Minecraft remains one of the most popular games in the world, and rightfully so. Various spin-offs and a hugely successful film have expanded its audience, while the main game has continued to receive additional content and updates, from more biomes to overhauled baby Minecraft mobs. Yet with players having spent well over a decade tinkering with Redstone, building houses, nervously mining for Diamonds in fear of falling into lava, and swearing at Creepers after they damage their build, some may be looking for an alternative. Fortunately, the upcoming Steam game called Crafters Heaven could tick that box.
The success of the long-awaited Minecraft custom server spin-off named Hytale proves that there’s room for Minecraft-like games to thrive, especially if they accomplish things that Mojang’s game does not. Whereas Hytale aims to address pain points like decoration and functional furniture (and eventually wants to introduce a proper story mode), Crafters Heaven lives up to its name by doubling down on crafting mechanics. For those who love building more than anything else, and wish Minecraft offered more flexibility in terms of what can be built, this Steam game could be perfect for them. Plus, its goofy-looking crash test dummy character models could add to the appeal for those seeking a laugh.
New Game on Steam is Nothing
Yes, you read that correctly, as a game dropping on Steam in just a few days’ time is built entirely around having no content whatsoever.
Crafters Heaven Features at a Glance
- EXPLORE a low-poly open world with puzzles, secrets, and surprises, like hidden chests.
- SURVIVE as you explore, managing health, hunger, and stamina while encountering weather hazards and wildlife.
- CRAFT your own weapons, armor, tools, and building materials from scratch.
- LEVEL UP skills, complete quests, and customize your crash test dummy character.
- BUILD your desired base, be it a cozy cabin or formidable fortress.
Crafters Heaven is a lowpoly RPG sandbox adventure blending survival, crafting, and exploration. Build your base, fight wild creatures, and discover an open world full of secrets!
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
Crafters Heaven’s Crafting Mechanics Are Its Not-So-Secret Weapon
In the gameplay footage for Crafter’s Heaven that’s viewable via the game’s Steam page, there’s a moment where the depth of the building is on full display. While anyone would expect a Minecraft-like to have base-building elements, what’s particularly cool about Crafter’s Heaven is that players build their own gear piece by piece. They can place a stick on a small grid before attaching and shaping pieces of metal to create an axe, and the same process can allow them to make a sword or a shovel. From there, they can chop trees, mine rocks for minerals, and so on, gathering materials to keep crafting whatever they desire next.
As they acquire said materials, they’ll encounter hostile creatures like snakes and potential food like pigs, similar to Minecraft (though with less fantastical enemies). They’ll manage their health, hunger, and stamina as they go, and there will apparently be secrets worth finding on their journeys. One example of this is chests, which are shown in the trailer and screenshots. In addition to scavenging and crafting, players will be able to setup farms, which should make it easier to keep their character fed. There’s also the potential to make pipes, which should allow for an irrigation system if they’re properly hooked up to a well. And while there aren’t many details available on the RPG systems just yet, the mechanics are confirmed to be present via the game’s Steam description.
As is often the case with Minecraft, the goal for many players is to complete whatever large building projects they can cook up in their heads, something that Crafters Heaven also allows for. In one of the screenshots for the game, multiple large houses are shown side-by-side, and it will be interesting to see how much players can deck them out. In addition to rustic houses, wooden cabins and stone castles are mentioned as potential building types, and they could only be the tip of the iceberg based on how much freedom the weapon crafting mechanic seems to give.
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Despite Its Similarities, Crafter’s Heaven Isn’t a Minecraft Clone
Sure, the intentionally simple art style, the health, food, and inventory bars, and the sense of freedom to do whatever you desire instead of following a structured narrative are all Minecraft staples, but Crafter’s Heaven still has its differences. Its melee animations are a fair bit less polished than Mojang’s game (though that could change by the time the game fully releases), and it offers blood and gore, two things that the family-friendly Minecraft avoids. Additionally, it’s listed as a singleplayer game and there’s no mention of world generation, so those who love playing in randomized Minecraft worlds with their friends may prefer Hytale as an alternative instead. For those who don’t mind exploring a world all on their own, though, this game should offer hours of enjoyment and plenty of replayability.
Regardless, Crafters Heaven looks interesting, as being able to create one’s own armor and weaponry is a cool concept that other sandbox games could learn from. Not only can interested fans add it to their wishlists, but a Steam demo is teased on the page that will allow players to test the game before they purchase it. Despite being made by a single developer named David Aust, Crafters Heaven seems to have a whole lot of depth, and it’s shaping up to be the latest in a long line of interesting indie games available on Steam.
