Creature Collection – CtrlAltNoob

Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure

Developer: Massive Miniteam

Release Date: 24 April 2024 (Early Access)

Design automated workshops for your odd and adorable Sparks to carry and craft everything, including more of themselves! Lead your squad of Sparks into combat. Explore a strange fantasy world, in single player or online co-op. Unearth the ancient mystery of the Sparks!

Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure combines the automation and optimisation process of games like Satisfactory or Factorio, with the crafting and creature collecting of games like The Wild at Heart into an expansive yet cozy package. The generous demo provides a lengthy look at what the game aims to be ready for its Early Access release in April.

After a slow start, Oddsparks begins to shine as it reveals the star of the show – Sparks. Sparks are mysterious little forest friends that seemingly exist to serve you. Whether moving ever forward on a predefined route carrying anything in their path as they go, or following you around ready to harvest resources or even fight, these valuable little critters are the heart of the game.

In any automation game, the freedom to be able to relocate your buildings and constructs, make changes to your set up and alter and rebuild paths without penalty is crucial in encouraging creativity. This game allows for that perfectly. As I unlocked new things and discovered new areas I was free to experiment with my set up which, in my opinion, is half of the fun of the game.

The game (at least as far as I got) is set in two areas. The village, and what I will call the wilderness. The village is where the NPCs live, giving you tasks in order to help you learn the game while drip feeding story and flavour. The wilderness is where you will do your building. It is large, full of resources, and potentially more dangerous the further that you go.

The village itself is the weakest point of the game for me. I was never excited to return, only going back because I had to hand in my quests but never looking forward to it. There was a disconnect between me and the dialogue that didn’t allow me to connect with the characters, making it feel less like a home base and more like a chore to return.

I am looking forward to following the development of Oddsparks and very interested to see what changes – if any – are made throughout Early Access. While it wasn’t a home run for me, I did stop playing the demo early as I was sold on the full game. That is a sign of a demo doing its job!

Demo Length – Long
At a glance
+ Simple rules.
+ Encourages creativity.
+ A great mixture of game genres.
+ Glad it is going into Early Access rather than full release.
– A little too talky for me as I was not invested in the dialogue.
– I never wanted to go to the village.