Ugh, another Minecraft clone was what I thought when I first heard of Staxel. However, this is far more than a Minecraft clone even though it shares the same kind of visuals. I would say that this game is best described as a cross between Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing.
How to Download Staxel
You can download the game from Steam or from Humble Bundle. Click the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Game Review
When you start playing Staxel, you are in a house and this is where the tutorial will begin. The game has a villager who will give you the basics of what you can do in the game. You are pointed in a direction to start your journey, but this game is a massive sandbox and really you are free to play the game any way that you want.
It is played through a first-person point of view and I know that the art style is clearly inspired by Minecraft. I like this kind of art style and I feel that it works very well here. I do feel that overall, it has a bit more personality than Minecraft does. The game just has a really relaxing feel to it overall.
A huge part of the gameplay of Staxel is building things. The villagers in this land want you to build a ton of things from bakeries to houses. The game does have a narrative and “main objectives” for you to do. However, you are always inspired to go off the beaten path and find your own things to do and own things to build.
The building aspect of the game is very easy to get the hang of. If you have played Minecraft or Stardew Valley before, you will instantly figure things out. The only “issue” I have is that the coloring on the tabs sometimes made it hard for me to know what tab I had selected at any given time.
One thing that I thought was kind of fun was crafting. I enjoyed having to put each item onto a crafting table. It felt better and more fun than just crafting via a menu. I also liked having to take things from a shelf when you wanted to buy an item. It does not sound like much, but it made the game more fun.
There is always something to do in Staxel. I am not just talking about building things. You have plenty of animals to take care of building your farm, talk to villagers, and much more. There is always some kind of chore or job that requires your attention in this game. It walks the perfect line of giving you room to do what you want and also giving you things to keep you busy. It also has a multiplayer, but I did not touch that aspect.
I was very pleasantly surprised by Staxel. This is far more than the Minecraft clone than the visuals suggest. It is a really fun and relaxing game and a game you can easily lose many hours in. If you do enjoy games such as Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and Minecraft you will really have a lot of fun with this.
