BitCraft Onlineis an ambitious new MMO currently in its testing phase that challenges players with the simple task of rebuilding the world.
Set in an ambiguous fantasy setting after the brink of collapse, players in this open-world, massively multiplayer online game are largely freed from quests or story progression and told the world is their playground. Everything on the map can be harvested by players, each of whom takes on the profession or professions of their choice, and the fruits of their labor are put to actual, tangible use. Besides the starting area, which is decidedly low tier in its available workbenches and materials, everything in the game is built by players, who must then maintain and expand their works to recreate all of civilization.
The best way I can think to describe the core gameplay mechanics ofBitCraft Onlineis “RuneScapewithout the RPG elements.” Every element of nature is a resource node which can be interacted with, and doing so improves one of a plethora of skills such as woodcutting, smithing, hunting, etc. The game contains a wide variety of trades for players to engage in and a real-world economy; everything past the basic crafting tables at the starter location must be built by a player, either by manually gathering and crafting materials or buying them from another player, or by enlisting the help of a dedicated community.
See,BitCraft Onlineambitiously includes a system wherein players not only build a spiritual community, but tangible, working ones where multiple players band together to build little towns and work together to advance through the game.
I joined one such community during my time with the game, one that had expanded to the level of “empire” in the early access game’s pre-wipe state. As a humble smith working for this empire, I learned about the game’s map claiming mechanics and its logistics wars, where buildable and exploitable territory is claimed via a series of watchtowers managed or taken over by supplying them with goods. I heard rumors from the in-game community that there are plans for actual, tangible wars at some point, where players will be able to use the game’s simple yet well-designed combat mechanics on each other rather than just the hostile mobs that spawn at night. If you ask me, this would be the ultimate additionBitCraft Onlinecould make to its formula; there’s nothing like knowing my swords will actually be used to expand in the name of my community that makes me prouder to be a little virtual smith.
The downside toBitCraft Online‘s land claim system is that it exclusively favors large communities. While part of me prefers it to be this way, it means that the small player, who simply wants to build a shack in the woods and, say, run a woodcutting business, will eventually have their progression into later tiers of crafting and gathering gatekept by the fact that they don’t have an insanely large land claim and community feeding it. The developers need to find some way to balance the desire to be a solo player owning their own little plot of land with the game’s desired endgame of forming massive nations and being a part of a community.
BitCraft Onlineis incredibly ambitious, and it didn’t take me long to fall into the very desirable and relaxing gameplay loop of gathering goods and crafting in my chosen profession. However, the big problem with the game as it currently stands is that it’s still in early access, and any player who jumps in now will face bugs galore.
A considerable amount of time in my playthrough ofBitCraft Onlinewas spent combating said bugs. My very first personal quest, to craft myself a new set of armor, was impeded by my inability to access my cart’s inventory, a problem solved only by exiting the game and relaunching. Afterwards, I faced a semi-frequent bug where I lost the ability to click on terrain, freezing my character in place unless I right-clicked on crafting stations to travel to those instead, again fixed by closing and relaunching the game.
I also meant to have this review out much sooner, but the first few days ofBitCraft Onlinewere plagued by horrible connection issues. These have since been taken care of, however, and I was able to access the game just fine, the aforementioned problems excluded.
All of this is to say that, while it is very easy to be excited forBitCraft Online, players should be wary before volunteering their time and money into the Early Access playtest. While the game intends to launch as a free-to-play title, that goal is still potentially years away, and getting in on the ground floor during its testing period is a lofty $30 investment—one that I have trouble justifying with just how many bugs the game currently has.
That being said,BitCraft Onlineis something to keep your eyes on—an ambitious, seemingly special game that, despite its early access bugs, already appears to be on the right track. For those who are wary, I would check in with the state of the game in another three months, and I encourage everyone to try the game at least once it gets its full release, especially when the post-launch wipe (the only one developers have planned for the game once it leaves Early Access) puts everyone on equal footing. Who knows, you just might end up becoming one ofBitCraft Online‘s next kings.
Pros:
Cons:
BitCraft Online was reviewed on the PC viaSteam. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on ourGame Reviewspage!
