Crashlands is an action-exploration game developed by Butterscotch for Android and iOS devices. It isn’t easy to decide whether it fully hinges on crafting or action, but it makes for intriguing gameplay either way. The mechanics and design hold a gripping effect, and one won’t be wrong to rank it among the masterpieces.

The game excels in its simple User Interface and easy controls. Although the game features typical elements of a survival game, it doesn’t exactly focus on that. Instead, it embraces combats and quests in a way that makes it more similar to survival games.

A Simple Premise That Grows Into You

What’s the storyline of Crashlands? You play as Flux.  An unscrupulous fellow wrecks havoc on your spaceship by stealing some essential parts. The result is you crashing down, with a consequent need to get right back up, which requires replacing the stolen parts.

Unfortunately, the planet you landed on has nothing of such. So you have to set outside your locality. Then you get your crafting station to get you started. With no single weapon available at the onset, you have to craft the weapons. Thankfully, you have a saw right in your suit, just like other suits bear specific crafting tools. The task before you will determine the suit to wear.

You head off to the forests to get some wood, and don’t expect that to come easy. There is wildlife ready to devour your character. But minding your business and staying out of their path will keep you alive. To even make it easier, Crashlands highlights the route of an attacker. So, it doesn’t take long for you to understand how to avoid attacks and stay alive.

In crafting your tools, there’s no guarantee on how well they’ll come out. Some will turn out exceptional and others basic. The good thing, however, is that these tools stay with you forever. Now, you’ve crafted a powerful weapon, and maybe armor, you get right into battle. Your foes are scary-looking hippos, but there’s hardly a learning curve in dealing with them. If, on the other hand, your two feet can’t stand the one they have, there’s respawning. You continue from where you left up, with a chance to recover the materials left behind.

After respawning, you meet your opposition in full strength while you have a low HP to manage. That might make a win even more difficult, but definitely not impossible. Besides, the frustrations of having to start from square one will motivate you to do better. Crashlands, generally, is lenient when it comes to fights and deaths, so many players will easily progress.

Quests Unravel the World of Crashlands

Quests will have you exploring even the most hidden parts of the game. Marked teleporters catalyze the freedom to explore the map and travel anywhere without any risk. While some of these quests only give bonuses, others are intricately laced with the game’s progression. That means completing them is critical to moving forward in your campaign.

With questions, the world of Crashlands becomes even more familiar. You’ll discover recipes upon recipes to craft tools in your stations. Quests will hand over essential tools to you, while non-essential ones like beds and carpets are yours to find. You can choose to ignore these optional tools, but they offer certain bonuses, nevertheless. What Crashlands is mainly about are big, critical tools. Getting a new tool usually opens a new world of possibilities, and you’ll likely spend a great deal of time learning about it.

How do you keep up with your quests? There’s a quest log in the menu that shows you what needs to be done. That you, you can easily keep track of what’s ahead. The chain-like arrangement of the quest means you can play Crashlands for hours without stopping. If you ever decide to take a break, you can do so at any time without losing progress. As you play on, you’ll stumble on incredible secrets offering mouthwatering rewards and even gears.

There’s a chance you’ll get an egg that hatches into a wonderful pet. Feed the pet enough, and you’ll get enough supply of milk as a reward. Alternatively, turn it into a powerful companion in battle with some crafted tools and equipment. You won’t have so many problems in a one-on-one fight, but battling a group of enemies would need some help. Your pet could become a resourceful partner. Making the best out of the pest is paramount as you may not be lucky enough to get another.

The Game’s Navigation is Seamless

Movement is pretty straightforward: just a tap on the desired location will take your character there. Tap on any item, and it’ll perform the task it was meant for. The interface also has a simple design that allows you to access important information and items without stress. The screen has buttons for the map, quest log, and status screen. There’s also a menu that displays your most-needed tools, allowing you to fetch them easily when needed.

Crashlands allows you to craft a tool while you focus on other tasks. Select the item you want to make, and exit the interface by just tap on a button. Come back at any time to see the progress of your crafting. While construction is going on, you can always add more materials if necessary.

In all, Crashlands is different in so many ways. This review won’t be complete without a mention of the game’s unique inventory system. You can gather as many materials or items as you want without bothering with sorting them. The game does the job and present you with relevant items or materials as needed.

On mobile, Crashlands is an incredibly fun game to play. All thanks to the fantastic interface and surprising combats.