Craftopia is the weird journey I needed right now

I live for weird experiences. Be they television shows, movies, books, food, and of course, video games. When it was announced for Xbox Game Pass, I had never heard of Craftopia before and didn’t know much about it. Based on the name alone though, I figured it was some sort of survival or sandbox type game, but nothing could have prepared me for what was in store for me. 

For those not familiar, Craftopia is in fact an open world sandbox adventure with little direction given to the player. You’re given a bunch of different challenges you can complete to earn rewards that help you learn how to do many of the things that Craftopia has to offer, but what you do or don’t do is still very much up to you. Personally, I began my adventure by building a basic structure out of wood and began hunting resources to construct different kinds of workbenches. Then I started on working to progress myself through the ‘Ages’. As your build new items, and find more resources, you can choose to advance to the next ‘Age’ which unlocks a bunch of new items, weapons, and tools for you to craft. Comparisons to Animal Crossing in this regard wouldn’t be far off the mark. You have an arbitrary goal you must reach to advance which involves unlocking new items and tools for you to craft. The only difference is that instead of paying off a large debt to a grumpy Tanooki, you’re offering materials to a pillar as a sacrifice. 

This all sounds fairly basic and likely comes off a bit like Minecraft, but one thing that Craftopia most definitely embodies, is weirdness. For example, you’re able to capture wild animals such as bears, cows, alligators, etc. in these Poke-ball like mechanisms. Then you can turn them into your pets by equipping a cowbell item, or put them into these bizarre contraptions to generate new resources for you. Never in a thousand years did I download Craftopia and expect to put an alligator into a hamster wheel! 

But the strangeness doesn’t stop with how the wildlife functions in the game either. The number of contraptions that exist create unlimited potential for crazy building strategies. Conveyor belt systems allow you to transport materials straight to your storage areas, or you opt to create robots that will deforest your island in no time – and you can have a fleet of tiny robots collect all the wood for you. You’re able to manufacture an elaborate cannon system for traversing the island, or use the same method of transport to move items from one place to another. Some of these machines are equally outlandish; you’re able to fashion a furniture crafting station manned by tiny fairies and a wine-maker that creates bioethanol by ageing some wheat. 

Craftopia is also host to some Dungeons. Each Dungeon is chock-full of enemies and a boss that awaits you at the end of it. The rewards you can earn are makes this section of the game worth diving into, and as long as you’re leveled correctly, you shouldn’t face any issues clearing them. They do however allow you to test out the combat system and push the limits of the game in terms of how creative you can be. There are many different weapon types, but starting out you’ll mostly be using swords. Which is all well and good until you unlock the two-handed skill that lets you turn ten-foot-long swords into your personal playthings. You’ll be smacking enemies all the way across your island with these babies, as the physics in the game allow for quite the home run derby. Your spells are also fairly strange – they allow you to summon great tools such as a… campfire… at will. That may sound a bit boring, but the campfire will allow you to launch yourself into the sky using your glider, allowing you to traverse quickly, or finish off your foes with aerial combos.  

There’s also a system of islands that are randomly generated that are open for you to visit. They often offer different environments, wildlife, and resources. You’ll want to be cautious as these islands vary in difficulty so it’s best to be prepared before setting off. You can build bases at any Island and travel freely between them (unless of course, you choose to wipe it off the map). I highly recommend venturing up to visit the one and only Anubis on any island you settle on semi-permanently. The God is there to help you unlock permanent upgrades after you complete so many Dungeons. 

I’m sure many people will be turned off Craftopia for many of the same reasons I just listed. It’s so strange; nothing makes sense; it’s directionless. For me, that’s what makes it such a liberating experience. I’ve never played a sandbox game before that so purely said “you can do anything you can think of” and actually meant it as much as Crafropia does. Now, I’m creating an entire skating rink for my hoverboard so I can relive my adventures in Jak II and Jak III while figuring out the best way to create an audience of alligators to watch as I pull off my sick tricks. 

Craftopia is made significantly better by how uncanny it is. Without all of the bonkers mechanics, it would be just as stale as most sandbox games can be. The genre makes it extremely difficult to stand out among the bigger AAA games, but the use of unimaginable mechanics really brightens Craftopia. It’s also only in Game Preview which is Xbox’s version of Early Access. Despite this, it feels like a complete game for the most part. Sure, it’s a little rough around the edges and janky at times, but the title manages to still be a great experience nonetheless. The potential this game has once it’s actually complete is very high, and the developers at Pocket Pair, Inc. are certainly a creative bunch.  

Ultimately, the reason I’m so drawn to unusual games like Craftopia is because of my desire to experience as many games as I possibly can. I love finding new games that I love, even in genres that I historically don’t love. Such as with sandbox games themselves. I played a bunch of Minecraft when I was younger, and have tried venturing into similar games like Dragon Quest Builders, but nothing ever quite clicked with me. Nevertheless, I continued trying games in the genre, one by one over time, hoping I’d find the game to draw me in. I can’t guarantee that Craftopia will be that game for you, however, I sincerely believe that it has a strong chance at offering you an experience unlike what you’ve had elsewhere in the genre. The pure style of the game, whereas much of it is anchored in as much realism as possible (such as the wildlife, human proportions, etc.), makes for such an astounding contrast for the wonderfully weird freedom that it offers.