Developer: Never Games Limited
Publisher: Never Games Limited
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Final Factory – Preview
In one of the most memorable FMV cutscenes in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Premier Cherdenko declares that he’s going to the one place that hasn’t been corrupted by capitalism…. space! Unfortunately for the premier though, you can’t stop the rise of certain economic systems, and so we find ourselves looking at Final Factory, -not to be confused with a similar sounding series– a factory management simulator set in the unending void of space. Currently in Early Access on Steam, can Final Factory prove that space isn’t the final frontier or are you better off sticking to Earth-based management sims?
We’ve seen plenty of space base building simulators like IXION or Desynced, and there are of course economic aspects in games like Dune: Spice Wars, but Final Factory is the most straightforward take on a management sim set in space we’ve seen so far. Even then, the game isn’t entirely devoted to just constructing and running massive production facilities in outer space. You’ll still need to build up and maintain a fleet of drone ships to defend your own infrastructure and take over hostile territories. We do feel like the narrative aspect of Final Factory could do with some fleshing out, because right now, there is nothing that really deepens the universe that the game is set in. Of course, at this stage in Final Factory’s life cycle, the most important thing to consider is the core gameplay. Bells and whistles like a fleshed-out story can be added over the course of the coming months or even years. However, the game’s fundamental elements need to be up to snuff first.
For the most part, Final Factory succeeds in this aspect. An extensive tutorial covers everything you need to know to create a successful space factory. Managing things is surprisingly simple and fun, and there is a sense of satisfaction in seeing your logistical chains up and running. The game is just complex enough to keep things interesting without overwhelming you with tons of information. It helps that the game sticks to a familiar formula: you’re still harvesting raw materials from the environment, processing these into more useful resources, and using both your profits and any useful materials to upgrade and improve your factory. The fact that it’s set in space just means that rather than chopping down trees or mining for ore, you’re breaking down meteorites to harvest things instead. Two particularly welcome features are the ability to copy and paste assembly lines, and a blueprint feature, all of which aid in maximizing the efficiency of your capitalist space venture.
The blank canvas of space may seem daunting for anyone, so it’s understandable that early on Final Factory limits what you can do. It takes time to research things you need, and the factory gameplay, arguably Final Factory’s main draw, really needs time to open up. This can be slightly frustrating as the tutorial alone takes around two hours to complete, and then you have to start all over again. The tutorial is pretty much mandatory because even though Final Factory is intuitive and accessible, it’s still complicated enough to warrant the explanation of some of the finer mechanics. We’d go as far as to say that the first hour or so of a brand-new run feels like more of an idle game, as you wait for specific resources to pour in, but once you get past that stage, you can really let your creative juices flow. Most of your space factory is fully automated once you set it up, meaning you can focus on expansion rather than having to constantly mother over previously built assembly lines.
You may be led to believe that Final Factory is your run-of-the-mill management sim, and that the space setting is nothing more than a cosmetic gimmick. However, the game actually makes good use of the space setting as a means to justify the inclusion of exploration and combat mechanics. Final Factory’s galaxy isn’t just procedurally generated but it’s huge as well: as far as we could tell, there really is no limit. This means that you’ll never run out of space or resources, but the infinite void holds many dangers as well. When you inevitably run into enemies, you take command of your own battleship, accompanied by your drone fleet, and try to blast whatever threatens you to smithereens. It all sounds good in theory, but this is where Final Factory’s procedurally generated nature shoots itself in the foot: there isn’t enough variety here yet, and apart from the -scripted- tutorial, your surroundings feel surprisingly empty, with very little reason to actually go out and explore. Our initial impressions of these aspects of the game were good, but after a couple of hours, repetitiveness began to set in.
It doesn’t help that the audiovisual presentation isn’t all that interesting. The game makes use of 2.5D visuals, and in all honesty, looks outdated. The spaceships in particular look very clunky, and natural shapes like meteors and asteroids lack texture. The UI looks cheap and generic and doesn’t quite fit the outer space theme. Additionally, on-screen text is very small and barely legible. We’re also holding out hope that a significant chunk of Final Factory’s soundtrack is placeholder music, as it doesn’t fit with the space theme, instead sounding like it belongs in something like The Sims instead.
It’s still early days for Never Games Limited’s space factory management simulator, with about eight hours’ worth of content currently available for budding intergalactic CEOs. A significant chunk of those eight hours are dedicated to Final Factory’s tutorial too, meaning that you’re not getting a whole lotta bang for your buck just yet. This in turn makes it difficult to justify the €28.99/$29.99 price tag, at least at the time of writing. However, we do see potential here. The factory building and managing in particular, which naturally form the most important aspect of the game, are easily Final Factory’s strongest aspects. Now it’s up to the development team to start fleshing out everything else, and who knows, maybe in a few months, this really becomes the final factory management sim you’ll ever need.
Conclusion
With Final Factory’s foundation firmly in place, we have high hopes for what’s next for the game. A narrative campaign, a more fleshed-out procedurally generated universe, and perhaps a better UI and soundtrack would all be welcome additions. As it stands, we feel that there isn’t enough here just yet to recommend picking this one up, but if Final Factory has piqued your interest, we do recommend keeping an eye on the game’s ongoing development.
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