Get Off My Miniland! Survival Sandbox Shennigans This Steam Next Fest

Talk about organised: I’m writing this Miniland preview waaaaay before the demo’s release during Steam Next Fest, as a preview was kindly provided. It’s not because I’ve taken a time management course or anything, but this month’s fest isn’t on the cards as there’s no time.

So… will this be worth downloading? I think so.

Miniland is a vast open-world game full of discoveries, crafting, and subtle ambient sounds to validate that you haven’t entirely lost your hearing yet – this game from Imikowski Dev and Gameparic is minimalist in every sense.

As a minimalist (there aren’t any real qualifying things you need to do to become one), I liked both the presentation and pacing. In reality, you control how the game pans out, but there’s a real-time cycle that provides you with new tiles and bits and bobs to shape your world.

That comparison to Forager is fair – another game I could happily get lost in. Everything here is colourful pixel art and upbeat tunes now and then. There’s no goal other than being your world’s Creator. That means going out and chopping trees, mining rocks, or ordering what you need on Prime. Do you want the latter? Wrong game.

While Miniland is a peaceful experience, in the short time I played the demo, it wasn’t without some danger. Using Minecraft as an example, you have some wondering enemies that can kill you, forcing you to respawn. This was a bit annoying as it occurred on my first day, and they apparently can punch through stone at alarmingly slow speeds. You can hit back, but I’d vote for the option to remove any dangers and have a free-flowing creative mode. So-to-speak.

Once the dangers are out of the way, it’s all about sourcing new goods, building appliances such as workbenches, furnaces and all those other things you kids like to build in these sandbox survival thingys. Miniland wouldn’t be the type of game I’d seek out, but having experienced it, I have to say that it’s a game worth looking at.

The demo is available during the Steam Next Fest, but when I went to the page to double check, it will be available from the 3rd of October, so, being organised once more, I’m posting this very brief preview to say download it if you liked Forager, Minecraft, or get a kick out of cute lil’ pixel art and the freedom to build as you please (minus the wall-punching ruffians).