Omega Crafter

"AI Programming Simulator 2024"
It's Palworld without the Pokemon Gameplay. Mediocre gameplay and combat, but city-building and micromanagement of your bots are fun. Game feels cozy yet lacking, but its pretty much what you would expect in an early access game.

Feels like Craftopia had a baby with Palworld and Valheim.
It's cute, it's interesting, kinda similar, but also different.
The game has potential to be something pretty awesome.
Devs, don't let me down, I believe in you!

TLDR version: Valheim and Autonauts had a wild night together and this is what came of it.
The main gameplay loop is lifted straight from Valheim. Start in a nice pastoral setting, summon the first boss when you feel ready. Defeating the boss unlocks new materials and structures to play with. Go to a slightly spookier biome, find the next tier of materials and mobs, make the next tier of tools and armor, summon the second boss when ready, rinse and repeat. It's a formula that works and let's the player move at the pace they are comfortable with. Plus you have a programmable grammi buddy who adventures alongside of you.
The secondary loop is the city building. You can found a city and then summon grammis to work in it as helpers (slaves, they never stop working). They come with a few basic scripts, which I appreciate because it removes the tedium of either writing the same basic script over and over again, or trying to copy and paste it between grammis. For example, there is a Craft from one resource script. All it requires is for you to click on the workstation, the box that's the source of materials, and the box that the finished product goes in. All on one screen, then press play, and off your grammi goes. You can also make your own custom scripts if you want to, haven't played around with that much, yet.
The one area that disappointed me is the exploration. The map is procedurally generated and feels like it. The starting biome is pretty, but that's about all I can say for it. When you explore it, there is nothing memorable and very little to find. There are mushrooms and berries to pick. You can find a chest in a rowboat (that is often far from any water), a chest in a cart, or a chest under a roofed frame. All three chests contain the same exact items. The only thing to find other than an occasional wolf, boar, or deer, are these black watchtowers that you can climb up. As you near the top, a stone in the center of the single room at the top spawns some wolves and animated mushrooms to attack you. You kill them, destroy the stone (or it keeps spawning more critters, guess you could stay and farm them if you want), loot the chest (again little to no variety in loot), and leave. That's it for the starting area. It's very easy to lose your bearings when everything looks the same. Luckily, you can bring up a map that will show you what direction your home city is in. You can also place markers on the map and after killing the first boss create portals to teleport back to your city.
I've gotten to the point where I am about to found a new city in the second biome. It's visually distinct from the starting area and seems to have a bigger variety of things to fight, so I'm hoping that the exploration aspect of the game improves as I move along. If not, the game is in Early Access, so hopefully that's something the devs work on.

A wonderful game that can also serve as an educational tool for elementary-level programming. Has potential to be so much more than it already is, and I hope other codes are introduced to further customize each robot assistant.
If workshop mods are introduced, then the possibilities are potentially endless.

I've been playing exclusively on Steam Deck and I'm loving this game. Many reviews are comparing it to Valheim but I have over 300 hours in Valheim and Omega Crafter's only real similarities are the biomes increase in difficulty the farther you get from the starting area and they're both 3D open world survival games. Every game with biomes has increased difficulty the farther you travel from the starting biome, especially open world survival craft games so you might as well compare it to Don't Starve, Outward, Terraria, Subnautica, Core Keeper, or any of the other 100s of games that do this. But I wouldn't because Omega Crafter is its own game with its own charm.
What I enjoy:
- The grind feels just about right. It's grindy enough that you can't rush the game but not so grindy that it feels tedious.
- The combat is decent. It's better with a controller but a bit cumbersome with mouse and keyboard.
- It's pretty cozy for the genre. No starvation bar or thirst meter, no wannabe "souls-like" combat that reduces combat to a rhythm game, and enemies can't destroy your structures and negate all of your hard work. I love it because there are other games in my library if I want those mechanics and a more cozy survival game is what I was looking for.
- The automation using robots is a fun take on the genre and they work amazingly well if you don't clutter their pathways.
- Unlocking portals makes travelling much simpler.
- It's a very pretty game and I love the look of the biomes.
Things that could be improved:
- I built a house but you can't set your bed as your respawn point or sleep there. Your respawn point is the campfire that you can build right from the start of the game. It's also where you sleep. It's a minor gripe but it's a bit immersion breaking. I would prefer respawn and sleeping points to include cots and increasingly elaborate beds so I have a reason to build a house or multiple houses.
- There are currently no NPCs and some items become pretty useless as you progress. Sure, you unlock a machine that allows you to destroy unneeded items but NPC shopkeepers that buy and sell items would add another layer of immersion.
- This is entirely a "me problem" and an extremely minor inconvenience, since Omega Crafter is in early access and not Deck verified, but something I'm hoping gets fixed eventually. The controller doesn't work for the radial menu when my Deck is docked, which is how I prefer to play so I've been using a USB mouse and keyboard. It's definitely not a deal breaker for me and something I wouldn't give a negative review over even if the game were verified. But I thought it was worth mentioning.
So that's how I feel about the current state of Omega Crafter. I'm enjoying the game for what it is and having fun playing. I think the only way the devs can screw this up is by trying to please the try hards who want "Valheim with robots". I hope those people go play something else and let Omega Crafter be its own wonderful thing that it's shaping up to be.

TLDR: Omega Crafter is a charming early access game that trades typical gaming intensity for creativity and camaraderie. With a focus on building, exploring, and automating tasks with a sidekick named "Grammi," it's a cozy, communal experience that feels like hanging out on your favorite couch spot. It’s especially fun with friends, making it a refreshing change from the usual competitive games.
Wow, Omega Crafter! Just when I thought games were all about who's the quickest or the strongest, along comes this gem that flips the script. I’ve only clocked a bit over an hour on this early access title, and I'm already hooked. It’s like finding that cozy spot on your couch that feels just right.
So, what’s the big deal? Omega Crafter throws you into this quirky world that's kinda under attack, but not in the way you’d expect. It's all about building, exploring, and, best of all, hanging out with your "Grammi" - think of it as your sidekick who’s down for whatever crazy plan you’ve got in your head. And yes, you can program them to do almost anything. Want a dance partner? Done. Need help chopping down trees? They’ve got you.
Playing this game feels different. I mean, I love a good competitive match as much as the next person, but Omega Crafter? It’s like coming home after a long day. It’s chill, it makes you think, and it's a blast, especially when you rope in some friends to join the madness. You’re not just playing; you’re creating, laughing, and sometimes just watching in awe as your little programmed buddies do their thing.
Building your own city is as cool as it sounds. You find all sorts of materials and then get creative. And with the Grammi’s help, you can automate stuff, which feels like you’re managing your own little world. And the best part? You can bring your friends along for the ride. Whether you’re teaming up to take down a tough monster or just hanging out and building together, it’s a whole lot of fun to share the experience.
Long story short, Omega Crafter is a gem. It’s not just about surviving; it’s about creating, exploring, and having a good time with friends. It makes you feel good, like you’ve actually accomplished something fun and worthwhile. If you’re looking for a game that’s a break from the usual, definitely give this one a try. You might just get hooked like I did.

Despite only diving into it for a short time (thanks, real life!), I've gotta say, this game is a gem, especially for newbies like me. I didn't feel overwhelmed or lost at any point, which is a huge plus for someone who can't dedicate endless hours to gaming. The game walks you through its mechanics in a way that's easy to grasp but not patronizing.
Can't wait to play more during the weekends.