Sandustry is the first factory simulation game I've played that gets heaps right
Before we talk about Sandustry , the excellent new spelunking factory builder from Lantto Games and Hooded Horse, we need to revisit that most quintessentially vidyagame of topics, the post-industrial countryside of Wales. Early on in my recent 105-mile "review" of the MSI Cyborg 14 laptop , I walked through the old slate quarries near the village of Aberllefenni – the longest continually…
Sandustry is an innovative factory simulation game that successfully captures the essence of industrial waste and its effects. Set on a planet filled with buried ruins, players take on the role of an alien prospector tasked with turning sand into gold. The game features a unique approach to factory building, as the player constructs networks of conveyors and elevators to transport sand through automated sifting trays, separating gold from the sandy residue.
The pixelated materials break down into individual components with distinct physics, creating a visually striking depiction of industrial waste and its dynamic nature.
As players delve deeper into the game, they encounter boss monsters and face challenges related to resource management, bottlenecks, and construction errors. The game's design allows players to analyze the heaps of waste they create, gaining insights into the forces that shaped them and the mechanisms by which materials moved through them. This immersive experience of industrial waste creates a sense of eeriness and dread, mixed with the usual emotions experienced when playing factory games.
The game's aesthetics and atmosphere evoke post-industrial landscapes, such as the massive spoil piles found near Aberllefenni, Wales. It showcases the physicality and grandeur of industrial waste, making it more engaging than traditional factory simulation games that often focus on clinical organization and intangible pollution gauges.
Sandustry's representation of waste is both visually captivating and grounded in reality, as the game continually repurposes scrap materials into useful resources, such as seed and additional gold.
The game's early access build allows players to unlock new types of machines by gathering gold, and the progression system encourages players to revisit their heaps of waste, fine-tuning their factory layouts to optimize efficiency. With its immersive experience of industrial waste and its blend of challenge and exploration, Sandustry sets itself apart as the first factory simulation game to truly capture the essence of industrial landscapes and the haunting beauty of waste.
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