Manor Lords publisher signs Sandustry, a physics automation game you can try now

Hooded Horse is far and away one of the most consistent strategy game publishers around right now. The team has helped bring the likes of Against the Storm, Manor Lords, Xenonauts 2, and Cataclismo to Steam, with many more classics filling out its portfolio. No two Hooded Horse games are alike, and that's still true of the publisher's latest signing. Blending the automation of Factorio with the 2D pixel world of Terraria, Sandustry is a game you definitely want to keep an eye on.

Sandustry is, as you might have already figured out, a game about sand and industry. You've found yourself on a procedurally generated planet, and need to utilize a falling sand simulation to build factories and expand your growing logistics network. You can exploit chemical and physical reactions to develop production chains, set up myriad conveyors and lifts, and watch your manufacturing madness unfold. If you've put countless hours into the best strategy games like Factorio, Satisfactory, or Dyson Sphere Program, you'll be right at home here.

There's even more to do than build sand factories, though. You can set off into the mines, using tools and weapons to dig deeper and find even more raw materials. New technologies are dormant underground, so it's up to you to venture out and find them. You can even discover temples and structures from an ancient civilization, and there's no telling what secrets they've been hiding.

Once you've settled into the sand-filled world, you'll hopefully have enough resources to make automation even easier. You can unlock drones, new buildings, and multistep processing to help your efforts. Eventually you'll have a production chain that'd put Henry Ford to shame.

At this point, you're ready to take on Sandustry's toughest challenges. The game features an array of bosses and puzzles, with both awarding you the key items you need to continue being a successful sand monopolist.

Developer Lantto Games even released a Sandustry demo earlier this year, and it's done incredibly well. It's got a 97% rating from nearly 900 user reviews, netting it the highly coveted 'Overwhelming Positive' score.

Sandustry is coming soon, but you can wishlist it on Steam and try the demo right now. Just head here.

If you want more, we've got all the best building games and sandbox games available today.

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