Deadcraft: Deluxe Edition

DEADCRAFT's zombie farming and crafting mechanics definitely offer a breath of fresh air for wasteland adventurers. However, the survival aspects and other small problems keep it from being a truly wonderful experience. It still is a fantastic game that offers more grounded characters while retaining its post-apocalyptic sense of humor.

Deadcraft offers a stimulating farming and harvesting mechanic that keeps the gameplay engaging, despite the easier difficulty level. It targets those who prefer a darker, more punk-nihilistic aesthetic compared to the lighter, cuter style of series like Rune Factory. It runs very well on Nintendo Switch, and while the visuals may not be as polished as a AAA title, Deadcraft makes up for it with its unique style and creative gameplay.

Deadcraft is a standard survival game with zombies and a budget price tag. If the idea interests you, then you'll probably get a good amount of fun out of the game, but if you're on the fence, it doesn't do anything to reel you in. If you really want a new survival game to sink your teeth into, Deadcraft might scratch that itch until a bigger title comes along, but if you're new to the genre, there are plenty of alternatives.

Deadcraft has a goofy tone that's reminiscent of the Borderlands series; hyperviolent with a light comedic touch. It's one of those games that finds the fun in treading the line between complete immorality and also trying to do the right thing.

Deadcraft is a game for those who feel Rune Factory is too saccharine with its pastel visuals and girly character designs and needed a lot more punk nihilism. It may not have the dazzling veneer of a AAA production, but Deadcraft will suck gamers in with its creativity and style.

DEADCRAFT would be a decent game if it allowed for more freedom and featured a much larger explorable environment. Unless you desperately want to experience its wacky and irreverent game world, I recommend playing the far superior DYSMANTLE instead.

Deadcraft can be really fun at times. The story, setting, and overacting will really grab you if you are into the low budget monster films of yore. Just be ready to do a lot of search and fetch quests. These can really slow down the pacing, but when the adventure gets going, it can be a bloody good zombie killing/farming time.

My final thought is that with DEADCRAFT being made by Marvelous. A developer with amazing games like Story of Seasons and Rune Factory. I expected so much better. The game just feels like a chore and you get no satisfaction at all from playing it. While it may appeal to others of the game genre. It just failed in so many ways.

Deadcraft is a visually beautiful (if at times cartoonishly gorey) game that plays quite smoothly. Effective in-game tutorials support the game’s signature dual-natured crafting and combat systems. Quick action and a well-constructed UI keep the player engaged with minimal overhead. Nested menu systems and a lack of hotkeys make it apparent this game was built with consoles in mind, but are easy enough to navigate that this is a design choice that shouldn’t cost much goodwill from PC-only players. A focus on getting adequate food and water slows down the early game, but also emphasizes the harsh environment the game is set in very effectively. Overall, Deadcraft is a well-constructed action IsoRPG, and fans of the genre would do well to grab it on the platform of their choice.

Mixing survival systems, food cultivation (and other unusual things), and that essential carnage of worlds taken over by undead, Deadcraft has its technical limitations and does not delve into any of its main aspects, but it manages to balance its elements in a fun and surprising way.