I've played Ostriv in Alpha form for 100+ hours before the latest release on Steam and GOG. It is genuinely one of my favorite games, and here is why: - The attention paid to so many little details is unaparalled. From every house in a row having a unique look, to the dynamically generated "desire paths" formed by your villagers as they walk and work, and the animations of them working, building, and interacting with the various parts of your village, it's just fun to sit back and watch. - The atmosphere and music are both extremely relaxing. The game can run on three separate speeds, so you can slow down and watch your village run, or you can speed it up to grow as quickly as possible. I've never failed to feel more relaxed after leaving this game. - The challenge; I see some people say how the game is broken because their villagers all moved out, but one of the major keys to this game is paying attention to all your villagers needs and meeting them. It requires planning ahead, and a little bit of patience. Cons: - The game in it's alpha state does not hold your hand at all, which can be frustrating if you don't know what you're missing or what's going wrong. Luckily, there is an active and helpful community around the game! The wiki (https://ostriv.fandom.com/) has lots of helpful guides and information, and is actively updated! - Bugs and crashes, yet another point with regards to the game being in Alpha; crashes and sometiems frustrating bugs or glitches can and do occur from time to time. The developer provides an outlet for players to report all these to him, and the community works hard to help find work arounds in the meantime when possible (https://discord.gg/kT7BP8t)! This game is definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of simulation games, city builders, historical games, or just looking to expand your horizons!
