My Time at Portia looks like a relaxing Stardew Valley sort of game
Hey Portia
My Time At Portia [official site] is a post-apocalyptic RPG. But if this is what the world looks like after an apocalypse then (WARNING: HOT TAKE INCOMING) maybe Donald Trump is the best thing that could've happened to us. It's absolutely gorgeous, full of colour and wacky characters, like bears in blue and gold dressing gowns.
The premise is that you arrive in Portia and start with a basic workshop, and it's your goal to grow your business from there. You'll explore the town and surrounding areas, talk to NPCs (all of whom have routines and backstories), cut down trees, craft items and fight monsters. It looks like a mix between Harvest Moon, Minecraft, and Stardew Valley, which are a few of my favourite things. It's playable right now via a free alpha build that you can download here (it's worming its way onto my PC as I type this).
Here's how developers Pathea Games describe it:
"The goal of the game is to make the workshop as big as possible. Players can gather materials from an open world. Cut down tree, pick up herbs, mine in ruins, even plant your own garden. There are vast areas for the player to explore around Portia. Deserts, islands, reefs, highlands, marshlands, and more! Each area bringing their own unique items and monsters.
"We want to enrich the world with other NPCs that have their unique behaviors. Characters will go to school, do their jobs, workout, and have fun. They also have unique stories for the player to experience. The player will be able to get into relationships with other characters, be them friendships or romances. Romances can end in marriages."
And here's a shiny trailer:
The alpha build went live last week and the developers are clearly listening to the community, because they've just published a blog based on player feedback that outlines some future changes.
"We're now much more confident in our approach to the gameplay than before. We've already moved on to the next build, which is due later this month, still free. In the next several postings over the next few weeks leading up to the release, I’ll be addressing what we’re working on."
The final release is due in October. If, like me, you want to keep an eye on progress then it's worth checking into the game's itch.io's page occasionally. It also has a Steam page.
Like what you see?
(Annoyingly, I have that stupid Nelly 'Hey Porsche' song stuck in my head now...)