The Crust Steam Charts & Stats

Damn this game is good. Don't sleep on it like I did. Big yes. Caveat: UI can be really bad at times. No brush/box select for priorities. Currency balances not visible on screens where you spend that currency. Conveyor snapping is nuts (targeting center of tilebox instead of floor tile? sth like that). Conveyor building path always prefers being leftmost-cornering, cannot be flipped. Drone reassignment from drone overview should be possible. And more. Hope they do another iteration of those rather easy to fix things, as there is many.

The tutorial doesn't really teach you anything but then theres a second tutorial that walks you through as you play the campaign? The unskippable cut scene that seems to be at the start of each play through is annoying. The ore detecting system is bad. If you mine out an ore so its plainly visible the game wont tell you what it is unless you scan it. The scanner doesn't record what areas have already been scanned. It uses a massive amount of power that turns the early game into waiting for the sun to come up and recharge the batteries multiple times. The mining robots are poorly programmed. When one mines a tile it should automatically move on to an adjacent tile thats set to be mined, that makes sense right? That robot is already there, its in the BEST spot to mine that next tile, so does it? No. Instead some other idle mining bot thats a minute away has to travel over and mine it instead. This resulted in my mining robots spending most of their time and limited power on travel, ping ponging back and forth to different mining spots. Power lines and limited power connections are bad and arbitrary. Why do solar panels get 2 and batteries get 3? Why not just copy factorio's system and get rid of this pointless puzzle.

Game's still in alpha as I write this review. The interfaces are not easy to navigate. There are a ton of sub menus that have completely different context interactions. The escape key isn't a generic button to get you back to "neutral" either. I didn't actually check to see if there are hotkeys, but if there are I wish they were visible when hovering over a menu items. The rover interface was brutal at first. I final figured out right clicking is the way to go. Don't try to use the menu system. With all that said, I think this has some real promise. I'm loving the initial campaign story and base interactions. The rover interface is a neat addition to the base-builder genre. Really looking forward to checking back in a few months.

I bought this game because it was heavily advertised as a crossover of Factorio and Rimworld. TL;DR: it can't by any means hold up to this. Not even remotely. Yes, it is Early Access, but by no means has the game the depth of neither Rimworld, nor Factorio. Seen as an independent game, it is fine. But I am solely measuring it by their bold advertisement claims. And to that, they cannot hold up. The storyline is ok. Automation features are there, and the mission system works. Colonists? Empty, lifeless hulls. You need to accomodate them and they boost your production's productivity and research, but even without them, the colony works just fine. Any social life? Character interaction? A trait system like Rimworld's? Any stories about the single colonists? No. Nothing. This is not really about the colonists and right now, it doesn't feel like this would change. If you love Rimworld, play Rimworld. If you love Factorio, play Factorio. if VEOM would not advertise this as a merger of two of the most legendary games of the last decade, I would say it is a decent game. But like that... I guess, this statement was destined to fail.

Something like Factorio, but game aim's more on story telling and team building

It's still a long way from perfection, but the conception and realization at this stage isn't bad. Not bad graphics, plot, tasks that want to read ... In general, I recommend it

The game has a lot of potential; the quality of life is really lacking. The lack of being able to save or move designs is frustrating, make a mistake your going to spend hours deleting and rebuilding to account for it. This really takes the fun out the game especially when you look at the clock. I would also like to see tool tips added as I am trying to learn the game and I have not yet memorized the iconography they are using. I think it will be good but I am going to wait given these issues and more right now,

The idea and gameplay of "The Crust" is really nice and i hope in the future it will be a good game. But right now, i wouldnt recommend it, as its still very buggy. For example in the Campaign the goal is to find the Hope-2 emergency capsule. Its the main mission and its bugged. In the first try i couldnt interact with it, on the second try it didnt even spawn in. you could try to find it, scanning etc. but nothing there. So yeah, wait till its out of EA and HOPE it will be better by then.

[b]The Crust[/b] is a base-building, strategy-simulation game set on the Moon, where players manage a futuristic lunar colony while dealing with harsh conditions, economic challenges, and political intrigue. Developed by VEOM Studio, [b]The Crust[/b] combines elements of colony management, automation, and narrative decision-making into a visually striking and engaging experience. At its heart, [b]The Crust[/b] revolves around setting up and maintaining a functional Moon base. You’ll extract resources, build infrastructure, automate production chains, and ensure the survival of your colonists. You manage both surface operations and underground facilities, switching between two layers that add strategic depth. One of the game’s unique features is its real-time trading system with Earth. You’ll engage in exports/imports and negotiate with various factions and corporations, each with their own agendas. Choices here affect your colony’s growth and reputation and may lead to political tensions or lucrative partnerships. [b]The Crust[/b] integrates a branching narrative where your decisions impact the storyline and shape the Moon’s future. Whether you pursue independence from Earth, ally with corporations, or build a utopia—or dystopia—is up to you. This adds replayability and a roleplaying flavor to what could otherwise be a pure management sim. Visually, [b]The Crust[/b] impresses with detailed environments and crisp UI design. The contrast between the barren lunar landscape and high-tech interiors creates a compelling sci-fi aesthetic. Lighting, especially in underground areas, enhances the mood and immersion. [b]The Crust[/b] is an ambitious and highly rewarding lunar colony sim that blends hardcore strategy with thoughtful narrative choices. It stands out for its dual-layer base design, political depth, and resource management complexity. Though not without flaws, it offers a fresh experience for fans of sci-fi management sims. The game is an intelligent and ambitious entry in the base-building genre. While it may not be the most approachable game, it's a satisfying experience for players who enjoy complex systems, thoughtful strategy, and science-driven settings. It's particularly appealing for fans of Factorio, Oxygen Not Included, and RimWorld. [b]The New Horizon[/b] - This is not just an incremental patch it’s a transformative milestone for [b]The Crust[/b] update. [h1]8/10[/h1] DISASTER | BAD | MEDIOCRE | OKAY | GOOD | [b][u]GREAT[/u][/b] |AMAZING| MASTERPIECE [quote] Reviewed on: Win11 Home 64-bit, Intel i5-11600K, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB TUF, 32GB DDR4-3600 RAM, 2 x Kingston NV1 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD, Internet Broadband 1000/1000 Mbit[/quote] [quote] If you like this review, then please consider giving it a thumbs up. I've also reviewed other games that you might find interesting. If so please follow [u][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/27418263/] Top of the Chart.[/url][/u]

Overall the game is fun. However you're eventually going to run into an logic issue with your drones. They just won't construct/decontruct or supply things to certain buildings. It's completely random and usually fixed by restarting the game, but I've found that the long you are into a playthrough the worst it gets. It makes it hard to play and enjoy the game in later stages.