I went into Final Factory without having played any automation games previously. So, when I got the opportunity to review it, I was overwhelmed and confused. The tutorial alone took me around 2 hours to finish!
Final Factory is a space-based automation game where you can explore the galaxy, mine for different resources, build and craft different stations, and protect yourself by fighting enemies.
There Is Just Too Much Happening
In Final Factory, you play as a spaceship roaming the galaxy, and at first glance, the UI on the screen felt like a lot of details all at once. At the tutorial stage, the game gives you single main objectives which can be followed decently. Under each objective, there is also an option to view a video just in case the player finds it hard to follow, which was incredibly helpful to me. However, the only problem was the font size of the words being too small, and I wish the developers add an accessibility option to have a bigger font size.
My problem started when the game began to add new elements even before I could understand a mechanic previously introduced. This kept happening during the tutorial stage, which slowed me down and I ended up spending almost two hours feeling cranky, confused, and overwhelmed.
Once I successfully completed the tutorial, the game started giving me multiple objectives but also the freedom to explore and set up stations. Completing objectives or defeating enemies gave me “Research Points.” These points can be used to unlock different technologies, which will help build bigger and more ambitious stations
I played around with certain mechanics, completed objectives, and tried building stations in different areas of the map. I didn’t want to stop playing hoping that there would be a turning point where I would start to enjoy it, so I kept waiting. Unfortunately, that never happened. After some time, it got repetitive and less engaging, and I lost interest in continuing my playthrough.
Now, automation games are known to be tedious and grindy, and I’ve heard it’s not for everyone. Acquired taste perhaps? But despite feeling disappointed, I did end up liking some things about the game.
Fun Space Combat
Being in space means lots of enemies who would randomly show up to destroy what I built. During my playthrough, I came across two space battles which were easy to get through. To protect your spaceship, it is important to build battle bots who will do the fighting for you. And of course, building the battle bots requires certain resources which can be found during exploration.
The battle bots don’t do a whole lot of damage, so a feature called Frenzy that unlocks early in the game allows the bots to take down enemies quicker. With the help of Frenzy, the combat I encountered wasn’t overly challenging, but I do think the battles get harder as you progress in the game.
Space battles have always been something I enjoyed, so I wasn’t surprised that I liked taking down enemies more than building in Final Factory. The combat system felt more simplified but, at the same time, unique and satisfying, which made me go seek out enemies and explore further within the map.
Detailed Crafting And Building
The one thing that impressed me the most about Final Factory is the detail the developers put into the crafting and building aspects. As someone entirely new to this genre of video games, it felt very realistic.
Sure, most of the things went above my head while trying to make sense of how the gameplay works. But it also made me realize how much care was put into creating such a game while keeping in mind how the logistics work behind building a working space station.
While the building in Final Factory was very complex, it also felt that every small decision mattered and that I was fully in control. So, when I built my first station by the end of the tutorial section, I got a sense of pride and satisfaction from all that hard work.
Exploring and mining for ores to gather resources was one of the parts I enjoyed besides combat. There was something very relaxing about just mindlessly flying in space and collecting space rocks. These resources will help you in crafting items important for building stations, bots, or certain technologies. Crafting didn’t feel anything extraordinary unlike building, but that’s not a bad thing. In fact, crafting items often took time depending on how complex the item was.
Impressive But Yet…
Overall, Final Factory felt exhaustive in general. Since this was my very first automation game, I don’t think it is for me. It is a game I wish I could’ve enjoyed because it seems like something you can put endless hours into and still not be bored. Though I didn’t find this game to be engaging enough, the developers have done a good job overall.
Out on early access currently, the game feels promising especially with many upcoming updates. If you are someone who lives and breathes automation games, I think this could be a winner in your books.
Final Factory
Final Factory seems like something you can put endless hours into and still not be bored.
The Good
- Fun space combat
- Relaxing exploration
- Impressive and realistic attention to details
The Bad
- Repetitive after few hours
- Overwhelming tutorial
- Not engaging enough
