Review: Flotsam

Review: Flotsam

Did you ever have the idea ‘’what if I build a town from the garbage in the ocean’’? Well, now that idea can become a reality with the new game from Pajama Llama Games. Last month they released Flotsam, where it is your goal to build a big town from the garbage in the middle of the ocean and survive in a post-apocalyptic world. However, the game is still in Early Access so it’s not perfect yet, but Pajama Llama Games has given us the opportunity to check it out.

What do you do? In Flotsam, it’s your goal to build a town in the middle of the ocean with garbage that you find floating in the middle of the sea. While doing this, you will have to make sure that your town keeps growing and growing while surviving post-apocalyptic events.

Scavenging materials for my town

What we liked!

  • Colourfull: When you take a look at Flotsam for the first time, you can’t deny that it looks really colourfull. This, in combination with the simplistic graphical look, provides a fun experience which I really enjoyed and I’m sure that you will have the same experience. But, some might also wonder if it isn’t too childish? Well, maybe by the looks a bit, but when it comes to the gameplay, this definitely isn’t the case.
  • Fun & challenging: Like I already mentioned before, during the game you will need to collect garbage from the ocean and make a town out of it. While doing so, you have to make sure that you build enough facilities and structures to keep your people alive. For example, you have to build a spot where the villagers can get clean water. Despite being in the ocean where of course there is water enough, but let’s be honest, we all know how the ocean’s water tastes. In order to build various facilities, you will need certain amounts of garbage which sometimes adds the challenge to collect it.
My small town, building in progress…

Somewhere between

  • Short: One of the major things that kept spinning in my mind is that there currently is only 2 to 3 hours worth of content. After that, it just keeps steady. Yes, the game is currently in Early Access. And I really hope that they will add more content to the game when it comes out of it because it would be so much better. The content that we currently have is really enjoyable, so even more content would be a big improvement.
Fishing to keep the working villagers from getting hungry

What we disliked

  • Bugs: I already mentioned it multiple times, but the game is still in Early Access and the developers are still working on it. But still, one of the frustrating things about the game is that there are annoying bugs. Luckily, the developers have a Discord page where you can communicate with them and they will take a look at it when there’s time. And it’s an important thing that they will need to look into to improve the quality of the game. But in the end, I’m 100% that they will fix everything and are going to present a lovely game.
  • Overpriced: One of the major things that blew my mind while searching for information about Flotsam, was the price. For a game that is in Early Access and has only 2-3 hours worth of content, I personally find € 22,99 a bit too much. Yes, the game is lovely, but it still has its flaws. And I know they might need the money in order to develop the game further. Maybe at a lower price, more people are willing to buy it so you will get more money to work on it. But that’s just my opinion.

Rating:

60%

Flotsam is a promising game. The idea behind it is original and they give it a fun yet lovely look. The game puts you in some really challenging situations that you have to overcome in order to expand your garbage town. Yet, there are still some flaws to it like bugs and the amount of content. But as already mentioned, the game is still in Early Access and I’m curious to see how it will develop over time and in which direction the developers are heading with Flotsam.