Every passionate gamer has that one indie title that captures their heart, a gem that deserves to be shared with the world. This week, during the Steam Next Fest, I stumbled upon my latest obsession: OddFauna: Secret of the Terrabeast, a charming sandbox crafting game brimming with hand-sculpted creatures.
Exploring the World of OddFauna
In OddFauna, players take on the role of an Astor, a delightful little critter residing atop a whimsical, legged whale known as a Terrabeast. The game invites you to chop down trees to craft building materials, allowing you to construct a cozy cottage on the Terrabeast’s back, cultivate a vegetable garden on its rear, and befriend various Fauna critters, all while expanding your quirky community.
The demo available during the Next Fest is brief, spanning five in-game days, which took me approximately 90 minutes to navigate. Players are confined to a single biome, with just enough time to assemble their first crafting project—a charming wooden box house.
What sets OddFauna apart is its dedication to artistry; the game features assets crafted through traditional methods before being digitized, creating a unique aesthetic that enhances the gameplay experience. The controls feel intuitive, allowing players to immerse themselves in this hand-crafted world.
While the demo is engaging, it does leave some questions unanswered regarding the mechanics of building, crafting, and planting. A clearer direction on the overarching goals, such as upgrading the Terrabeast, would enhance the experience. However, once I grasped the basics, exploring the vibrant world and nurturing my beast became a delightful endeavor.
Future Prospects and Environmental Impact
Looking ahead, I am particularly intrigued by the environmental features highlighted on the game’s store page and its original Kickstarter campaign. The developers emphasize that “your choices have an impact on the other OddFauna.” This raises questions about how the flora I choose to plant on my Terrabeast will influence the diverse fauna that inhabit the world. Will my decisions to terraform new water features or cultivate groves of trees attract different creatures? The potential for meaningful interactions is exciting.
OddFauna is set to enter early access in spring 2026, making it a title to watch in the coming months. For those eager to dive into this enchanting world, the demo is available during the Steam Next Fest, running until March 2.
As I delve deeper into this whimsical universe, one question lingers: why is there a character adorned in attire made from my friend?
