In the spring of 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons captured the time and minds of millions of players who fully engrossed themselves in slower, cozier gameplay. Since then, it seems everyone is eager to find the next cozy gem, but few hit the mark. Funnily enough, My Time in Portia, released in 2019, preceded Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and nailed much of that gameplay loop on its own. The sequel, My Time at Sandrock, improves on a lot of the world and gameplay of its predecessor. I’m happy to report that my time in this western town was quite enjoyable. Here’s our review of My Time at Sandrock, reviewed for the Nintendo Switch.

In My Time at Sandrock, you begin as a new arrival via train to work as the Builder at Sandrock. This town definitely seems run down and past its prime, but it’s up to you and your trusty tool-set to gather resources, construct machines, fix up your workshop into a well-oiled production machine, and save the town. Where the preceding game, My Time at Portia, leaned heavily into its rural, cottagecore environment, Sandrock is a mix between the Wild West and a desert oasis. That is, if you can turn it into one with your skills, friends, and creativity.

Having entered Early Access for Steam in 2022, we’re certainly jumping into a game that feels improved from Portia. Farming in particular feels a lot more akin to the titans like Harvest Moon and/or Stardew Valley. In all aspects, Sandrock allows players to exact what they want from this type of experience. You’re given seemingly infinite tasks and characters to explore. Couple that with a desolate town that only you can fix up, and there’s so much offered from the start that anyone eager to hop into a cozy title this autumn, one that will eat away hours of relaxing fun, have their go-to game for the end of 2023.

A few things from the start certainly keep this from being a perfect game. Firstly, your beginning tasks involve a hefty amount of building machinery. This is more out of necessity than creativity, so as you learn the loop of harvesting resources, building machines, and using those to complete other tasks, there isn’t a smoother way to bring you into the fold. That said, it is quite boring to begin, even for a cozy game. The cool thing is that after these initial tutorial-style tasks, you’re free to work toward the more fun parts of revitalizing Sandrock. I don’t know anyone who would be picking this game up for high-intensity action, so consider that a minor gripe.

A more major concern is the performance on the Nintendo Switch. Particularly in handheld mode, there are some chugging frame rates that will get on the nerves of people who don’t like that kind of stuff. I mean, nobody likes dropped frames, but I’m usually a bit more forgiving of it if I’m having a nice time overall. That said, the frame rate drops running around Sandrock, particularly in densely populated areas, are beyond noticeable and borderline annoying. Again, this is a warning to people who are particularly demystified by this sort of thing in their games. I don’t believe this issue ruined my experience, but I did notice it more than usual for a game of this scope.

Back to the good! The customizability of your character, the NPCs you interact with, your home, and how you design Sandrock 2.0 give you all the room you want to make this game your own little fantasy world. As you grind away at tasks and build up the town more and more, you’re guided by an actually fun story that gives you insights into Sandrock’s inhabitants. Usually, these sorts of games give you a light story to explain your presence, but My Time at Sandrock features great characters with interesting backgrounds that make it easy to immerse yourself in this experience.

All I’m looking for in a game like this is a reason to do another mission. Any number of 2023 releases in my backlog gives me all the justification in the world to put down games I’m simply not loving this year. My Time at Sandrock was not a struggle to play through, however. In fact, I didn’t feel called to return to some of the AAA heavy-hitters released this year because of the game’s slower-paced gameplay. It’s funny; I found myself looking forward to unwinding after work by working on my town. For anyone who loves the trend of cozy, stress-free games we’ve been getting for a few years now, that’s exactly what you want your time in Sandrock to be.

Overall, My Time at Sandrock is a fitting addition to any cozy Switch library. With tons to do, room to be creative, and a well-crafted world and story, you’re going to find the comfy, life simulator you’re looking for if you pick this game up. Despite performance issues and a slightly boring tutorial arc in the beginning, My Time at Sandrock builds on everything that worked for My Time at Portia and allows the player even more space to craft, create, and explore. If you give My Time at Sandrock a chance, let us know what you think of it in the comments below!

A Nintendo Switch review copy of My Time at Sandrock was provided by Pathea Games for the purposes of this review.

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My Time at Sandrock

$39.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Immersive, cozy, and exciting life sim
• Great story and characters throughout the experience
• Plenty to do, including room to get creative

Cons

• Framerate drops on Switch, particularly in handheld, are really rough
• Early tasks that serve as tutorials are boring, but don't last forever