Cast your mind back to September 2017 when Pathea Games launched their Kickstarter campaign for My Time at Portia. The campaign managed to generate 50% more funding above its goal of $ 100.000 and all but one stretch goal was met. A huge success, in a time when Kickstarter wasn’t as widely known as it is now. Developer Pathea Games used some magical words in describing their project: “gameplay like Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon.”
We loved My Time at Portia, even though there were a few bugs in the game at the time of launch. It had all the elements of a combination of RPG, Crafting and Simulation that we love. (Find our review here)
Now, Pathea Games is back on Kickstarter with a new campaign that got me very exited: let’s go back to the Alliance of Free Cities. This time you won’t help to get Portia back to glory, but the rugged mining town of Sandrock.
The City State of Sandrock
Let’s take a look at the new city that needs our help. Sandrock is a city-state located in the Eufaula Desert within the Alliance of Free Cities. It was founded beside Martle’s Oasis on top of an ancient metropolis. At first, the city attracted many prospectors interested in an extensive supply of relics hidden beneath the desert, but, as time went on, the oasis dried up, leaving the city unable to sustain a large population. Many people left, leaving the place in its vagarious state found today.
Water is a premium in Sandrock, with the only source being from Martle’s Oasis. Wood is also a rare resource, as not many trees grow in the area. Most of the trees around the oasis were cut by the original settlers: nowadays, you’ll have to find alternatives. The good news is that there are vast amounts of relics around these parts, some of them even hidden in plain sight!
Recruited to Sandrock to be a Builder, you’ll arrive to find the town in a sad state. Shops are run down, buildings are empty, and people are looking to leave. It’ll be up to you to use your wits and skills to unite the townsfolk and rebuild the city into a beacon of prosperity.
Want to know a bit more about the rich history of the world of Portia and Sandrock?
What Does Sandrock Have to Offer?
The developers state on their Kickstarter page that My Time at Sandrock will maintain the simulation versus RPG balance that My Time at Portia had, with more depth for both. “We are aiming to give the player a truly satisfying feeling when the game “ends.” We’re also working to give you a beautiful open world to gather materials, explore, and maintain a homestead. There will be mesas, deep canyons, vast deserts, endless salt plains, breathtaking ruins, and more!”
The game boasts Multiplayer mode and building in your workshop is key again. There’s farming in the planter boxes, and the produce will have more uses then in Portia. There are holidays and several types of dungeons to explore, and much more.
It pleases me to see the way they are trying to change things that the fans weren’t happy about in Portia. The aim is making My Time at Sandrock not just a copy of Portia set a new environment, which is an exiting prospect.
Kickstarter Details
My Time at Sandrock will release on Steam Early Access in March 2021. The aim is to release the full game Spring 2022 on Steam, with all consoles following Summer 2022. A long time to wait, but it’s better to wait longer and get a perfect game, right?
The goal was $100,000, which was reached within 19 hours. And with 22 more days to go (at the time of writing this) it will be fun to see the stretch goals reached one by one.
Want to check it out? The Kickstarter Page is here!
