My Time at Sandrock Preview

What was originally intended to be a DLC for My Time at Portia has taken on a life of its own and blossomed into My Time at Sandrock. Set in the desert of Sandrock — as opposed to the green hills of Portia — you have to work in a harsh environment that sits at odds with the super friendly townsfolk. At least the usually strict Church of Light has made allowances for more advanced machinery, so even though resources are scarce you can always reuse, reduce, and recycle.

Taking over the dilapidated workshop from the previous builder (whose name is Mason, ironically) is no easy task. Water is scarce, but also necessary to run your machinery. The tranquil oasis in town with its little chirping crickets is guarded fiercely as it's the town’s only local water supply. Sandstorms aren’t frequent, but having to use the feather duster to clean off your equipment was certainly an interesting mechanic.

The atmosphere of Sandrock is unmistakably inspired by old Western films; the opening cinematic featuring a dramatic shot of a lone cowboy (that we later learn is the outlaw, Logan) standing atop a rock formation. Many of the residents are written almost as caricatures and would be right at home in a Western.

So much time and effort has gone into environmental design, from the towns to the mines and the ruins. The attention to detail is noticeable and makes exploring an absolute treat, and the chests that you find scattered around certainly don’t hurt. It’s almost a crime to use the yakmel carts to travel across town but I suppose once you’ve run past the same spot a thousand times it is understandable.

Interestingly, the creatures that populate the desert are essentially remixes of the usual desert animals that you might expect like a yak, except it’s mixed with a camel to create the adorable yakmel. There is some confusion around the rocket rooster that bombards you with fireworks; it doesn’t seem to be mixed with any other creature and is the only normal animal that carries a weapon so far. Nothing prepared me for the absolute nightmare fuel that is the bumble ants: their name might sound adorable but their design is anything but.

Part of the charm of both My Time at Portia and now My Time at Sandrock is how Pathea has managed to commit to both simplicity and quality. Everything from the music, to the sound design, graphics, and animations is so simple in its design but so beautifully done. Not to mention the clicking sound that plays as text rolls out during conversations is really satisfying. There’s nothing flashy in any of these areas, but its foundation is excellent.

The little cutscenes scattered throughout the story include your character in them and really draw you in, as you get to see yourself be a part of the action as well as how your character interacts with the various townsfolk. Character interaction isn’t just limited to cutscenes though. Certain quests focus on developing your relationships, like right at the beginning when you’re taught a painful lesson in defence by Pen, or the day off you and Mi-an are bullied into taking. There are a few options to socialise with townsfolk but one of the most fun ones is a card game called Critters that plays like Rock, Paper, Scissors card game, but instead uses elephant, wolf, cat, and mouse. As many of the NPCs are romanceable you may find yourself wooing them by simply being better than them at Critters.

Character creation is a major standout: there are so many amazing customisation options available, but not so many as to overwhelm the player. You can spend a decent amount of time making a character you love without being there forever. The hair options are to die for, with the ability to choose individual styles for the front, middle, and back of your hair as well as the ability to adjust the hair length to your preference. There are colour wheels and sliders for both hair and skin to make sure your character reflects what you want as well as a fair few makeup options. Unfortunately, there are no facial hair options for females, so no majestic beards for us.

Resource gathering is a large aspect of the game but many things are quite scarce, leading you to comb through junk piles to find useful resources. The salvage company is conveniently located right next to your workshop so you don’t have to go far for most of your basic resources — as long as you’re willing to cough up the 200 gols for a weekly pass. Sandfishing is a funny fishing concept as instead of a pond and fishing rod, you’re chucking a trap into a sandpit to grab the fish that come to the surface for some of those sweet, sweet worms. If you stay out too late gathering resources and bopping around tumbleweeds, you won’t turn into a pumpkin but you do eventually pass out and end up with dark circles under your eyes the next day. Pen may be insufferable in a few ways but he is kind enough to carry you home when he finds you passed out.

It’s not all just building and resource gathering however, the town is also under attack by these lizardfolk called the Geeglers. Combat is simplified and fun with a variety of weapons, like the normal sword-and-shield combo but also daggers, spears, and a heavy sword, with more on the way. Upgrading your combat abilities through the skill tree allows you to learn cool new combos to use with your weapon of choice.

Overall, there are so many improvements between My Time at Portia and My Time at Sandrock. In general, it’s just so much more polished already but there are also more quality of life improvements. The workshop menu has been overhauled, ruins and mines have a much better design so they’re more fun to zoom around in, and you feel a lot busier with more to do and less downtime between main missions. Storage is still a pain but they added the amazing ability to just buy one inventory slot so if you need space in a pinch you’re not stuck. The skill tree is an incredible addition and gives you improvements for resource gathering, construction, socialising, and combat. If all of those weren’t amazing enough they now have better reminders for in-game events and the calendar allows you to set custom ones.

I cannot be more excited to see how this game develops over time. My Time at Sandrock will be released into Early Access on the 26th of May for those who want to give it a whirl. As the townsfolk say, conserve water!