Life simulation games have carved out a nice niche in the industry. Titles such as Stardew Valley, the Story of Seasons franchise, and Animal Crossing prove the genre can be both critically and commercially successful. The Australian-inspired Dinkum could be the next game to join that list. We recently received a quick hands-on preview and left impressed.
The story takes place in a wilderness similar to the outback where you start off with a tent and a dream. Try to survive in this environment gathering food and resources to help craft tools and furniture. Visitors arrive selling helpful items, and if you form a big enough bond with them, they might make their stay permanent resulting in a possible thriving village.
The graphics of Dinkum aren’t anything special. They possess similar adorable visuals expected from the genre. The controls are easy to manage and navigate, even using a keyboard and mouse. In particular, the mouse makes it simple to change camera angles and to collect the different items lying around, even humorously some jackaroo poo.
Speaking of, early on the focus is on gathering and selling resources to earn money and complete objectives to gain permit points. The permit points are used to purchase licenses that unlock skills. The objectives provide structure and linearity, which can be nice when lost or unsure of what to do next. Expect a small grind, but as more abilities are gained and more products become available, the higher the customization and avenues to pursue. The fun factor increases drastically as time progresses.
Because the Dinkum setting is inspired by the Australian bush, there are numerous dangerous critters out there. Their presence adds a little stakes, action, and urgency so it’s not all crafting and gathering. They have varying difficulty levels to take down, but when defeated, they too can drop something useful.
Unfortunately, the brief preview didn’t allow a full experience. We were unable to deeply explore the town building aspect, especially developing relationships with the other residents. Nor did we use the multiplayer option. For a community game, the ability to play with friends is a huge draw. Whether it’s exploring as a party to maximize the resources gathered, tackling the peskier animals together, or seeing the creativity of other islands, it would have been nice to test the feature out.
Despite our incomplete experience of the game, Dinkum has plenty of positive traits. The game has easy-to-grasp gameplay along with a wide variety of options for activities and products for a life simulation. Its Australian charm and subtle action aspects help separate it from the pack, and the multiplayer mode has high potential.
Dinkum is available now via Steam.
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