In September 2014, Black Girl Nerds profiled the IndieGoGo campaign for Crest from indie studio Eat Create Sleep. Excited to say the campaign was a success and the game has now been released on Steam Early Access for PC, Mac and Steam Play!
Similar to classic simulation predecessors The Oregon Trail and SimCity, Crest allows you to guide people on a path to survival and expansion by controlling every aspect of daily life. As a god-like figure, you’re able to write commandments about all things related to food, shelter, procreation and mining for survival to guide followers. However, this must be done with care as the wrong choices can lead everyone astray, having devastating effects on your legacy.
Undoubtedly, my gameplay experience was…interesting. It’s a fun short game. The graphics were enjoyable and the soundtrack was a great compliment to the arid, desert/savannah backdrop. There were little surprises along the way such as followers breaking out into dance, the occasional rainfall and women followers working together in groups for the benefit of the village. However, efforts to guide my trusting followers in this journey of expansion and discovery were not entirely successful and were quite often met with rather disastrous results.
That’s not supposed to happen, but at least this time it’s not from cannibalism.
After multiple attempts, I did manage to have about 35 minutes of solid gameplay before the boon was finally lowered.
Why release the game on Steam Early Access?
The game is still in development. They are working through the design are including players in the creative process.
In the early access release, a play-through will provide about 15-30 minutes of gameplay per session. When completed, the average time for a full game will be 1-2 hours per session.
The expression-based game style is experimental and the developers would like to ensure players understand and can work with the game’s mechanics and provide valuable feedback.
By participating in the early access, you can shape the final product and gameplay experience for future players!
The full version of Crest is expected to be ready in Summer 2015.
For updates and more details, visit the developer’s site at www.eatcreatesleep.net.
Check out the game on Steam at http://store.steampowered.com/app/341710.