{"id":86993,"date":"2025-10-07T14:00:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T13:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/?p=86993"},"modified":"2025-10-13T09:52:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T08:52:08","slug":"autoforge-early-access-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bigbossbattle.com\/autoforge-early-access-review\/","title":{"rendered":"AutoForge is an automation twist on the 2D sandbox formula"},"content":{"rendered":"
Even very<\/i> early in production, AutoForge<\/i><\/a> is already fun to play. <\/strong><\/h5>\n

Although I have AutoForge<\/em> described as a side-scroller in places, it’s not a one-way path at all. (A \u201cside-scroller\u201d to me is: you start on the left and are continuously being pushed to the right\u2026 which this isn’t at all). You can go back and forth as much as you want, left and right\u2026 until you reach the slowly blackening edges. As you trek along, the sides through which you may enter gradually move back, in both directions.<\/p>\n

An early note: I\u2019d be remiss if I didn\u2019t mention, at least in the very beginning<\/i>, the playstyle is very similar to Chucklefish\u2019s Starbound<\/i>. However, AutoForge <\/i>moves quite rapidly into the automation \u2014 which is arguably the major difference between the two games. I love it! I\u2019m a big ol’ automation\/factory head. Plus, this is what AutoForge<\/i> is really about.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>You start, I\u2019m guessing, about midway down. It does have an upper surface, which takes a while to get to. On the flip side, you can start digging down immediately<\/em>. Figuring out what to do first is a major part of the enjoyment (no, no spoilers here).<\/p>\n

Beware \u2014 in the up, down, and the main\/starting \u2018surface\u2019 \u2014 don\u2019t ever think you\u2019re alone. There are plenty of monstoos after you. And, somehow, they have an uncanny knack for easily finding you. If I recall correctly, I don\u2019t remember ever<\/i> hitting one from the back! It\u2019s always head-on, and you both apply directly to the forehead(s). Unfortunately if you die, you lose everything you\u2019re carrying. Luckily, you can make chests to store some things wherever you’d want \u2014 I always chose \u2018Home Base\u2019 because it seemed to have the least \u2018traffic\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>While you\u2019re going through the steps\/checklist laid out on the left side of the screen, even those become progressively more difficult. e.g., Just because you made it to the surface\u2026 doesn\u2019t mean your next goals are magically going to be up there. The beginning of AutoForge<\/i> is a hunt. Find the next thing in the list because it\u2019s not<\/i> going to be handed to you. One of the things the bad guys give you is oil\u2026 to make more torches. As it\u2019s a very dark game, you will NEED the torches in order to 1. survive and 2. find your way toward your next \u2018goals\u2019.<\/p>\n

As you start to head into the automation \u2014 which is really what AutoForge <\/i>is about, <\/i>you still have the little squishies hunting you. Obviously, there are now<\/i> ways to at least alleviate some of the pressure\u2026 but you still have to be on your robotic toes.<\/p>\n

AutoForge is available in Steam Early Access<\/a> now.<\/em><\/p>\n