Aiyana

Just needed to put this positive review here (as it's long overdue), which I'll rewrite later when I have more time. Long story short - if you like games like Minecraft, then you'll probably like Aiyana. There are some really cool systems and the dev is constantly working on the game. It's deeper than I expected, with plenty more to come.

Fantastic game. TONS and TONS of things that Minecraft never included are included here by default, and many things that Minecraft included have been done even better here. I consider the art style and animations throughout the game a step up from literally everything in Minecraft's entire history— including player-made creatures, items, and more. The background music— which is usually something I don't notice or immediately turn off because it's a series of annoying loops —is actually good enough that I haven't turned it off in the 24 hours+ that I've played. Biomes, building, crafting, exploring, dungeons, boss fights, a leaderboard for those into such things, a creative mode for those into such things, and multiplayer being actively improved as we speak all make this a game which definitely isn't getting the love it deserves. Not to put any pressure on him, but the DEV is a really great guy, too. The only [i]potential[/i] downside, in comparing this to Minecraft, is that this game doesn't have or use player-made mods. (Yet?) This is one of the rare few games that I— an admittedly stingy curmudgeon —recommends you buy at any price. The game's so good, in fact, I also bought…

Aiyana is an ambitious voxel-based survival RPG that mixes exploration, construction, crafting, character development, and magic inside a procedurally generated alien world. Developed and published by Laireon Games, it approaches the familiar survival sandbox formula with several interesting ideas intended to make each world less predictable. Rather than focusing entirely on gathering materials and constructing increasingly elaborate shelters, the game ties those activities into long-term character progression and a dangerous day-and-night cycle. Its Early Access nature remains noticeable, but the range of mechanics already gives it considerable potential. Exploration is one of the central pillars of the experience. During daylight, the world is relatively manageable, giving players opportunities to search for resources, mine underground, hunt, farm, fish, build structures, and investigate unfamiliar locations. The arrival of night changes the situation considerably as corruption affects the environment and makes creatures more dangerous. This creates a natural rhythm in which daylight becomes preparation time. Gathering supplies or improving a base feels purposeful because surviv…

After the learning curve quite fun. I extremely appreciate the-more-you-do-the-better-your-skill leveling (and having the choice to up the levels in other ways). It is sometimes a bit laggy now that I've explored ~2000 blocks in every direction (Author explains known water loading condition) and perhaps my biggest gripe is entities sometimes glitching through solid locks as they move or are pushed by other entities.

its not without its problems. but I like it. Pros: looks really pretty for a minecraft-like voxel game The animal models in particular look quite good upgrading your totem to increase the safe zone of your base is a fun form of progression hybrid progression system is really great -get better at tons of stuff by doing the stuff -doing stuff also gives xp, and you can spend xp to get better at particular stuff -doing various achievementy things gets you perk points -surving waves in the "wave assault" minigame gets various things including perk points systems like alchemy, crop/pet quality and enchanting have a lot of depth and are rewarding if you are willing to figure them out and put in the effort. in-game and steam achievements are fair and rewarding. not spamming you, but also not demanding years of grind Cons: biomes are quite small, and each biome has a unique flower, grass, log, sapling, leaf. most enemies drop meat, fat and bones at a minimum. most also drop sever different types of leather/pelt or whatever. You only start the game with 20 inventory slots, and so early inventory management on outings is a bit heinous combat (incoming and outgoing)…

This game isn't perfect, obviously (no game is). However it is genuinely one of the best indie games I've played. The easiest way I can describe it is "Minecraft but for grownups and with purpose". It's a huge sandbox with a huge amount of stuff to do and accomplish. Build, see, explore, gain, live, grow. What I especially love is the progression. You get better at things by actually doing them. Run, and you become better at running. Use a skill, and you improve that skill. That might sound like a small thing, but it makes progression feel natural. Your character gets better because of the things you've actually done, rather than because you chopped 100 trees and dumped the resulting XP into something completely unrelated. The crafting has depth without becoming a second job. The game gives you things to work toward without constantly wasting your time. Exploration feels worthwhile. Progress feels earned. Most importantly, I regularly find myself wanting to see what's over the next hill or wondering what I'll eventually be capable of doing. There are plenty of things that can be improved, but the foundation here is fantastic. I want the dev to know that this is the kind o…