Timber and Stone

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Timber and Stone is a city-building survival game set in a medieval fantasy world. Gather resources, craft tools, and construct buildings to survive and expand your settlement. Defend against enemies, manage your villagers' needs, and adapt to a dynamic environment for the prosperity of your village.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

43%

Audience ScoreBased on 908 reviews

gameplay13 positive mentions

grinding26 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of city-building and survival mechanics, providing a challenging experience.
Players appreciate the creative freedom in building and managing their settlements.
Despite its flaws, many find the game addictive and enjoyable, with potential for future updates.

The game has been abandoned by the developers, leading to concerns about its future and lack of updates.
The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to manage settlers and resources effectively.
Combat mechanics and AI pathfinding are poorly implemented, often resulting in frustrating gameplay experiences.

gameplay
77 mentions
17 % positive mentions
79 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as addictive and deep, featuring resource management, building, crafting, and exploration, but it is also plagued by bugs and unfinished mechanics, particularly in combat and enemy interactions. Players note that while the core mechanics function well, the game can be frustrating due to micro-management issues and a lack of clarity in tutorials. Overall, it is recommended for those who enjoy the genre and are willing to navigate its current challenges, especially in its early access state.
- “It has enjoyable strategy- and resource management-type gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is quite addicting and deep and I'll play it for a long time to come.”
- “Addictive gameplay, with harvesting resources, building, crafting, base defense, and exploration.”
- “Don't buy this game; you will just keep getting setbacks not even due to regular gameplay, just bugs and errors.”
- “Still in early access, still unfinished, rough around the edges, plagued with gameplay issues that frequently break play.”
- “I love the game and its mechanics, but it irritates me that I can’t have fun because I spend more time fighting ridiculous enemies than enjoying the rest of the game.”
graphics
63 mentions
46 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many praising its charming art style and improved visuals compared to earlier versions. While some users appreciate the cute and homely aesthetic, others note that the graphics can be outdated or accompanied by bugs, particularly in early access. Overall, the visuals are considered solid, though opinions vary on optimization and the need for more diverse graphical elements.
- “The art style is perfect; very nice to look at and very homely, making it a very fun casual game to play.”
- “Rimworld / Stonehearth mixed together with a nice pixel art style.”
- “Nice idea, cute graphics, cool classes, deep and complex crafting, character classes are distinct, and you need to take everything into consideration to succeed.”
- “No, no, no. Good idea, lovely graphics, really crap devs. Avoid if you don't want to waste money on an unfinished game that will never be finished.”
- “A Google search for the game shows outdated graphics, so you guys need to get out there and change that so people see the updated textures.”
- “It has terrible graphics, awful controls, and a good amount of strategy.”
optimization
30 mentions
20 % positive mentions
70 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many users reporting choppy performance and a lack of polish, indicating it feels incomplete and heavily unoptimized. While some players have not experienced major issues on high-end systems, the general consensus is that the game requires significant performance tweaks and improvements to run smoothly. Overall, players express disappointment in the current state of optimization and express skepticism about future updates addressing these concerns.
- “It takes a couple of tries to get everything in your settlement to run smoothly, but once you have it going, it is very helpful.”
- “The game is functional, and I have never had any major performance issues with it.”
- “The game could certainly use some optimization and a broader range of resource management, but in its current state, the game is a great challenge.”
- “Incomplete and heavily unoptimized.”
- “The game is choppy, unoptimized trash.”
- “The performance of the game is horrible.”
grinding
26 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding in the game to be a mixed experience; while some enjoy the depth of resource management and micromanagement, others feel that the repetitive tasks and slow progression can become tedious and frustrating. The need to repeatedly gather resources and build structures often detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to a sense of burnout for some players. Despite these challenges, many still appreciate the game's potential and the fun that can be had in navigating its complexities.
- “Why the painful grinding to get 'em?!!”
- “Don't get me wrong: discovering how the game works is fun, but after that it just falls flat and the grinding quickly becomes unbearable (to me at least).”
- “- I spent a good amount of time on it, while having fun, but a lot of it was getting to grips with the game's weirdness and grindiness ('teching up' is largely dependent on finding enough appropriate ores or repeatedly building the same objects over and over again).”
music
24 mentions
42 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its beauty and richness, describing it as the standout feature. However, some players express dissatisfaction with the limited variety and flow, noting that it can become repetitive or generic. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated for its quality, there is a desire for more diverse and consistent musical elements.
- “The music is the most beautiful part of this game, it's so well done, it's never a bore to hear it play.”
- “The musical score is perfect, varied and rich in sound.”
- “I really like the calm soundtrack.”
- “Music gets annoying, there's very little of it, plus it's very generic.”
- “The music fades in and out randomly with no sort of flow.”
- “While it has lovely graphics and music, the controls can be clunky and hard to use.”
stability
16 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, particularly with AI and environmental interactions, which detracts from the overall experience. While players acknowledge its potential, many express frustration over the lack of developer support and updates, leaving the game feeling unfinished and limiting long-term engagement. Despite these issues, some still find enjoyment in the gameplay, albeit with significant caveats regarding stability.
- “The AI is very buggy, and you quickly run out of things to do once you have your basic defenses and base up and running.”
- “This game has great potential but there is absolutely no activity from the developers. If I see any progress, I will change this review, but as of now, it has great potential, still buggy and unfinished.”
- “Also, the glitches with the hall are really annoying. It can be in an accessible area, but if I add a pillar to the hall, then I can’t trade.”
replayability
8 mentions
38 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability, but players often find that it requires multiple playthroughs to fully understand its mechanics. While it can provide a few hours of entertainment, many reviewers suggest that there are better options available that offer more substantial replay value, particularly for those seeking a rich sandbox experience.
- “It also offers a lot of replayability.”
- “But with games like these, I'm looking for an interesting sandbox experience with a lot of replayability.”
- “You are going to have to play a couple of times before you know what you are doing, also there are some Let's Plays, tutorials, and guides on YouTube that you can learn from that would make it more playable for you.”
- “Maybe get this for $2-3 to kill 4-5 hours of time, but there are much better choices with actual replay value out there.”
- “But with games like these, I'm looking for an interesting sandbox experience with a lot of replayability, and that's just not the case yet with Timber & Stone.”
- “You are going to have to play a couple of times before you know what you are doing; also, there are some Let's Plays, tutorials, and guides on YouTube that you can learn from that would make it more playable for you.”
story
8 mentions
0 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is criticized for being repetitive and reminiscent of previous titles like "Timber and Stone" and "Castle Story," with players expressing frustration over the lack of innovation and the feeling of being manipulated by the game's mechanics. While some acknowledge improvements in content and performance, the overarching narrative experience is seen as disappointing and unoriginal.
- “If you want to see an exact repeat of the sad story of 'Timber and Stone', then search for 'Towns'.”
- “These EA titles always have some shills on the forums trying to tell potential customers that the development is not dead, the developer has real-life issues that come first, critics are just entitled, etc. Same old story every time.”
- “Get angry because all you have time to do is fight waves that I swear are using a storyteller AI and just trying to screw you.”
monetization
8 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been heavily criticized, with users labeling it as a cash grab by the publisher, who allegedly failed to compensate the development team. Many reviewers express frustration over the game's early access model, viewing it as a quick profit scheme rather than a genuine effort to deliver quality content. Overall, there is a strong sentiment that the game prioritizes financial gain over player experience.
- “A game with a great premise that turned out to be a cash grab by the publisher who decided not to pay the people working on the game itself.”
- “So it seems this is yet another quick cash grab project.”
- “Valve really needs to protect their customers from this early access cash grab and run games.”
emotional
6 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight a complex emotional landscape, suggesting that personal experiences, such as family issues, may influence players' connections to the game. While some players feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in their village's defense against invaders, others reflect on the emotional weight of past traumas that the game may evoke. Overall, the emotional impact varies significantly among players, blending feelings of triumph with reminders of personal struggles.
- “Maybe this game had a link to his 'family issues' and he couldn't get over emotional links - like listening to a song that reminds one of bad times or painful times?”
- “The carnage was great and made me feel like my village was doing its business at keeping out invaders.”
humor
6 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as initially entertaining, particularly in the early stages, but it tends to lose its charm over time, becoming repetitive and less engaging. Some players appreciate the comedic elements tied to combat and the absurdity of situations, while others feel that the focus on humiliation detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the humor may appeal to those who enjoy early access games, but its longevity is questioned.
- “If you can enjoy these eternal early access products, it is very funny to play.”
- “Funny at day 10, not so much by day 90.”