Utopia Colony
- February 13, 2020
- GridSky Software AS
- 9h median play time
In "Utopia Colony" , you play as an ex-Marine working for a mining corporation on Mars, starting with a small base and mining rocks for ore to earn credits and upgrade your base. As you progress, you can purchase a rover to mine rocks farther out and complete various missions to continue advancing in the game. The year is 2033 and you are on Mars, striving to build and upgrade your mining outpost.
Reviews
- The game has a solid foundation and potential for future updates, with a relaxing atmosphere and enjoyable mining mechanics.
- Graphics are decent, and the game runs smoothly without crashes, making it a pleasant experience for casual play.
- The developers are responsive and active in the community, which gives hope for future improvements and content additions.
- The gameplay loop is repetitive and lacks depth, with limited interactivity and a linear progression that can feel tedious.
- Vehicles are poorly designed for terrain navigation, often getting stuck and hindering exploration, which can lead to frustration.
- The game feels incomplete, with many features missing or underdeveloped, leading to a lack of engaging content and replayability.
- story34 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 85 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is considered underdeveloped and lacking depth, with players noting that it feels rough and could benefit from more fleshed-out content and missions. While there are some engaging elements, such as a journal detailing a past miner's experiences, many missions are seen as tedious and repetitive, leading to a sense of emptiness in the narrative. Overall, players express a desire for a more guided and immersive storytelling experience to enhance gameplay.
“Enjoyed the story behind it; the game needs attention to detail.”
“UC contains somewhat of a story at this point thanks to a journal you'll find detailing a past miner's experiences on the red planet. Just note that the guy found religion, so if you're not up for that, reading the book is entirely optional and skipping it won't impact your game experience.”
“It's a little hard to work out the different bits; the story is still a bit rough, and there are some things that still need working out or fleshed out.”
“The game is too short as it is and could use more story; there's a lot of missed potential here.”
“It feels empty apart from the tedious missions: go here, do this; go there, do that.”
- gameplay28 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a slow-paced, non-combat mining simulation with a focus on base building, but it suffers from a lack of engaging mechanics and poor placement controls. Players find the mining loop tedious and the absence of tutorials or guidance on essential systems like power and water management disappointing. Overall, the game feels unfinished, with many reviewers suggesting it lacks challenge and depth, making it hard to recommend in its current state.
“Would have appreciated a bit of tutorial or guide on power and water management, but the mechanics turned out to be somewhat intuitive after some tinkering around.”
“It's a very chilled out, non-combat, mining sim, with close to 8-10 hours of gameplay and nothing in the game is difficult.”
“I just got 6 hours of gameplay because I tried every single corner because I thought there has to be more, but I bet if you play straightforward, you will manage to finish the game within 3 hours easily and still see and get all content!”
“It's base building on rails with one of the most boring mining gameplay loops I've ever encountered.”
“At first, I tried to understand the mechanics of the game, but to no avail.”
“Maybe it will be worth it later when more content and mechanics are in the game, but right now, sadly I really cannot recommend buying in the current state.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players finding them decent and well done, while others criticize them as terrible and in need of significant upgrades. Many users express a desire for improved visual elements, such as better textures and animations, to enhance the overall experience. Overall, while there are moments of appreciation for the graphics, the consensus is that they require further refinement to meet player expectations.
“The graphics are really well done.”
“Appreciated the graphics and vehicle controls.”
“Graphics are good (3090) some ripping.”
“The graphics are terrible, there is absolutely no 'I'm a miner on Mars' or 'wow!'”
“Needs far better graphics; the gameplay and animations are decent.”
“It does need brushing up on some graphics.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to repetitive missions and the challenging placement of mining rigs. While some enjoy the lore and building elements, many feel that the extensive driving and monotonous tasks detract from the overall experience, making it feel empty at times.
“It feels empty apart from the tedious missions, go here do this, go there do that.”
“But it's enormously tedious and since most of the game seems to involve driving around, it needs to be made better.”
“The only negative aspect was the placement of the mining rigs; placing number 1 can be tedious.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is characterized by a laid-back exploration vibe, allowing players to immerse themselves in the environment while engaging in scientific activities. Despite its technical focus, some players feel that the game's atmospheric chemistry and simulations are overly simplistic, which may detract from the overall experience. However, the enjoyment of building and exploring remains a highlight for many.
“I first picked up the game at the end of 2020, and really enjoyed the atmospheric laid-back exploration feel of the game.”
“Once your mining operation is up and running, you'll likely spend the next few hours erecting science-related structures around the map such as atmospheric and soil analysis machines with the help of the truck-based larger rover.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report minor stability issues, such as brief freezes lasting around three seconds, which may be system-specific. Despite these occasional hiccups, the game supports a variety of vehicles and systems for exploration and resource transport without significant stability concerns.
“I had little freezes that last all of 3 seconds (but that could just be my system).”
- music4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with users noting the absence of music and animation, which detracts from the overall experience. Some players express a desire for alternate background music and player voices to enhance immersion. Overall, the current music implementation is seen as lacking.
“There is no animation, no music.”
“I would like to have alternate background music and player voices.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game suffers from a lack of replayability due to its rigid pre-set scenarios, leaving no room for player creativity or alternative paths. As a result, users report that replayability is effectively zero.
“Unfortunately, there is a pre-set scenario you have to follow; there is no option to create something yourself, and replayability is zero.”