Bright, busy, and brimming with cheer, Staxel by developer Plukit and publisher Humble Bundle is a farming sandbox game with the perfect balance of freedom and direction. Your character is new to town and has just taken over ownership of an old abandoned farm, so the other townspeople warmly welcome you to the community and help teach you the basics of farming. I really liked playing this game because it was a mix of mindless playing and thoughtful construction: your brain is constantly working to complete all your daily tasks, but it is never stressful or mentally taxing. Between your farm and the town, you are always learning new things and meeting new people, and the impeccable graphics, variety of activities, and super friendly environment all serve to make the Staxel experience extremely enjoyable.
I personally like to be given some direction in the beginning of the game, both for controls and gameplay as well as for navigation within the game. Staxel excels at both, with a townsperson named Farm Fan showing you around all the important buildings and instructing you how to till the land, plant seeds, and pick crops. In the beginning, you also meet a lot of other characters by visiting their shops and running errands for them; often, they reward you with pet animals or building blueprints. By familiarizing myself with the town and its people early on, I immediately felt more comfortable in the game and confident in my abilities as a farmer. On one hand, there is some structure: for instance, you have to water your plants every day or they will shrivel, and you also have to feed and pet your animals to keep them happy. On the other hand, however, you can exercise a lot of freedom. You can decorate the interior of your house by buying furniture at the general store, and you can earn more money by selling crops to local buyers. You can also change your personal appearance and the names of your pets, a nice little touch that I appreciated. Moreover, you can also make immoral decisions in the game if you so choose; completely by accident, I once stole a cash register from the store, and there were consequences to pay. The fact that you can be as destructive as you want to is also very liberating and fun, if you are into that kind of gameplay.
It is true that Staxel is very similar to other sandbox (world creation) games, but I believe its most distinguishing characteristic is its social element. Rather than you just farming and transforming your house completely on your own, you are part of a close-knit town that is always willing to do business with you or help you out. There are always other townspeople milling around on the streets or in the village square, and you can talk to each of them and get to know them personally. This made me feel a lot less lonely and engaged me in the game a lot longer. Staxel is still a relatively new game, but I think it has already proven itself a quality piece of entertainment.
Rating: 10/10
Here is the Staxel Launch Trailer:
You can purchase Staxel on Steam Early Access for $19.99.
PC Review
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Overall Score - 10/1010/10
From the moment I first played Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy on the original Xbox, I have always had an avid curiosity and enthusiasm for video games. I admire their ability to immerse us in completely different worlds, and I am always eager to see how they integrate the newest breakthroughs in digital technology to make virtual reality feel real. I am currently a senior at UC Berkeley, but when I'm not studying I always make time to play Xbox One with my younger brother.
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