IDLE_DIRECTIVE

For me this has elements of "make your own adventure". There is a lot to learn and do or you can do the straightforward "do-only-what-will-get-me-to-prestige". I like the upgrading and the exploration. It's well worth full price in my opinion.

Need Chinese and more languages

This game is fun the first time around. Idle progression game with automation and optimization. But why the hell would anyone want to wait 3,15 or 60 minutes for a checkpoint to complete? The game introduces a mechanic that forces you to stay put or allows you to progress while putting you behind a ticking clock. The gameplay itself is quite satisfactory with all of the moving parts and the audio is really fitting, but the game lacks depth and true progression. After running a few runs you will understand the core concept and path of optimization for a game such as this. Its an ok idle game for 5e, but melvor idle or even cookie clicker wipes an idle game like this due to the healthy loop of active/passive gameplay. This game wants you to be active and then cuts of the active gameplay into a wait 15minutes or else moment that kills the entire dopamine rush you were getting while approaching this turning point. Kind of dissapointing, but waiting to see where th dev takes this game. A lot of promise with the theme and direction, but needs A LOT of polish. More end-game parts, activities, maybe a linear story?

[i]Disclaimer: i played through this game since v1.0.0 with [u]constant[/u] balance changes/improvements/nerfs/etc. These points may or may not be addressed in future updates and this review might get completely obsolete, so whatever.[/i] [h1]Beware: ""Early access""[/h1] First time im seeing an incremental on steam [b]this[/b] unpolished and filled with bug reports. While game itself is pretty good for an idler, it was released in a [b]VERY[/b] rough state, [b]balance changes/fixes/QoL additions are coming to this day[/b] on daily basis, and game starts getting shape, but for it to be a worthy experience, it should bake for a few more weeks. [hr][/hr] [b]Progression[/b] in this game is... [b]nicely planned, but unstable in speed[/b]. You will be discovering new things game has to offer, but outside of it, there will be [b]plenty of downtime[/b] to just keep it in background and checking in once in a while when game might require your input again [i](duh, it got[/i] [b][i]"idle"[/i][/b] [i]in its name)[/i]. This game allows for [b]both[/b] active [i](define "active" in an idler)[/i] and idle playstyles with items its offering, so most players will be able to arrange their setup to their preference. However in [b]early game[/b] [i](pre-first prestige)[/i] you will [b]have[/b] to stick to an active playstyle. A game, with an [b]"idle"[/b] in its name, [b]DOESNT HAVE OFFLINE PROGRESS FROM THE START![/b] And [b]no "full process" automation[/b] on your first run. These are prestige upgrades, which, for early game, are quite expensive. You'll be [b]forced[/b] to scrape [b]every[/b] bit of prestige currency you can gain on your first [i](and maybe second too)[/i] prestige which will last a good couple of hours, [b]just[/b] to get the game start showing [b]some[/b] sort of idle remarks, instead of "keep it running in background and micromanage every once in a while". [b]Early game might feel tedious, but just take it as part of the process.[/b] But after that's sorted out, [b]game unfolds quite nicely[/b]. You start again from 0, but with access to new items, faster early phase, more to do [i](all based on what augments you picked)[/i], [b]mid-game is very well made, getting stronger feels really impactful[/b]. But [b]late-game[/b] can get [b]very repetitive[/b]. At some point [i](most likely after 3rd prestige)[/i], with proper play, you'll have enough prestige points to max out [b]everything useful[/b] in the tree. After that, its all about "finishing the game", which is just, again, starting from 0 and building your [b]same[/b] late-game grid layout for 2-3 more times, depending on how good your prestiges were. This can get boring to some players, but again, [b]"idle"[/b] game. Regarding [b]early access[/b] title, there were [i](and still are)[/i] [b]a lot[/b] of bugs and lack of QoL's. Everything is subject to change/fix/improve of course, so [b]this paragraph is a summary of "how this week since game's release felt like", just as an info bit for the reader about what they've missed/will face when playing[/b] (as of v1.0.7).[list] [*]Things that [b]were fixed[/b]: ungrabbable softlocked items[b];[/b] various broken visual cues[b];[/b] game crashes[b];[/b] [b]corrupted unrecoverable saves;[/b] [b]unfathomably[/b] grindy achievements (one got its requirement reduced by x10, "Harvest Dice Profit" moment)[b];[/b] broken automation, uncapped FPS making game run x3 times faster... [*]Things that are [b]yet to be fixed[/b] (as of v1.0.7): stutters when an automation item ticks while being [b]too powerful;[/b] multi-step bugs that can benefit/detriment users progression[b];[/b] [i]various broken visual cues[/i][b][i];[/i][/b] [i]game crashes xd[/i][b][i];[/i][/b] adding more QoL's... [b]Needless to say, dev got a lot of work to get this game properly sorted.[/b] [/list][hr][/hr] I dont know what went wrong with the development: it had a demo on itch and steam, dev was (and still is) [b]very active[/b] on noting feedback, and it got released [b]THIS UNPOLISHED?[/b] Seems like dev bit off more than he could code [i](for post-demo content)[/i], and now game's launch lies in [b]11 pages[/b] of steam discussions with bug reports from its players. [b]Sucks[/b], game could've been at 85-90% positives if not for such rocky launch. [h3]If you like idles/incrementals, definetely check this game out, [b]but on a later date[/b]. [i]It still has demo attached :D[/i][/h3]

It's an idler with dashes of resource management, inventory management and exploration. You can also progress a lot faster through active play at the start of each run. First prestige doesn't get you far, but proper building makes second prestige and forward very productive. You're able to explore the augment tree - take a few minutes to do so fully before wasting hours thanks to suboptimal augment selections. Looking forward to 100%ing it over the next week or two.

Good clicker with inventory management and grid based networking where you connect devices to increase production. Quite clever I must say. Additionally you can cruise around the map and find all kinds of cool and useful things. I'm having fun and it appears there is a lot more to discover. Worth every penny.

Now THIS is a good idle game. Could've used a bit more tutorial but, you're smart, you'll figure it out.