Oddsparks Early Access Review – Pikmin Meets Factorio

We checked out Oddsparks Early Access for this review. Learn if this cute, fantastical industrialization adventure is for you or not.

Isn’t it weird how many Factorio-likes are out here? Not that I’m complaining but I’m starting to notice that more and more developers are making games for me and me particularly. I love titles that have me puzzling out complex production lines and managing throughput to the max.

So there is Oddsparks which aims to shake things up by having you command an army of little goobers on top of the usual ceasing the means of production bit. But does it work out or does it end up just being another gimmick? Here are some thoughts on Oddsparks.

**Early Access Copy was Provided by the Publisher**

Oddsparks Early Access Review
If you start in Oddsparks its many influences become apparent. The game seems like a strange mix of Zelda, Stardew Valley, Pikmin, and Factorio. These are some mighty namedrops but the Oddsparks managed to balance its influences and cook up its own, unique cocktail should be praised.

You play as a young person bored out of their mind in their village until some very convenient coincidences have you come into contact with the sparks. Sparks are… let’s call them little spirits who will obey your commands and help you on your journey to.. uh.. yeah!

You just do tasks around your community and slowly advance up a tech tree that has you build more elaborate machinery with every single step. This isn’t a knock on it though, usually, the genre is pretty hands-off with how you progress so having context and a cast of characters along for the ride is a step up.

Image: Massive Miniteam
I just hope that during the game’s early access period, these characters and their presentation get injected with a little more personality. And bouncing back and forth between the village and the outskirts where you spend most of your time is often just busy work despite there being fast travel options.

We should get into the gameplay loop. Your usual Oddsparks task will ask you to farm up a new resource in massive quantities to unlock a new facility or item that’ll help you with the next one. And while you’re usually juggling 4-8 tasks at a time, they are clearly meant to be done in a specific order.

This is why I wonder if there wasn’t a way to have you only take on and fulfill remotely and return to the village once in a while. Or maybe just eliminate the hassle of moving back and forth all the time.

To fulfill these tasks, you make use of Sparks which are funny little creatures you make out of the materials you find in the wild. They are little minions that will do your bidding after you literally throw them at whatever task you need to get done.

Image: Massive Miniteam
Need a tree chopped? Throw a Spark. Need that wood transported and processed? Lay down some road and send those Sparks their way. Need to lay down some beast? Same thing. You have your basic Sparks and more special ones for production, transportation, or combat!

It’s very simple at first but as soon as you get to automating every single bit of your operation, you start to appreciate the nuances.

If I were to complain about Oddsparks, those complaints would mostly be levied at the fact that it doesn’t do much to set itself apart from its contemporaries. Aesthetics and the minions aside, as of writing everything is still pretty basic, very linear, and doesn’t offer any options that would entice a replay.

That doesn’t mean it’s bad though, quite the opposite actually. If you’re looking for a cozy adventure game that has you automate and optimize supply lines, you can’t go wrong with this one. And I see a lot of value in this being a multiplayer game that you can enjoy with the younger gamers in your life over something like Factorio.

Image: Massive Miniteam
Oddsparks Early Access Review – Promising, But We Need Sparks
As of the start of its Early Access, Oddsparks is a fantastic little title for anyone who wants a more laid-back and fantastic approach to the Factorio-like. Its aesthetics and vibes are incredibly charming and for what it is now, you can’t really complain except for the lack of meat on its very sturdy bones.

Developer Massive Miniteam promises to add more content to its slim but slick offering and makes a strong statement that Oddsparks’ early access is just the beginning of something truly special. And I’m looking forward to what heights this title can soar at the end of its Early Access run.

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