Sequels can be a chance for developers to not only iterate on an earlier title but really get it right. Based on the current level of public interest, Pathea Games’ new title My Time At Sandrock really seems to have got it right.
Pathea Games’ first life sim title, My Time At Portia, was fine. When I played it on Nintendo Switch, it definitely had its issues in terms of controls and general gameplay, and I struggled to get into it. I’d agree with Leah in her review of it for The AU Review, where she said it’s ‘only just playable’.
However, according to the numbers, it seems like the follow-up My Time At Sandrock learned from its mistakes. The sequel hit early access just last week and, according to SteamDB, My Time At Sandrock has already surpassed My Time At Portia’s all-time concurrent players.
Reported by PC Gamer, My Time At Portia‘s lifetime number of concurrent users for PC was 13,299. On My Time At Sandrock’s launch day of May 26th, it had 18,500 users. As of writing, it has reached a high of 21,778 users.
While the game has only just released in early access, My Time At Sandrock is already proving to be quite the step up from its predecessor. With over 2,000 reviews on Steam currently, the consensus is ‘mostly positive’.
One review says as follows:
My Time at Sandrock is the game that My Time at Portia wanted to be. Portia was a commendable effort from a new studio that fell flat and felt unpolished. Sandrock is an evolution that shows they’ve gained experience and confidence in their new franchise.
The visuals look a lot more polished, and the game seems to generally be an improvement on their first attempt. While there’s a clear change in gameplay, with your character being a builder rather than a farmer, My Time At Sandrock is already proving itself to be a worthy successor.
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