My Time at Portia

Things I really liked:
– The general atmosphere
– The crafting
– The quest system, especially the fact that you keep ‘upgrading’ the world around you
These two things are really important and they work. That's why I enjoyed it as much as I did. But:
Things that were just ‘okay’:
– The plot. It's not exactly riveting, but just interesting enough to keep you going.
– The characters. Most of them just didn't seem all that interesting, unfortunately.
– Item management (some aspects of it are not great, but for the most part it is convenient enough)
– Grinding (it never got /really/ bad)
– Some features (like playing rock/paper/scissors with characters) seem completely unmotivated and pointless.
– No Linux version is really annoying for a Unity game. Unity is cross-platform – it really shouldn't be any extra effort to make a Linux release.
– EDIT: Some people in the comments mentioned the voice acting. I don't care that much about it personally, so I didn't mention it. So, the voice acting is pretty decent, but some of it is simply missing. It only covers maybe about 80–90% of the dialogue for some reason.
Things I really did not like:
– The combat is boring, repetitive, and clunky. The bosses are the worst thing.
– The skill system stops making sense after the first third or so of the game
– Developing relationships with the characters is far too time-consuming and boring
– Emptiness. The world is fairly big, but it is almost completely empty. There is nothing to explore or discover apart from a few treasure chests containing mostly useless items.
🔵 Pros
+ Charming post-apocalyptic setting, portrayed in a way making it lighthearted and mysterious at the same time.
+ Immense quantity and variety of activities: dungeon raids, quests, base building, mining, commerce, lost technology recovery... and a lot more.
+ Great art direction, using colorful, cartoon-ish, but also very detailed graphics to portray the world and characters.
+ Decently written and quite interesting storyline and events unfolding.
+ A successful blend of Management, Sandbox and Open World Action RPG in equal parts, offering exciting gameplay.
+ Huge quantity of items to collect, craft, restore or win at events, with cosmetics or home furniture giving meaningful gameplay bonuses.
+ Well developed relationship system with NPCs, leading to different interactions and content.
🔴 Cons
- The game forces players to drop asleep at 3AM every in-game day, also teleporting them back at home when this happens. Very annoying while doing some activity.
- The sheer number of activities available can be overwhelming and disorienting for some players at first. Needs some getting used to.
>Anyone, young or old, can play this game! I am 74 and have played over 2000 hours here. I bought it for my 28 year old granddaughter and she loves it as I do. I bought it for my 75 year old husband and now he plays "with" me! Thank you so much for creating this wonderful game.
* 출시 후에도 꾸준히 패치, 업데이트를 함
* 호감도별 특전과 연애, 양다리, 결혼, 이혼, 재혼 가능
* 연애중인 (일부)npc가 자발적으로 먼저 프로포즈를 하기도 함
* 미션과 사건, 이벤트가 지루하지 않게 지속적으로 나옴
* 직접 만들어 설치한 것들로 마을이 발전되어 성취감이 있음
* 아이템 자동정리로 보관함에 알아서 기어들어감
* 새벽3시 강제 야외취침해도 패널티 없음
* 중반에 최저임금노예가 생겨 농장일과 요리가 편해짐
* 귀찮을 후반엔 매일 재료배달, 자동제작, 자동화 공장도 가능
* 탈것과 정류장을 갖추면 이동 편리함
* 전투 싫어하는 사람이라도 할 만한 정도, 사냥재료 의뢰 가능
* 의외의 자유도와 디테일이 있음
(제작, 연애, 하우징, 임신디버프, 자식유전자, 사건후 npc별 대화 등)
* 의외의 캐릭터와 스토리 떡밥이 있음
* 호불호 갈리는 캐릭터외형(보다보면 매력있음)
* 초반에 비해 중후반 이벤트 후 npc 특별대화가 적음
* 보물상자 보상이 대체로 하찮음
* 한국어 베타라 번역수준이 낮음
마춤뻡이 점 박쌀이 나이찌만 한그리 위데해 한구긴은 ㄷ 알아뭑을 수 있어 진햏상 무리업다.
(번역기만 돌렸다기엔 단어 자음모음 오타가 많고
신문사게시판은 프로번역이 된 걸로 보아
번역자가 초반에 때려치고 외쿡인이 옮겼거나 원한에 의해 일부러 박살낸 듯;)
* 새로 업데이트된 이벤트는 아직 미번역상태
>재밌긴한데 제작사가 약속을 안지키고 있다... 작년 안으로 한글 추가해준다고 해놓고ㅠ
>관개기가 야발 스프링클러 였구나 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
>남자들 제각각 희안하게 생김 연애하라는거여 말라는거여
>한글 해준다는 소문듣고 구매부터 했는데 0.5시간 플레이하고 잠궈놓고 있음..
// 한글화좀 해주셈 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Recommended with caveats. It's decently fun in the beginning, but less so as the game drags on. There's a reason only approximately 8% of players have completed the game.
Some of the issues I had:
- The game only saves when you sleep. You'll be used to it if you've played Stardew, but that doesn't mean it's good game design.
- You had better enjoy fishing minigames. The fishing minigame in Portia is better than most farm/life sims, but I know it's something many fans of the genre dislike. Fishing is, hands down, the fastest way to make money in this game. The second fastest is mining, which is just pressing the action button ad nausem while eating the occasional meal to replenish stamina. When it comes to making serious cash to upgrade your workshop, fishing is king in Portia with farming and manufacturing not even coming close.
- The longer the game drags on, the less frequent main story events occur. I could have easily beaten the game in the first year if some story events didn't take so long to trigger. This made late game feel like a slog to me.
- Marriage and children don't add anything interesting. There are achievements for each and that's honestly the only thing they're good for. Hiring a worker is better for your workshop than anything your spouse will contribute and children are a complete waste of time.
- Titanium bars would disappear if I placed them in factory storage. It was only titanium bars that had this issue. Nothing was using them and they weren't "hidden" in any way, which is an excuse you'll often see people making in online forums. It's a terrible bug that cost me hours of wasted time trying to figure out an automated work around before I decided to give up, keep them in my inventory, and manually craft the items that needed them for the final mission. It was the only part of the game I found truly frustrating.
Despite its flaws, My Time at Portia is an interesting take on the genre, with far more emphasis on building and manufacturing than other similar games. Just don't go into it expecting 3D SDV and you'll probably have a decent time.

This game looks cozy, but it really isn’t by default. My Time at Portia is an efficiency and progression game disguised as a life sim.

You can play it slow, chill, and make it cozy and farm, socialize, decorate, take your time but progression will be very slow, and you will miss out on a lot of advantages. The game heavily rewards planning, early tech unlocks, and good stamina management. If you don’t optimize at least a little, everything just takes longer.

You’ll always be grinding for materials and juggling stamina while chasing commissions and story deadlines. Progression unlocks new zones, machines, and systems, and you can visibly see the town change and grow as the story moves forward, which makes your work feel meaningful.

The characters are a big highlight. NPCs are charming, relationships matter, and befriending people gives real gameplay perks. The setting is post-apocalyptic, but handled with a light, hopeful tone that keeps things warm instead of grim.

If you enjoy efficiency-focused games like Factorio, Satisfactory, or Farming Simulator, this will probably click.
If you prefer slower, more traditional life sims like Harvest Moon-style games, you can play Portia that way, just expect slower progress and more friction.

Pros
-Satisfying efficiency & optimization gameplay
-Town visibly changes as you progress
-Charming characters & meaningful relationships
-Post-apocalyptic setting with a lighthearted tone
-Strong sense of long-term progression

Cons
-Very grindy
-Constant deadline pressure
-Stamina limits can feel restrictive early
-Cozy playstyle is possible, but heavily inefficient

TLDR
You can chill but Portia really wants you to optimize. Great if you like planning and progression, less so if you want pure relaxation.

I came to Portia after completing Sandrock. I also completed Portia. I do like Portia but I LOVE Sandrock.
Both games share the same core gameplay, which I found enjoyable. Portia is just a bit more grindy, requiring a lot more attention from the player early game. I found myself enjoying the extra challange but I can see players getting overwhelmed and frustrated with the lack of QOL we had in Sandrock. QOL improvements do appear later once you max your equipment. Once you get the factory the game becomes a walk in the park.
IMO the biggest gap between both games is that Sandrock had an engaging story from start to finish, charismatic characters and LOL moments throughout the game. Portia has some interesting moments but the story only picks up in Act 3. NPCs are "okay, just okay". Humor is sprinkled here and there, few and far between so the dialogue came off very bland.
That said, I found the mines and fishing more enjoyable compared to Sandrock.
I'd suggest buy this game on sale if you want to enjoy more of the builder gameplay. Otherwise I'd just go straight to Sandrock of you want more story.

so in case you are on the fence for this game and you might be thinking its just another boring builder game....
it is another builder game but i think it does what a lot of them fail to do, they simulate being part of an awesome community with characters you both love and hate and get annoyed by.
if you let your self get immersed in it and don't just think of it as yet another game you will have a lot of fun laughing and maybe even crying if you are a baby like me!
anyways totally recommend it as it also has a well thought out story that doesn't feel like its an after thought, even if it is kinda cliche i still felt invested thanks to the characters.

SHORT

A pretty decent farming (crafting) simulator. The game is quite grindy and has some sound bugs - that can be forgiven. The setting, plot, and soundtrack, might be worth it. It will take you about 150 hours to finish the game and get all the achievements.

LONG

My Time at Portia is a farming simulator with an emphasis on crafting. The 3D gameplay is surprisingly good, especially when it comes to exploring the map, managing the workshop, and interacting with the environment in general. However, the learning curve is a bit steep, and this, coupled with the complexity of crafting, can be a bit daunting for some people during the first hours.

The combat is mediocre, nothing special, a bit of a hack-and-slash mixed with souslike - it feels good when you land a critical hit, but the enemies, dungeons, and bosses are quite boring and repetitive. The AI ​​pathing is pathetic (enemies have trouble climbing steps and ramps).

Although the graphics aren't very impressive, the map is very pretty and the setting is great. The town of Portia is super charming and has a unique style. However, some regions of the map feel empty and lifeless, with huge areas without any kind of interaction.

The plot is cool - nothing spectacular, and the individual stories of the NPCs are also nice (some even funny), you'll be able to have a few laughs and create some connections with at least some of them.

The part that impressed me the most, both positively and negatively, was the sound. The exploration soundtracks are very good and provide a great ambiance. The voice acting is also surprisingly good. Now, the entire sound design part is terrible, the combat soundtracks are boring, repetitive and trigger at random moments, most of the bosses have no sounds - this also happens with some dialogues and cutscenes.

Do I recommend it? Totally! Considering the sound bugs, I wouldn't pay full price, but this game is often 80% off. It will take you about 150 hours to complete the game and get all the achievements.

I LOVE this game.
While this is supposed to be a "play at your own pace" kind of game... It's not. You only get so many hours (minutes) each day, and even when you adjust game speed, you still have to plan ahead by days or even weeks, in order not to miss anything. Each day seems like a rush to get things done until near the end of the game. You also can't just save. Your game only saves at the end of each day, so make a mistake at the end of the day and need to start over, and you start the entire day over.
The characters are really amazing, and I have played it through several times. My first play through I picked Ginger as a wife sort of at random. Then I learned her back story, and she was so relatable, I never went with another romantic partner in any other play through. Small spoilers here, so skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to know. Ginger is sick, and can't be in the light very much. There is an event each year where gifts are dropped from a balloon and everyone tries to grab them. Even though I had max reputation with Ginger, I realized that she could not participate. So I got her gifts. That is how much I liked the character. I felt bad for her, and wanted to make this make believe person happy. That is because her story is done so well.
Other characters are going to appeal to different people. I think there is probably someone for everyone, and their stories are fantastic.
People complain about the fighting mechanics, but I never had an issue with it.
I like to build things, and build up a base without having to fight things off in some sort of war, so this was great, as you start with a tiny plot of land and grow it to be huge and filled with things. However, you are in competition with another builder, so there is a drive to do it better faster, without fear of losing what you have built.
Overall I love this game, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys this kind of game.