Techtonica is going to be the new kid on the block in the world of factory sims. One of those games that you’ve probably seen videos or pictures of, where beltways snake around each other, and would probably only make sense to the creator and other fans. However, Techtonica, by developer Fire Hose Games, plans to do things a little differently. Introducing new elements that honestly make this genre of games feel more welcoming to newcomers.
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I was able to see gameplay of Techtonica through a discord call driven by Jas Scarfone, Social Media and Community Manager, and Joey Davidson, Marketing Manager, both of Firehose games. I got a pretty good idea of what to expect when the alpha launches soon.
Techtonica takes place on a Calyx, a rogue planet that doesn’t have a star. The surface is as cold as space, meaning you, an astronaut who recently landed on it, have to dig below the surface to set up your base. But, you’re not the first astronaut to arrive on this Calyx. I wasn’t shown the story, but there is the promise that the game will focus on what happened to the previous astronauts. What happened to them, and what you can do differently to survive. The story will be fully voiced.
Additionally, unlike other factory-style games, the primary drive of Techtonica is not only getting to maximum efficiency but the story itself. Meaning there is a clear goal in mind that players will work towards. A point will be reached leading to credits. But that doesn’t mean the game ends at that point. There is a post-game that will allow players to build their dream efficient machine monstrosities.
Several mechanics have been made with optimal player experience in mind. For instance, a mass erase tool that not only clears a large area but returns all the resources and built mechanisms back to their inventory. There’s also a mass-collect tool that, when shown off, didn’t seem to have a limit, horizontally or vertically. Finally, there will be a lot of hidden paths within Techtonica’s destructive environment. These hidden paths can reveal more story as well as well as provide early access to certain machines that would take a lot more time to build.
Finally, I want to highlight the difficulty of Techtonica. This game is meant to be peaceful. While being in a dark cave system that you can’t leave, it’s not meant to be scary. There aren’t going to be monsters lurking to destroy stuff you’ve precariously built. However, that doesn’t mean there will be challenges. One of the goals of the devs is to keep the players on their toes. And they plan to do this by changing the fauna and other resources that may make certain machines inoperable.
Techtonica plans to carve its way into the Factory Sim genre. From developing with the player’s quality of life in mind to making the game with a focused story. All of this while also being sure to work with the community to make this game the best it can be. The Techtonica alpha is coming soon, and if you would like to try it out as well as give the developers advice, be sure to join the discord!
Techtonica is coming soon to Steam.
