Aussie Pondering

Last week I wrote about how I decided to check out the early access Animal Crossing/Stardew Valley-esque mashup that is Dinkum.  I've spent a bit more time playing and I've found myself feeling pretty torn about it.  Sure, it's cute, but I think it has some pacing issues that need to be addressed in the full release.

My character and my sparsely decorated house.

Pros:

+ It's very cute.  The villagers, the animals, the ability to decorate and personalize your town--it all has a pleasant vibe that is a nice break from more serious, demanding titles.  The Australian setting is novel and adds a fun element.

+ There are tons of tasks to do during each in-game day.  Each new day includes a list of three optional "daily tasks" that can be completed and that provide a special currency that is used to buy new licenses that allow you to improve your tools, expand your inventory, or gain new abilities.  You can spend your days foraging for resources, fishing, exploring, catching bugs...or just creating materials and personalizing your town.

+ A huge variety of clothing items to personalize your character.  It's really fun to see all the new options and it's possible to find (or purchase) new items almost daily.

+ Controls are easy to learn and intuitive.  The only thing I had a problem with was the emote system--I couldn't get it to work (which meant I couldn't whistle--something that is used to call farm animals to your character).

+ It has run like a charm and I've had no issues with bugs/crashing.  It seems like the kind of game that would probably run on a potato PC too.

+ Collectibles and a milestone/goal-related system to keep you working toward accomplishments.

Cons:

- I've played for 19 hours and I've gotten bored with it.  I'll admit that creativity based games and sandbox style games aren't really my favorite, but I think the current version of the game has some big pacing issues.  Within a few days of your initial arrival on the island the store owner wants to move in--this is basically a mandatory part of the story because he sells the tools you need to be able to do all those daily tasks I mentioned above.  So, you unlock the tools you need and can start really collecting materials and that's fine for awhile.  Then, your next resident villager arrives--the museum keeper.  You spend some time gathering materials for the museum and paying off the debt.  The museum is a place to collect the bugs and fish that you find on the island--and, again, it's something fun to focus on for awhile.  After this though, there's a serious lack of villagers who want to move to the island and it's seemingly impossible to make much progress on getting them to want to move in--they visit for a day or two at most and you can slightly improve your relationship with them, but it's not enough to convince them to stay.  Then, you don't really know when they're going to visit again and someone new shows up and you go through the whole process again.

Sure, you can spend some time building your own house and extra houses for the town, but it feels very aimless.  One particular thing I've found frustrating is the fact that you need a certain villager to move in before you can learn the plan for the repair bench for your tools--you just have to repeatedly use your tools until they break and then buy new ones.  I've unlocked licenses to improve my tools, but it doesn't seem worth it if I can't repair the improved ones and have to keep crafting them over and over.  This has really stymied my progress because I need better tools to be able to mine new metals and chop hardwood.  It's possible that I've just gotten a bit unlucky because the character who grants the plan for the repair table has only visited once or twice (visitors are random).  It's also hard to farm or raise chooks (chickens) when the villagers who sell seeds or animal feed appear randomly.

I think the game could be massively improved if it was made clearer what you need to do to get villagers to move in (it mentions befriending them and spending money in their shops) and if they visited for longer periods of time.  Hitting this seemingly progress blocking wall has turned me off from wanting to play--which is a disappointment because it is a cute game.

Recommendation:

If you're the type of gamer who is perfectly content grinding out materials and having the ability to personalize environments--I think you'll enjoy Dinkum.  If you're someone who wants something with more specific quest-style tasks or a clear path of progression, there's a good chance you'll end up getting bored.  Dinkum is the years-long work of a single developer and what this person has created is amazing and deserves the praise and love that it has received from many fans.