Timberborn Review (PC)

It’s hard to gauge if I have enough water for the coming drought or not. I’ve filled seven small reservoirs, making the three pumps I’m running a priority for employment. But I didn’t get the science points required to get a bigger size tank until the rivers almost ran dry, so the level of drinking water in that is pretty low.

I’m pretty sure that there’s enough food, although I regret my space and time investment into grilled potatoes. After all, the settlement can live comfortably live off carrots, many, many carrots, complemented by some sunflowers and berries. Once moisture returns I might experiment with some aquaculture to see how it can enhance the beaver’s diet.

With no water flowing, I shut down buildings that use power to turn my log supply into planks and gears. But I start a few building projects, mostly houses, and stairs. I am also considering what creature comforts I should unlock next using my science points. It’s good to have a stable supply of both food and water but beavers need more than that to be happy.

Timberborn is developed and published by Mechanistry. I played via Steam on the PC. The title invites players to build a beaver-powered settlement that can withstand drought and constantly invent better ways to manage the environment.

+4more

Humanity has messed with Earth enough. We are now extinct but another species has risen, adapted, and became dominant. Beavers now rule the land, with two powerful factions now competing to draw the most support. The first one, the Folktails, is more focused on farming and if players perform well enough with it they will open up the Iron Teeth, who as their name implies are the ones able to develop a more powerful industry-focused society.

The beaver-centric universe is an interesting one but it's limited when it comes to lore and story. There are some tidbits to be found in the short quotes associated with buildings but there’s no narrative campaign to move through. Players can construct their own stories around the beavers themselves, who have individual stats but don’t display much in the way of actual personalities. I’m still unsure how these beavers, despite their limited tech level, can create and use automatons that are more advanced than modern real-world robots.

Mechanically, most of Timberborn sticks close to the classic ideas of the city-building genre. Players have a wide array of building categories to work with. At first, it’s all about ensuring a small population has access to water, a few berries to eliminate food, and a place to sleep during the night. The beavers are ready to work 16-hour days to chop down the wood that’s the basis of their settlement.

Players will designate space to be clear-cut, replanted, farmed using a variety of crops, or emptied to support other structures. Paths expand the reach of the beavers and power sources (hydro first, windmills later) allow them to put together resource production chains that grow in complexity.

Just a small number of buildings is open at first and research, generated relatively slowly at first, is required to unlock them. This includes decorative elements like benches but also very important infrastructure.

Timberborn biggest unique mechanic is the drought. This eliminates moisture from most of the environment, drying crops and eliminating river flows. Gamers need to have solid reserves of food and water for their colony to survive. Once a beaver society is advanced enough, which requires careful expansion and plenty of research, it can implement systems that will lessen the impact of the drought.

Play Video

The second interesting aspect is the vertical building. To make a settlement efficient and leave enough space for the farms and the beaver-made forests, players will have to put structures on top of others, as long as they have a flat top and the Solid attribute. When trying to build up complex stacked structures make sure that there’s space to place the bridges and stairs needed for access. Thankfully, it’s easy to eliminate a building before it’s actually created or to recycle one for materials.

A truly advanced Timberborn city also uses metal and automatons, alongside dams and locks, to remake the world to better suit the beaver society. All of this requires a well-tuned city, able to withstand drought with no losses, and a significant research investment. The game offers a wide array of settlement locations, each with its own set of challenges.

I like that the game manages to strike a good balance between fun and challenge. When precipitation is present, focus on building, expanding population, and creating solid supply chains. Drought will inevitably come, forcing the beavers to draw on their reserves and explore ways to increase efficiency.

Alternating between the two means gamers cannot become overtly comfortable but also get to experience the satisfaction of seeing supplies pile up again when the water returns. Or the crushing feeling of defeat when the water has returned but the beavers have been hungry for so long that they start dropping dead before they can take in the new carrot harvest.

Timberborn is a decent-looking game but never does all it could with its focus on beavers. The landscape is blocky and green when water is flowing, and grayish when drought hits. The game makes it very easy to identify building status and to visually asses how cultures or forests are doing. The game could have used a more innovative take on buildings but the concept mostly works. The sound design is good, although the music needs more variety.

+4more

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion