Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure

I really love this game. I think it's a bit underrepresented out there on Twitch and even YouTube! It's fun, has a light story that makes me want to progress, and then it gets pretty darn complicated out of nowhere. You go from "I got this" to "OMG I'm freaking out what am I supposed to make next?" Well, I went like that. Also, I tend to chase the shiny nickel and get sidetracked soooo much. But that's fun too. Ok thanks, goodbye.

gameplay wise: the way the game does the mountain biome has to many frustration points for me. it's not one single thing that turns it bad for me, but more straw that broke the camels back.

As an automation game it's quite crap. It basically stops automating when you leave to explore or want to set up another "factory" somewhere else because enemies spawn ONLY if you're nearby and you need enemies to die in order to make more sparks. So if you're looking for an automation game this is not quite it, it's more of a semi-automation I guess I would call it. When I realised, the fun was drained.

due to the size of the inventory, the fact that you cant use the waypoints as soon as you unlock them and the size of the requests by the 10th hour i was spending most of my time walking across the map and waiting for machines because i didnt want to have to backtrack for their resources. NEEDS LARGER ITEM STACKING

I was sold on this game when i saw the image of the tree stumpy living its best life. I love this game and I'm still intending to play and 100% the achievements. The little stumpies are so cute and it itches that automation/organisation itch I get from time to time. Don't worry if your initial automations are a clown fiesta of lines and crossovers it's when you start getting to the next tier of sparks it becomes all easier to rebuild and simplify. The game's battling can get a little frustrating but that's purely down to my inexperience (and two occasions of a mantis stag jump-scaring me). I hate Pengus so it's satisfying taking them out. Visuals Risk - For someone like me prone to headaches, check the settings in case of blur or certain settings risk triggering it. I assume the simultaneous movements of hundreds of sparks may be a cause. My eyes hurt if I rotate the camera which I can't figure out why but there's not often a need to move the camera unless you're skirting edges of the map .

I'm back on my factory and management game kick and this one is ADORABLE. If you're looking for a far more relaxed factory experience, at the point I've gotten to in the game, this is a great one. The mix of being able to use your little spark dudes like Pikmins to fight enemies and clear resources is a ton of fun, and the buildings/logistics in this game have a very fantastical charm to them. A fair warning to larger scale factory game players looking into this game; since the game is optimized for both keyboard and gamepad, there are some lacking quality of life features such as blueprints (At least I haven't found it yet if it is in here) and other tools to aid in construction, but since the scale of the factories from my understanding don't hit the same level of complexity as something like Factorio, its serviceable as long as you take the factory construction a bit slower. Thematically, the game is going for much more a cozy, take it slow and build it as you need it, approach which I've come to appreciate the longer I play the game, and the tools available for building reflect that pace.

I really want to like this game... but there's just something off about it. The quests are those "go collect this to make the next things that you'll then go out and collect way more of so you can run even further away and collect exponentially more of that" kinda vibe. Not much of a story, but more of a justification of game mechanics. The amount of running back and forth is a lot. Having to run across the map to build sparks out of sparks and other things gets very old very quickly. I don't like having to build so many buildings on bases, either. It's a very soft maybe that I'd recommend this, because there is something about it I feel like I SHOULD love, but I just don't feel it. WIll revist later... maybe.

OddSparks is a very enjoyable game. It starts with simple mechanics, but the logistics gradually become more complex and rewarding as you progress. There are plenty of progression tiers that keep you engaged, and the animations are charming, cute, and full of personality. The only caveat I'd mention is that I wouldn't recommend it for younger kids without their parents' awareness. The game includes a few subtle political or ideological themes. They're not a major part of the experience or particularly intrusive, but they're noticeable enough that some parents may want to be aware of them before deciding whether it's appropriate.