And with that experience I can say that I personally love Dinkum. The voxel style really sticks out to me and it makes the landscape unique, easy to change, and realistic - in a cartoony way. The vibe here is really unique and I think Dinkum is a worthy inclusion in a genre that has seen a lot of entries in recent years. I played a lot of animal crossing when it came out, and recently started a new island, but I struggle with the daily nature of things and the progress tied to real time. Animal crossing becomes such that it feels like a chore that I need to do every day. Dinkum has a lot of the charm from animal crossing (minus the animals), and many similarities, but it fixes this issue entirely by not locking the game to real time. Progress is still slow, but if you have the time to work through the days, you can keep making progress the entire time you’re sitting down for a play session. Dinkum won’t penalize you for missing a day. While it does need to be played in roughly half an hour chunks to get the most out of every day, it is a bite size piece that I’ve been able to plan my gaming time around, and it works well. This game has a lot of characters, and it is always fun working towards that next villager moving in, or getting enough permit points for that new and exciting permit.

Its systems are all competent. Fishing is unique and fun. Bug catching is almost second nature. Metal detecting is new and interesting. It is nice to wander around the forests just looking for fruit to cook, and running away from the scary lizards or Emus. Hunting is challenging but rewarding. Shoveling works realistically (at least comparatively). Every little system here comes together as part of a greater whole.

It is also worth mentioning that there is multiplayer support in this game, a game that’s fun on it’s own can only be more fun with your friends. I didn’t try it out, but it’s worth noting that it is there.

As far as the farming/life sim genre goes, Dinkum is easily one of my favorites. I look forward to continuing to play days here and there, and for its eventual full release. That slow incremental progress day to day, and watching my community grow before my eyes is a truly rewarding experience. Dinkum has earned its niche in the genre.

And with that experience I can say that I personally love Dinkum. The voxel style really sticks out to me and it makes the landscape unique, easy to change, and realistic - in a cartoony way. The vibe here is really unique and I think Dinkum is a worthy inclusion in a genre that has seen a lot of entries in recent years. I played a lot of animal crossing when it came out, and recently started a new island, but I struggle with the daily nature of things and the progress tied to real time. Animal crossing becomes such that it feels like a chore that I need to do every day. Dinkum has a lot of the charm from animal crossing (minus the animals), and many similarities, but it fixes this issue entirely by not locking the game to real time. Progress is still slow, but if you have the time to work through the days, you can keep making progress the entire time you’re sitting down for a play session. Dinkum won’t penalize you for missing a day. While it does need to be played in roughly half an hour chunks to get the most out of every day, it is a bite size piece that I’ve been able to plan my gaming time around, and it works well. This game has a lot of characters, and it is always fun working towards that next villager moving in, or getting enough permit points for that new and exciting permit. Its systems are all competent. Fishing is unique and fun. Bug catching is almost second nature. Metal detecting is new and interesting. It is nice to wander around the forests just looking for fruit to cook, and running away from the scary lizards or Emus. Hunting is challenging but rewarding. Shoveling works realistically (at least comparatively). Every little system here comes together as part of a greater whole. It is also worth mentioning that there is multiplayer support in this game, a game that’s fun on it’s own can only be more fun with your friends. I didn’t try it out, but it’s worth noting that it is there. As far as the farming/life sim genre goes, Dinkum is easily one of my favorites. I look forward to continuing to play days here and there, and for its eventual full release. That slow incremental progress day to day, and watching my community grow before my eyes is a truly rewarding experience. Dinkum has earned its niche in the genre.