The immersive life sim market is huge. Whether your first experience with the genre was Story of Seasons or Stardew Valley, you might be one of the millions of people addicted to these kinds of adventures. I’ve fallen down this particular rabbit hole a few times. The one I’ve stumbled upon is My time in Portiaand the sequel My time in Sandrock seems to be another fun adventure for those who like to lose time. What’s even better is that you don’t have to play My time in Portia. It turns out that both games do in fact share the same timeline.
Right off the train, My time in Sandrock oozes familiarity. From the aesthetics to the assembly platform, your Builder moves and interacts with the world in almost the same way as in Portia. That’s great for continuity. But while much of the game plays and looks similar, there are some very important differences. Most notable is Sandrock’s position in the world. This desert town relies on regular trains from other cities to survive.
There is a single source of water to supply the entire town. If anything were to happen to it, the consequences would be dire. By extension, living plants and cacti are considered unlimited. Your builder will need to scour the sand and nearby ruins for salvageable debris or purchase materials from local stores. The residents of Sandrock also try to reuse as much as possible. For example, when a performance stage was damaged in a sandstorm, town builders were asked to reuse as much of the foundation structure as possible. Even the tiniest bits of wood, stone and rubber are not wasted. You can even harvest morning dew as a means of storing your water.
What I appreciate about this second game is that you are not the only New Builder in town. Sandrock decided to replace the soon-to-retire builder Mason with two fresh young faces. When emergencies arise, the story quest’s workload tends to be split between them. This move speeds up the sequel, which I know people consider slow My time in Portia. However, most story commissions don’t follow a strict schedule. You can devote all the time you want or need to commissions board announcements or reserve resources.
When you’re not looking for supplies, fighting monsters, or building your workshop, there’s time to get to know your neighbors and pursue romantic relationships. While not everyone in town can be attracted, you will want to raise the level of friendship. Giving gifts and successfully completing commissions are the best ways to earn points. Right now, I’m building a relationship with Heidi, the town’s architect, and the town’s innkeeper, Owen. They are my two top marriage rivals at the moment. Who knows. Maybe someone will like Sandrock as I go deeper into the story.
If you decide to join My time in Sandrock, I recommend waiting for the official release. My preview is based on the alpha state of the game, which is not the smoothest one. There were glitchy missions where the 3D models froze or didn’t load correctly. Task manager is the only way I can shut down and restart the game. Some of the text hasn’t been translated or edited (I’m watching you “cancel!”) and controller support isn’t fully integrated yet. It’s a bit rough around the edges now, and you can deal with these larger headaches yourself by waiting for a longer touch.
My time in Sandrock It is currently in Early Access on Steam and is scheduled to release on May 26, 2022.
