Video Game Review: Autonauts

Developer: Denki

Publisher: Curve Digital

Genre: Strategy

Reviewed For: Nintendo Switch

Also Available On: PC, PlayStation, Xbox

It’s easy to appreciate simulation games that try something new. This is especially so when they are abstract but still able to be grasped by the general public. Autonauts answers the call from those who want something different, yet gripping. It has a nice hook, and once players get used to the formula, has tons of potential with its programming mechanics. 

In Autonauts, players will settle uninhabited planets by gathering resources and using robots to automate the entire settling process. Players will start out by cutting trees and mining rocks, using primitive tools to progress. It doesn’t take long for the robots to be built, and players will use these to create a sustainable life on their new planet. 

Autonauts has the potential to be complex, and while there is plenty of depth to it, it rarely feels overwhelming. The early portion of the campaign is full of fantastic tutorials that give players just enough of what they need. The systems never feel like too much to grasp, and the tutorials are never too repetitive. It won’t take long for players to have the crafting figured out and they suddenly have a city with actual people living there. 

Once they have built enough and have gotten enough blueprints from their colony’s inhabitants, players will be programming robots to do all of the work for them. Like the early game, players are walked through this rather well, and by the end of everything, it feels like the only limits are the imagination. Patterns can be as simple as programming one robot to walk to a resource and gather it. Another robot can build tools when they break. Eventually, they will be doing much more complex routines.

Players that are willing to learn the advanced programming in the late game will get the most out of Autonauts. The late game feels as much a management game as it is a programming one. Robots will be constantly upgraded, having outgrown their previous duties. Coming up with cutting edge programs feels satisfying. Players will find that there aren’t any console games like Autonauts. It does what it does exceptionally well. 

Visually, Autonauts trades high fidelity graphics and realism for blocky and colorful graphics. The designs are about as complex as you would find in something like Minecraft. Still, the game is much cuter than Minecraft. The humans have little expressive faces, and the bright pastel textures don’t distract or overwhelm. If the cute aesthetic jives with the player, this is an excellent looking game.

Autonauts  runs fine throughout on the Switch’s hardware, with solid performance. The only real downside here is the control scheme. Autonauts isn’t optimized for buttons, and trying to get every program to work can sometimes be a hassle. It’s clear that this game was designed for a mouse and keyboard. Still, if players can adapt to these controls, they will have a wonderful time.