I played a bit, but the level of jank that I saw just wasn't worth pushing through. It's workable, but I personally can't enjoy the game with how everything currently works. The start of the game felt tedious already, what with the grabbing of pieces one-by-one. I can't even imagine the tedium of building an automation system when you have to slowly purchase and haul over part-by-part. I might have pushed through the beginning to get to some of the more interesting parts of the game, but my shovel disappeared after half an hour of figuring things out. It was a sign to stop.

If I thought this game would eventually change enough that I'd enjoy it, I think I would have kept the game instead of refunding it. But seeing as the dev has stated this is v1.0, I don't foresee the major reworking of the game's systems that would bring the game to a state I could play it in. Glad that the dev is planning more content, but all the content in the world won't fix the basic gameplay for me.

For $10 it's not a bad purchase, I can definitely see the interesting parts of the game, but not one I personally can recommend. I'd suggest that you try it yourself and see if you can deal with the jank if the game interests you.

Since the dev has actually gone and gave the game a whole new version, I thought I'd come back and check out Hydroneer again. It's less janky then before. I did still somehow accidentally drop a pipe under the earth and never get it back again, but it doesn't feel as horrible as it did before. Unfortunately, still can't recommend the game. A lot of things in the game still feel awkward, and playing it isn't quite satisfying enough. Maybe by the time Hydroneer is further along in development, I'll change my mind, as the dev seems to be continuing development which is a good sign.

[h1]Original Review at v1.0[/h1] I played a bit, but the level of jank that I saw just wasn't worth pushing through. It's workable, but I personally can't enjoy the game with how everything currently works. The start of the game felt tedious already, what with the grabbing of pieces one-by-one. I can't even imagine the tedium of building an automation system when you have to slowly purchase and haul over part-by-part. I might have pushed through the beginning to get to some of the more interesting parts of the game, but my shovel disappeared after half an hour of figuring things out. It was a sign to stop. If I thought this game would eventually change enough that I'd enjoy it, I think I would have kept the game instead of refunding it. But seeing as the dev has stated this is v1.0, I don't foresee the major reworking of the game's systems that would bring the game to a state I could play it in. Glad that the dev is planning more content, but all the content in the world won't fix the basic gameplay for me. For $10 it's not a bad purchase, I can definitely see the interesting parts of the game, but not one I personally can recommend. I'd suggest that you try it yourself and see if you can deal with the jank if the game interests you. [h1]v2.0 Update[/h1] Since the dev has actually gone and gave the game a whole new version, I thought I'd come back and check out Hydroneer again. It's less janky then before. I did still somehow accidentally drop a pipe under the earth and never get it back again, but it doesn't feel as horrible as it did before. Unfortunately, still can't recommend the game. A lot of things in the game still feel awkward, and playing it isn't quite satisfying enough. Maybe by the time Hydroneer is further along in development, I'll change my mind, as the dev seems to be continuing development which is a good sign.