Welcome to tinyBuild’s Duckside! If you like open world survival games with crafting, multiplayer, and funny hats, then we welcome you to the latest addition to the genre.
Finding a server has not been a problem so far, and there is a wide spread from California to Europe. Some servers are flagged for PVE, and I really appreciated that as a first-time player. Before jumping in, I watched the two-part tutorial on how to get started. It covers practically everything you need, and you can jump right into action.
Right out of the gate, you can scavenge wood, fiber, stone, and components from the immediate surrounding. Funnily enough you do this by pecking at the resources with your beak. I noticed that components vary from the shoreline to the mountain peak. The next best strategy is to find a place to nest. I like to look down from the mountain personally, or a small island. Once you found your homestead, hit TAB and make sure you can craft a floor, walls, and a roof.
I would also recommend arming yourself as soon as possible. We start with sticks and strings, allowing us to craft a bow. Before long, we can work our way up to homemade guns. Our best bet is to gradually take on the human NPCs and reverse engineer their guns to build a respectable armory.
What sets Duckside apart from other titles like ARK is its most obvious feature: you’re ducked. It is wildly entertaining to launch into the air and glide from higher altitude. You can even find pockets of air that lift you higher in between your longer strides. Witnessing ducks coordinating raids on human and duck facilities alike is spectacular. I also appreciate the ability to trade with a merchant and find schematics across the map to help with my insatiable desire to be a crafter.
I won’t accuse the NPCs of being smart, but they are a major threat when you are a sitting duck, or unarmed. However, they are somewhat stiff. I don’t believe I’ve seen any hunters duck hunting as a feature in the game. You will be more likely to seek them out than they will come for you. I think that could add an interesting flavor to the game: NPC duck hunters from flannel wearing hunters to commandos.
I like the environment, too. It does not take long to travel from one area to another. The map is not terribly large, but large enough for players to set up shop with enough space between them. There are the occasional hot spots to avoid in the early game because of the humans, but there are some good place to pick up resources in a pinch.
I would recommend seeing what it’s like in the duck life.
You can wishlist Ducksite via Steam right now.
Related: Reviews by Matt O’Toole
Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
I like to think of myself as the average Joe who grew up alongside video games. I have fun playing strategy games, RPGs, shooters, sandboxes, the whole shebang! Every game provides an experience whether it strikes you as profound, mundane, or someplace in between. I'd like to weigh in my two cents before you spend a single penny.
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