I’ve played so many survival and crafting games that I have the opening routine down to a science. This is how it usually goes: I wake up in a new environment and immediately start punching trees. Sometimes I can’t even hit trees; I need to pick up sticks and stones and make a makeshift axe, and then I can start chopping down trees to get logs. I’m so tired of hitting trees and collecting sticks. Overthrowna crazy kingdom building simulator designed to be enjoyed with friends, manages to shake up that outdated formula.
The first thing I do inside Overthrown I claim a crown marked with a beam of light, which seems like a bad system of government, but it allows me to find my footing. Then I have to go get some wood to build my settlement. And sure, I have to punch trees, but developer Brimstone has made this game’s basic movement and combat smooth and fast. So I don’t just hit trees; I give them a combo attack, spin into them and smash those mighty oaks. I don’t need to upgrade my ax to level 3 to attack a big tree; I just have to insist on it persistently.
As soon as the tree falls, the log rolls away, and I have to chase it and hope it doesn’t fall off a cliff. I can also pick up the wood and throw it into a sawmill so that it is immediately ground into pieces of wood. Handy!
This is the great appeal of it Overthrown; there’s room for plenty of physics-based antics. As I build my base, I can move an awkwardly placed building by picking it up and throwing it away. My base attracts NPC villagers, who help with daily chores. I can also pick them up, so if someone is a little too sleepy, I can just throw them into bed like the benevolent monarch that I am.
Overthrown I just got early access and haven’t had a chance to try it out with a group of friends yet, so I’ll have to see if the game continues to excite me. For now, I’m just glad I don’t have to gather sticks and painstakingly build my first axe. If you’re going to let me punch trees, at least make sure tree punching is somewhat new.