection to both the protagonist and supporting characters, enhancing the overall narrative experience. Players find themselves invested in the fates of all characters, making the story more engaging and impactful.
- “The story is rich with character development that makes you care about not only yourself but what happened to the other people in the story.”
- “The character development of the supporting characters is really well done, making you care about them enough.”
- “The character development of the supporting characters is really well done, making you care about them enough.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the monetization of Techtonica is perceived as exploitative, with many players feeling it resembles a cash grab rather than a fair investment in the game's development.
- “Considering the current state of Techtonica, it feels like a cash grab rather than a fair deal for players eager to support its development.”