Crashlands

It's a bird, no it's a plane! Heck no, it's Crashlands landing right into the palm of your hand!

Crashlands is a charming cartoony story-driven RPG. The Adventure mode is a near flawless balance of story, exploration, combat, and crafting, but if you have a preferred playstyle or want to try something different after you’ve beaten the game, there are three other modes to choose from. With its convenient gameplay mechanics and detailed design, time easily flies while playing this enjoyable game.

In the distant future, your delivery ship is destroyed by a giant floating head and you crash on the uncharted and hostile alien planet of Woanope. Befriend the locals, craft your equipment, save the planet, and most importantly, get your packages delivered on time! A romp through a completely original planet that lives up to most of its ambitions, though not all.

The loop of crafting new gear, finding new locations, and crafting slightly new gear gets tiresome eventually, but the story and exploration is just enough to keep you going to see this quest to its end. A sequel is supposedly coming from Butterscotch Shenanigans in the near future, and for now I'm happy to revisit the 2016 game on the Switch, because it reminds me just how good an original take on the survival genre can be.

We’ve seen no shortage of crafting-focused survival games in recent years, in which a plucky hero must use his or her wits to build a shelter, hone tools, and venture into an unfriendly world. Crashlands follows suit, but through the implementation of RPG storytelling, smart combat, and a rewarding progression system, it carves its own niche.

No summary available

Crashlands' cartoon sci-fi world offers a fun-loving cross between Minecraft, Toejam & Earl and Don’t Starve with its ‘RPG-lite’ mix of crafting, questing and combat. It’s incredibly easy to pick up and play thanks to the streamlined design of its inventory and the automation of accessing tools and weapons, and while its grind for new armour can get a little repetitive after a while, there are some cute little mechanics to unearth, such as the power to incubate eggs and nurture your own pets. While it’s never going to hold a candle to the RPG chops of Diablo III: Eternal Collection, it still o...

Crashlands smooths the desperate edge off of open world survival crafting, and turns it into a laid-back experience that works best in short, pick-up-and-play sessions. That said I personally found the game's persistent random humor to be pretty irritating.

Crashlands may not be as in-depth as some players may want, but the game is an entertaining action RPG romp that uses crafting mechanics without becoming tiresome. What’s more, the game is a laugh riot, and the wonderful tone of the title easily makes up for any technical shortcomings. With an intelligent approach to keeping mobile and PC gaming together, Crashlands is a great addition to the crafting fan’s Steam library.