Workshop Simulator
- March 10, 2022
- INTERMARUM
Get on Steam"Workshop Simulator" is a relaxing restoration game where you bring vintage items back to life, transforming them from ruined to pristine condition. With highly detailed visuals and a comforting atmosphere, the game provides a sense of nostalgia and calm remembrance. The heart-warming story also allows you to explore your family history by interacting with unique family treasures.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a relaxing experience with a sweet story that resonates with players, particularly those with nostalgic memories of family.
- The graphics are praised for their detail and beauty, enhancing the overall immersion of the gameplay.
- Many players find satisfaction in the core mechanics of disassembling, cleaning, and restoring items, making it enjoyable for fans of simulation games.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, making it frustrating and at times unplayable, leading to a lack of confidence in its stability.
- Players have expressed disappointment over the repetitive nature of tasks and the lack of variety in gameplay, which can lead to boredom.
- There are significant issues with the control scheme and user interface, including problems with zooming, tool visibility, and the inability to customize painting options, which detracts from the overall experience.
- story76 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely praised for its emotional depth and nostalgic themes, particularly the heartwarming relationship between a grandfather and grandson as they restore items together. While many players find the narrative touching and engaging, some critique its linearity and execution, suggesting that it could benefit from more dynamic storytelling elements. Overall, the story is seen as a significant strength of the game, providing a calming and meaningful backdrop to the gameplay.
“The story is shockingly touching.”
“I really enjoy the story of the grandfather being an influence on the main character's life.”
“The story overall is great and the different objects and stories are captivating enough that you can easily zone out, relax, and lose a good chunk of time fiddling with the various parts of an item.”
“I can feel the love the developer had in the story, yet the execution seems lacking, unfortunately.”
“The story I can't comment on because I got so bored I just kept skipping all the cut scenes.”
“It had a heartwarming story that runs extremely linearly.”
- gameplay50 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews are mixed, with some players appreciating the relaxing mechanics and immersive environment, while others criticize the repetitiveness, progression issues, and occasional bugs that hinder the experience. Many find the core gameplay loop tedious and lacking depth, suggesting a need for more exploration and variety. Overall, while the game has potential, it struggles with execution and can feel monotonous at times.
“The gameplay is addictive, the environment beautiful and immersive.”
“Very enjoyable gameplay, and the graphics are really great.”
“Cute story, smooth gameplay; thankfully tasks aren't tedious (most of the time) and I get to learn a little about renovations through these gamified means.”
“In terms of gameplay, it's on the lacking side.”
“What hurts the game mostly is the progression issue and mechanics not working properly.”
“Overall it looks very pretty, but the gameplay experience is just horrible.”
- graphics40 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising them as "amazing," "top notch," and "easy on the eyes," highlighting the detailed visuals and relaxing aesthetic. However, some users rate the graphics lower, suggesting they are not groundbreaking and may not meet expectations for all players. Overall, while there are standout elements, opinions vary significantly on the quality and impact of the graphics.
“The graphics in this game are amazing.”
“On the plus side, the graphics and details in the items you're repairing are superb.”
“Very cool concept and as close as the game advertised; the graphics are as pretty as a next-gen game should be.”
“Graphics: 3/10”
“Tried repair files, nothing graphical errors. I have to say my opinion of the game has gotten lower; I understand why so few people, according to Steam, have finished the game.”
“Very cool concept, but the graphics are not as pretty as a next-gen game should be.”
- music28 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its fitting and immersive qualities, while others criticize the limited selection, repetitive tracks, and issues with controlling the audio settings. Many users noted the predominance of country music and expressed frustration over the inability to use custom tracks or turn off the music entirely. Overall, while some find the music enjoyable and atmospheric, others feel it detracts from the experience due to its repetitiveness and technical glitches.
“Amazing music, relaxing world and touching story.”
“The music is very fitting for the setting and it helps you get immersed into the atmosphere.”
“Music: good music a little corny at times but it fits the mood and vibe of the game.”
“Random lag spike when you change counters, only one type of music (country) that is playing on the radio, and no way to use custom music tracks.”
“The workshop features a radio that plays the same three songs over and over again.”
“The radio keeps turning on by itself even though my music is off and the radio is on pause.”
- emotional22 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its deeply emotional and heartwarming story, which resonates with players, often evoking tears and nostalgia, particularly in relation to familial bonds. The narrative, described as wholesome and therapeutic, enhances the gameplay experience, making it a captivating and relaxing journey despite some technical issues. Players are encouraged to engage with the cutscenes to fully appreciate the touching moments woven throughout the game.
“The story is shockingly touching.”
“I cannot believe I cried on a simulator game.”
“Despite some bugs present in the game, the story, which includes a wholesome story of a boy bonding with his grandpa over random items around the farm, and the gameplay loop are captivating enough that you can easily zone out, relax, and lose a good chunk of time fiddling with the various parts of an item.”
- stability22 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 5 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users reporting severe bugs that hinder gameplay, including crashes and glitches that prevent progression. While some players noted a smooth experience without issues, the consensus leans towards it being a "buggy mess," making it difficult to recommend. Overall, the game's stability is a significant concern that detracts from its potential enjoyment.
“The game is smooth with no glitches seen during my play.”
“I have to post a review because I can't express how incredibly buggy this game has been.”
“Can't recommend it though, it is extremely buggy to the point where I am no longer able to progress further, as the game crashes when I try to finish the cleaning step on one of the items.”
“It's buggy as heck and I'm getting a bit fed up with the bugs.”
- grinding22 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, repetitive, and often unrewarding, particularly during tasks like sanding, painting, and disassembling. While some appreciate the detailed mechanics and the satisfaction of renovation, many feel that the slow pace and low rewards detract from the overall enjoyment, especially given the presence of bugs in the game. Overall, the grinding can be a significant barrier to fully enjoying the game's concept and story.
“Cute story, smooth gameplay, thankfully tasks aren't tedious (most of the time - sewing boxes should be banned planet-wide) and I get to learn a little about renovations through these gamified means.”
“Good idea, but extremely tedious, repetitive and unrewarding gameplay.”
“The process of disassembling, washing, sanding, painting, and then reassembling is often slow (even with upgrades) and tedious.”
“I love the concept and it's a fun game when it works - even though it's a very slow process and you barely make any money for doing really time-consuming and tedious tasks - I just cannot overlook how many bugs it still has for a fully released game.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game is generally considered poorly optimized, with users reporting issues such as crashes, occasional stuttering, and lag. While some suggest that replacing animations with videos could improve performance, others note that adjusting settings can lead to wonky resolution issues. Despite these optimization challenges, players still find the game enjoyable overall.
“The simple way to fix this would be to just replace the animation with a video, but you could optimize it in other ways. Either way, it needs optimization, but it's a pretty damn good game.”
“Performance-wise, there is some lag every now and again, and I did not get achievements for some things, but otherwise, I have no real complaints.”
“First glance of the game with no story spoilers and performance comparison.”
“But it's poorly optimized and crashes.”
“The settings can be wonky with regard to resolution and I got occasional stuttering, but pausing for a minute or so would clear it up.”
“Performance-wise, some lag every now and again, and I did not get achievements for some things, but otherwise no real complaints.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its calming and immersive qualities, with many users noting the fitting music that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers appreciate the depth and soulfulness of the environment, contributing to a strong sense of immersion.
“So much atmosphere and soul in this game.”
“The music is very fitting for the setting and it helps you get immersed into the atmosphere.”
“I like the concept of the game a lot, and the atmosphere and calmness is quite nice.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with users noting that it offers nothing new and lacks engaging elements that would encourage players to return. Many feel that the absence of a sandbox mode or other replayable features significantly detracts from the overall experience.
“A lot of elements could have been better, and there should be a replayable element or sandbox mode that allows you to carry on.”
“Very mediocre game, it brings nothing new to the table, and has absolutely no replay value.”
“A lot of elements could have been better and there should be a replayable element or sandbox mode that allows you to carry on.”
“- no real replay value”
