As someone who had a fair bit of fun with Satisfactory and Factorio, I felt that Dyson Sphere Program would be a game that fits right in the middle of those two. It is worth noting that this game as I write this is still in early access. While what is on offer here is completely playable, a great deal of the ideas they have for this have yet to be put into the game.
How to Download Dyson Sphere Program
To download the game from Steam, click on the Download button at the end of this review.
The Game Review
The story of the game is that you need to gather all kinds of resources. The reason for this is that you want to create a Dyson Sphere. A Dyson Sphere is a massive device that has the ability to harvest energy from a star. The idea is to start from small beginnings and work your way up to an interplanetary resource gathering juggernaut.
You control this mech thing that looks like a cross between Bumblebee and the Loader from Aliens. You are on a planet and you need to gather a ton of different resources. Once you have gathers resources, you can then start to make buildings. It is the buildings that are going to make your “harvesting” a more automated process.
I found that finding the ingredients to make something was not all that hard. The mech controls well enough, but he can start to walk really slow when he runs out of fuel. I have to be honest, I hate this mechanic and it seems like it is just there to make things less fun. the mech can also fly which is neat, but that slow walking speed needs to be fixed.
The game will randomly generate the universe when you start playing. So the planets and the resources on those planets will differ each time you play it. I think this is a great idea, even if the 10 hours I spent with the game saw me on the original planet. I like the idea of what this game is aiming to do.
I managed to get myself through Factorio and Satisfactory, but this one feels a tad more complex in regards to getting all your buildings, machines, and conveyor belts on the same page. I did eventually get an automated system running and felt awesome for doing so, but it does demand that the player really thinks about what they are doing.
The presentation of Dyson Sphere Program has a ton of charm to it. The planets that you explore are in full 3D and being able to move the camera around, zoom in and out and even see just how high some of the buildings go is really cool. I was also very impressed that even though the game is in early access I did not have a single bug the whole time that I was playing it.
Even in the early access state, Dyson Sphere Program is showing a ton of promise. It may be a tad more complicated than I thought it was going to be. However, in the long run, I feel that could very well turn out to be what makes this game something that is extra special and fun.
