Omega Crafter

I’m always down to try the next cozy farm sim or open-world crafter that lands in front of me. Hell, sometimes I seek them out. I say it all the time, but there is just something about that style of game that reminds me of a simpler time in my life. I also love to see what each new title brings to the genre, hoping that the next developer might have created something that should become a staple in the cozy genre moving forward. The results are typically hit or miss. But Omega Crafter might have that special something I would love to see pop up in future titles of the genre.

It’s the Grammi. He’s a programable sidekick that follows you around. Does he look a lot like Eve from the Pixar Wall-E film? Yes, thank god that the developer didn’t decide to draw inspiration from a Nintendo franchise, or they might have had a real issue on their hands. Take away the glaring similarities and you are still left with a really cool robot that follows your commands. You can have your Grammi cut down trees, pick up stones, or do any number of other chores. This helps to speed up the process of gathering, Omega Crafter’s biggest gameplay element. Early on, you only have a few commands you can send to your Grammi, but as you progress, that will change. Eventually, you can have a few “home” Grammis. These robots will stay in your town and do what you ask of them. I typically had one making arrows for me non-stop.

When I first started programming, my Grammi looked intimidating. There were a lot of orange and blue boxes, lots of choices, a text box that takes of most of the screen; sometimes a map popped up on top of everything else, in the middle of programming screen—all kinds of moving parts. The key was taking my time in learning, following the written tutorial box on the screen, and re-reading the information that was confusing. It didn’t take long - once you get going, half of the information isn’t needed half of the time I’m programing anyway. Having multiple Grammis makes a big difference when playing by yourself.

The further into Omega Crafter you get, the more perks you unlock. I felt like the progression rewards, in the beginning, at least, were handled the right way. I felt like after two or three gathering outings, I had enough material to upgrade a few items. You craft everything in Omega Crafter. Those require resources. Early on it is a lot of wood and stone. I found it interesting that even though you are gathering just wood, it can be turned into a lot of other items that are needed for crafting. If you want to make arrows, it obviously takes wood. With the arrows you just take your wood to the machine, choose an arrow, and make it. Same with a bow. You can also take that same wood and make bark or planks. Those are both crafting materials needed for other items down the road. Smelting items becomes a crafting source further into the game.

But there is a lot of gathering. Omega Crafter primarily feels like a resource-gathering game, at least in the early stages. Your initial goal when you begin is to take on the big bad enemy treant that is located a short distance from your base. You can’t just walk there and take him on. You need weapons, armor, probably a few points in your talent tree. You gather the resources to make those items, and along the way you build up your town. Once I felt strong enough to take him on I searched out his area. Turns out you need to search out a few more areas to gather the items needed to spawn him in and then take him on. Most of my time playing was spent building towards this event. After all was said and done I had managed to spend about six hours before I was able to finally take down the evil treant.

While out gathering, I discovered there is a whole world to explore. Omega Crafter might have limits on its world, but I didn’t notice them in my time with the title. You can pick a direction and walk that way. There are six different biomes to experience; something that feels as though it will be much more important as you progress throught the game proper. You don’t have to venture far to run into something. Enemies are plentiful, but don’t feel overpopulated. If you dont see one after a few minutes of exploring then you will probably run into a chest filled with a couple of useful items. I never found anything game breaking, or life changing in one of the chest, but still opened every one of them I came into contact with. I even stumbled upon one of the buildings I didn’t know I would need to explore later in the game for an item.

I feel like I have touched the surface of what Omega Crafter can become. I love the idea of the Grammi robots. I found the combat to be more enjoyable than a simple hack-and-slash style, putting a lot of emphasis on jumping.  Right now I have a small area that is my town, but I can imagine it becoming a massive castle or city full of Grammis doing my bidding. I know Omega Crafter is multiplayer. I would love to be able to get a friend or two together and spend a few hours playing. I think the multiplayer aspect of Omega Crafter is really where the fun will be. For now Omega Crafter held my interest the entire time. I can easily see myself spending a lazy Sunday playing around in my world.

Omega Crafter is currently available in Early Access on Steam, where it has a Very Positive rating. It retails for $24.99, and is currently on sale for 10% off.