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0 Satisfactory is a first-person factory simulator set in an open world. It was originally available for the first year exclusively on Epic when it hit early access in March of 2019. Developed by Coffee Stain Studios (Goat Simulator) and published by Coffee Stain Publishing (Deep Rock Galactic, Valheim), it opened a new chapter with a 1.0 release in September. If you’re looking to sink a lot of time into a game, pick it up today on Steam or the Epic Games store.
Symmetry is so Satisfactory
I’ll just be flat out up front: I don’t know when exactly I’ll be done playing Satisfactory. I completely underestimated just how much depth it has brought to the table. Especially when you compare it to when it first went into early access. Needless to say I will be putting in quite a lot more time to the game before I can even consider myself to be progressing through it. Have you ever run into a similar game – where you had no idea what you were really getting into until it was too late? Check out my thoughts on the game thus far below.
Gameplay
Satisfactory is an open world, first-person factory-centric simulator. As a FICSIT employee, you explore the world searching for and harvesting resources to ultimately send supplies to orbit via the great space elevator. These supplies are a part of an effort to save humanity – so no pressure! Thankfully these supplies apparently aren’t time sensitive, so you are given the freedom to explore the different biomes and build at your leisure.
Progression through Satisfactory comes in the form of Milestones. Milestones are objectives requiring varying amounts and types of supplies to unlock further structures and technology. Competing all Milestones in a tier upgrades your factory development to the next tier. There are at times where you’ll need to focus on the primary objective though. The first instance I really found is between tiers 2 and 3, when you need to build the space elevator before progressing further.
Other technologies and further development may also be found through research in Satisfactory. The research items primarily gear in on more unique planetary resources. These include items such as the “Somersloop” in the screenshot above, “power slugs” and other uncommon minerals that aren’t as readily found as iron, copper, and limestone. These research items aren’t bound to any specific path and you are able to complete them in any order you choose.
Satisfactory’s biggest boon, in my opinion, is the freedom in which the player is given. There are no set rules about how or where you harvest, refine, and produce supplies in the game. It is completely up to you. The map itself is huge (approximately 30 square kilometres equivalent) and has several biomes unique from one another. Though all players will play the same map, the chances of anyone creating exactly the same resource and factory system unintentionally I would say is pretty dang slim.
Graphics & Audio
Though Satisfactory is currently only available on PC, there is a console version also in the works. It was originally built in Unreal Engine 4 and then was migrated to Unreal Engine 5 in November of 2023. The game looks and plays incredibly smooth. I don’t think I even had to adjust any video settings for my 4070 Ti, but rather left everything at default. The environment and models display thoughtful detail and even allow for some customization. So don’t worry if yellow/orange isn’t your colour.
The audio track in Satisfactory is very chill. At times I found myself spacing out, just relaxing within the game. By no means was boredom a factor. It’s just a very laid back environment to unwind in at the end of a stressful day. I wouldn’t mind a larger variety of sounds for the different fauna. But that is a minor detail in contrast to the overall audio.
Longevity
Satisfactory boils down to what you want to accomplish in the game. Not only accomplish, but more specifically build. The possibilities seem endless. Just take a look at the game’s subreddit and you’ll find some amazing and elaborate builds that players have created. Even focusing on the main storyline, the estimate to complete that alone is 92-100 hours! If you’re a player that is easily side tracked like I am, you can expect to sink far more into it. Especially if you decide you want to try tackling the game from a different perspective altogether.
Final Thoughts
This game is amazing. I truly wish I had more time in the day to sit down and play for longer sessions at a time. I’ve barely touched on all the great things in this review. (I didn’t even mention that there are vehicles too until just now!) There’s always something that I am looking to do next. Just knowing how much time I’ll eventually put into it drives that even more. Satisfactory has become a modern gem from where it started five years ago in early access.
It is well-deserving of the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out my other reviews here.
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