Aven Colony

A pretty simple and basic colony sim but overall quite enjoyable and chill time. Just don't expect anything innovative. It could however do with some more building variety and a campaign that is less repetitive.
Works without any issues on Linux with Proton (9.0-4). Seems like some people have issues running it on Windows and have crashes but I encountered exactly 0 problems.

Rating: 6 out of 10
This is a game I started over and over multiple times and only recently finished the campaign. I figured I would get my review up for it.
For transparency, I just played the campaign (no sandbox) and completed all missions on insane difficulty.
Positives
-overall runs well 95 % of the time. Recently I have noticed a rare slow down and crash on my pc. I have not had the issues others have had but mostly it ran well. This was a recent issue as I never had this before
-I like the clean, spacy, aesthetic it brings. It looks real clean graphically
-It's simple. I think this would make a great city builder for a first timer who never played these types of games. Easy tutorial and you all ready to go.
-It doesn't do anything bad. I mean it doesn't add anything new to the genre but at least what it does doesn't hinder the game
Negatives
-The campaign story is just corny along with most of the dialogue. I found myself not even really caring about the story to be honest until that ending cut-scene.
-It doesn't bring anything new to the genre or advance the genre. It's borrows from other games, which is not bad but if you're looking for innovation, you won't find it here
Overall, I recommend this game for newbies of the genre or if you want to turn off your brain. If you can find this for cheap, pick it up

In short, the game is decent and fun, but horribly unstable. I give it a positive review because when I managed to make it work, I actually enjoyed playing it quite much despite its flaws.
Pros:
+ the game is a decent city-builder with some original ideas
+ the resource system is simple but sufficient
+ the campaign maps are quite good
+ the customization is good - advisors are a nice addition, difficulty can be fine-tuned to form a challenge as desired
Neutrals:
* the plot is simple and unobtrusive, has some passable (if dumb) humour, has some serious stuff, and does its part to justify the tasks; it brings very little to the game, though
* some buildings are borderline useless; on one hand, this reduces the number of needed choices, on the other, it reduces number of available strategies
* the alien artefacts are overpowered; once you get one and use it a few times with minimal thinking, you are effectively done; this is a neutral because they usually come pretty late
Cons:
- the game works oddly in different environments; on older Windows, it eats far too many resources (my GPU was loud like a helicopter all the time despite handling many more demanding games well); on newer Windows, it crashes after a few minutes, making enjoying the game difficult
- service coverage is not always very clear on the map - it is possible to accidentally leave a gap unless you build them with significant overlap
- finding a particular building on the map is somewhat tedious, especially if you build tight (which is somewhat necessary)
- the fact that the campaign maps are pretty good is a plus... because there are very few maps outside the campaign, which means very little variety
- the production and trade systems are a bit oddly designed: it is easy to overproduce something and clog your storehouses if you are not paying attention to that one particular building (and doing so is difficult if you have a big colony)

Reading other Steam reviews, I don't know what's going on in Windows land but over here in Linux the game is crash-free, solid as a rock! Maybe you should join us? WINK.

Unlike other city-builders that got bitten by the punish-the-player bug, Aven Colony is light-hearted, relaxing and fun. The simple, attractive graphics and easy build systems combine to weave a hypnotic little spell as you lovingly craft your little sci-fi colony from tender lander-acorn all the way to mighty, orbit-scraping oak.

It's a little repetitive but then what city-builder isn't? And this one's very charming and well worth your time spent with it. Four Optimus Thumbs Up!

I absolutely love this game, it's super fun and I think it's well executed. It reminds me vaguely of GoodGame Galaxy and Galaxy Life from my childhood. 10/10, would 100% recommend.

Fun casual game. Missing some visual QOL stuff almost all city builders have which ramps up the difficulty a little as you search for buildings and decide on placement.
Prone to the "death spiral of unhappiness".
People mad - no food
Build farms - more than enough
People so mad they are protesting and won't go to work
Crops stop growing because no one is tending them
More people protest because there is no food
People spend all their time protesting the absence of food while refusing to work at the farms that would grow the food
I wonder why games include this "death spiral of unhappiness" and why wouldn't fulfilling building the farms calm them down and why would they rather protest to death than grow food?
This is pretty kindergarten level AI programming stuff, but I see the same problem in most city builders.
It just seems lazy.
Overall though, I would say if you like casual city builders, you will enjoy it. I'm not sure for $30.

I’m genuinely surprised I hadn’t heard of Aven Colony sooner — it’s a beautifully crafted sci-fi city builder that deserves more attention than it seems to have received.

The graphics are gorgeous, with vibrant alien environments and excellent design work on buildings and UI elements. The interface took a little time to fully grasp, but once it clicks, it’s smooth and satisfying to use. What really impressed me is how fast the game loads — I can go from the main menu to playing my colony in just a couple of seconds. It’s refreshing in an era where loading screens seem to last forever.

The campaign on normal difficulty strikes a great balance: interesting and atmospheric without being overly punishing. It feels more about building something cool than constant survival stress, which I appreciate. Harder difficulties are there when you want a bit more of a challenge.

If you’re into strategy, city-builders, or just love the idea of managing a colony on a distant world, Aven Colony is absolutely worth a shot. A quiet classic — and one I’m glad I finally discovered.