We’re all stuck at home right now (or should be) as we wait for the virus to extract its toll on humanity; a penance for ignorance, a tithing for cockiness, and a lot of boredom suddenly staring us all in the face as we realize that, perhaps, our Steam library backlog is full of titles that we just don’t want to play.
Enter the indie developer Chibig with a relatively unknown title Deiland; I say relatively unknown as this website hasn’t even covered it. Released on August 9, 2018, to generally positive reviews from less than 400 players, Deiland offers a unique single-player adventure sandbox that has as much isolation as you could possibly want.
There are the staples of sandbox gameplay; farming, harvesting crops, and my personal favorite, fishing to all be had in spades as you run around an isolated planet that you are the Prince of. Granted, you aren’t the Prince of too much; planet Deiland is relatively small and it’s up to you to turn it into something larger than the mere sum of its parts.
Deiland is free (to own) on Steam https://t.co/B0qQlGzFzX pic.twitter.com/Q9KhV9kXdk
— Wario64 (@Wario64) March 20, 2020
From cooking to brewing potions, the small title has a lot of charm and content to offer players; over 100 quests, traders and an in-depth crafting system all revolve around an adorable title with beautiful graphics and commendable design.
The absolute worst part of the title that I can find is that it was designed clearly with a controller in mind; mouse and keyboard users might find some annoyances to be surmounted as they explore the content of Deiland. It’s worth noting as well that the button prompts only appear for an Xbox controller; DualShock 4 users will have to content with that additional annoyance.
Right now, however, the title is boasting the best possible price at a time where many are slowly beginning to experience a bit of cabin fever; it’s free to download and keep as long as you jump on the offer before March 24. Just hop onto your Steam account and search for Deiland, add it to your account, and you’re good to explore the world that it offers whenever you want.
It’s a commendable effort for an indie game that is clearly just that; they are definite moments that you’ll experience of frustration as it seems to revolve around grinding in a proverbial garden of Eden, but small flaws can easily be ignored in light of certain modern circumstances. It’s also a great opportunity for Chibig to get its name out there as a modern indie development studio.
