Satisfactory Review

Satisfactory, a factory building game made by Coffee Stain Studios allows you to run around gorgeous environments and create the most exquisitely calculated conveyor spaghetti you can think of. For every great looking factory out there, I’m sure there are at least two spaghetti style skunk works factories.

Satisfactory is (as of the writing of this Sep. 19, 2021) in early access, but don’t let that scare you away. The devs have built their game from the start onward, so it doesn’t feel like they’ve left out a major part. Some other early access games could take a lesson from Coffee Stain Studios on how to do it.

The most appealing aspect of Satisfactory is the immersive experience. In this game, you really feel like you are a part of it. There are (now) some tools in the game to let you view your factory from above, but for much of it, you are in there, getting dirty with your conveyors and splitters and assemblers. The crafted environment is a delight (and a pain) to work in. Do you build a megafactory to rule all factories in the expanse of the desert or do you take advantage of the multitude of resources in the northern forest to cram in many tiny factories? Or both? Connect them with a train!

The only detraction from the game is the combat. I don’t hate it like I do the combat system in Minecraft, but I feel like I could enjoy this game without having to explore a cave infested with spiders that move faster than the speed of our LAN connection. Arachnophobia mode really doesn’t help. It might in fact just be terrifying on a different level. That being said, I like how the weapons have a very industrial flavor to them, like the rebar gun.

One other minor complaint: indestructible poison pillars. You can only wear one piece of gear at a time so you can’t really interact with the rest of the environment while you are wearing your gas filter so you don’t die. I’m hoping they’ll address this in a future patch. The devs are constantly working on improving the game!

The minor negatives of the game pale in comparison to the satisfaction of completing a well-thought out factory on a grid. Probably why they called it Satisfactory, come to think of it. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the ear-gasmic qualities of building structures like the manufacturer. That thing has some weight behind it!