As one of the most beloved video games ever made — and one of the most remastered, as it’s available to play virtually everywhere — many gamers have experienced The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim at least once. Some have played it time and time again, getting extra life out of the game through different faction playthroughs, characters inspired by other franchises, and mods. Those who have played Skyrim more times than they can count, but are tired of waiting for Bethesda to finally release The Elder Scrolls 6, will want to have Lay of the Land on their radar. And a recommendation for this exciting Steam game only becomes easier if one also has a fondness for Minecraft.
There are plenty of open-world games that strive to recreate the magic of Skyrim, just as there are numerous sandbox titles that do their best to resemble Minecraft, but Lay of the Land merging the two might just be a perfect combination. Combat and adventuring mirrors Bethesda’s work, while the building and visual style has clear Minecraft vibes. Its release isn’t too far off, either, meaning that players craving something to scratch their Skyrim itch without playing the same 15-year-old game will soon have a new option available to them on Steam.
New Open-World Game on Steam is Basically Minecraft if it were Made with Crash Test Dummies
If you’re looking for a Minecraft alternative beyond the extremely similar Hytale, this wacky Steam game starring crash test dummies is for you.
Lay of the Land Features at a Glance
- EXPLORE a procedurally generated world full of distinct biomes with unique wildlife and points of interest.
- BUILD anything you desire, from cottages to castles using a mix of pre-fabs, circular structures, sloped roofs, and more.
- FIGHT in a fully destructable world using melee weapons, magic, and ranged armaments.
- ENCOUNTER various threats, from humanoid mushrooms to full-on boss battles.
- CRAFT gear by physically combining the items instead of navigating a series of menus, adding to the sense of immersion.
…a sandbox adventure game set in a fantasy world where everything is physically simulated. Use the environment to your advantage and Explore, Fight, Loot and Build your way through mysterious lands.
Balance the critic averages
Balance the critic averages
Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)
Lay of the Land Seems Like a Perfect Blend of Exploration and Building
Lay of the Land seems to split its Skyrim and Minecraft vibes directly down the middle. On the Skyrim front, there is an emphasis on combat, which sees players encountering unique creatures in every biome of the world. Sometimes, they’ll be battling skeletons. Other times, they’ll find themselves clashing with small (or giant) mushroom creatures. And if that wasn’t enough, they can also expect to encounter some boss battles, with the trailer featuring a battle against a banshee with a health bar at the top of the screen. This combat looks a bit deeper than Minecraft, as in addition to proper melee combos and a shield to block, players can wield ranged explosive attacks via a wand to use the environment as a weapon and open up new pathways to approach a fight. Spells are also available to the player, making combat even more varied.
Instead of crafting weapons and other gear through a menu, fans of this promising Steam game will do so via a “physically based crafting system.” They’ll gather ore and wood like in Minecraft, sure, but they’ll actually build the desired gear themselves by doing things like placing the required items on an anvil and smacking it with a crafting hammer. They’ll make an axe out of some stone, rope, and twigs, too, and cooking actually sees them placing items on the fire and seeing them change. All of this should go a long way to enhance immersion, which, and when combined with the exploration of an open-world, could really resemble the detailed versions of Skyrim some modders have come up with.
Those striving to fully explore this open-world game will find the following biomes on their journeys:
- Overgrown ruins
- Temples
- Winding caves
- Beautiful forests
- Jagged mountains
- Arid deserts
While the world players explore will feel seamless thanks to water carving channels through valleys and roads naturally linking certain locations together, this is all achieved through “layered simulations” and procedural generation — an approach that will no-doubt be familiar to Minecraft fans. This goes hand-in-hand with the freedom to build homes, castles, and so on, though Lay of the Land actually offers more freedom than Mojang’s game in this regard. While the block building of Minecraft is iconic, it is limited, which thankfully cannot be said about Lay of the Land’s voxel building system. Not only can players raise terrain instead of needing to sculpt huge building areas, but they can make circular and sloped structures “effortlessly.” Players can simply draw paths into the ground as well, and there are numerous prefab decorations available like windows, fences, tables, and shelves.
Like Skyrim, Players Will Be Adventuring on Their Own
All of the above combined with the familiar art style directly evokes the feelings of playing Minecraft, but its important to note that Lay of the Land is a singleplayer game like Skyrim. Minecraft fans may see it in action and instantly desire the option to explore and build with their friends, but based on the tags for the game, it seems like this charming open-world sandbox can only be appreciated on one’s own. Fortunately, the recently released Hytale should be a good option for those who desire a co-op Minecraft alternative.
For players willing to play a Minecraft– and Skyrim-like title on their own, though, Lay of the Land looks extremely promising. Developer Southern Cross Interactive seems to be offering the perfect mix of action, exploration, and building, ensuring that the game caters to adventurers and crafters equally. The crafting system looks genuinely cool, too, and it would be great to see realistic AAA games take some inspiration from Lay of the Land in this regard, as it would fit a range of experiences very well. With the game’s release just weeks away at the time of writing, there should be plenty of Steam reviews soon that answer the question of whether Lay of the Land plays as good as it looks.
