When you think of mining or resources games what do you think of? Most would say either Starcraft, Minecraft, or a city-builder. Well, one Polish game in development might make some of those city builders feel a little short. Yes, I know cringy short joke, but sometimes you have to have a little bit of humor when dealing with things out of the ordinary. Now this isn’t to say that First Dwarf is a bad game, just that the demo felt a bit short to truly grasp the full concept of the game. So what is First Dwarf?

According to the developers, First Dwarf is, “an immersive action RPG with base building elements, which will test your survival and exploration skills in a fantasy open world, sprawling on islands floating in the sky.” Based on our time with the game at PAX West, this description is fairly accurate. The player steps into the role of Tru, a dwarven scouting engineer who has been sent to the celestial islands in search of materials after a great war. Using technology and magic to help him, Tru is able to set up a base camp and start gathering resources.

Demo Impressions

The game’s demo focuses primarily on how the player sets up the base camp and what actions they need to take in order to bring resources to the camp and have them constantly flowing. At first, we were tasked with setting up a lumber mill to gather wood and help us build our village. Once we can establish a base, we need energy to fuel the village and the machines, so setting up pipelines for water and other materials helps to keep the village supplied.

Surprisingly, setting up the base, laying out the pipework, and making a civilization was fairly easy. The grid format allows you to easily place objects and know where limitations are. Once you have laid out your design, the game builds and renders the objects fairly smoothly. The only task that felt slightly trivial or needed to be worked on was mining. When we were mining the mountain, it felt more like a chore rather than a relaxed task to gather resources. Now, it is a demo, so at any point this could be changed. In fact, even combat felt smoother to me. Yes, combat in a mechanized suit did take a bit to get used to, but once you understood the core concepts, it felt like it was moving as it was supposed to.

Star Drifters First Dwarf is an interesting game to check out if you want more from a base builder. The game states that it has some tower defense elements but we did not get to see that in the demo. First Dwarf is considered as coming soon on Steam, so if you want to check it out and wishlist it, you can. We will update you when an official release date is announced.

Below, we will be sharing the First Dwarf Steam description with you so can get a better idea about the game.

First Dwarf Steam Description

First Dwarf is an immersive action RPG with base-building elements, which will test your survival and exploration skills in a fantasy open world, sprawling on islands floating in the sky.

Planet Driftland is no more — a mage war between the planet’s four races has shattered the globe into floating islands and turned the inhabitants into barbaric tribes. Amongst the desolation, the dwarves alone prevailed, but not for long. Resources are running short, and the once-great civilization is breathing its final breaths. In a desperate attempt to secure the future, mighty airships are sent to the celestial islands in search of materials to save the once mighty dwarven kingdom.

Tru is a dwarven scouting engineer, sent in his mana-powered mech to explore new lands hidden in the clouds in the hopes of finding suitable spots for new settlements. In his mission he will gather resources, build bases, collect mana to fuel his mechanical armor, and fight against dangerous threats by setting up defenses and personally engaging in combat. But the real quest before him is to discover what secrets remain to be unearthed in Planet Driftland, including the truth behind his father’s past. Tru has the chance to not only find out what happened to his father, but to find information that will ultimately shape the future of what few dwarves remain in Driftland.

Game features:

• Explore the world in mana-powered mechanical armor. Upgrade it to unlock new exciting abilities that will help you discover more locations in the vast open world in the clouds.

• Build various structures to defend yourself and to establish a new colony for your people.

• Fight numerous dangers of the Driftland’s wildlands: barbarian tribes, wild creatures, or natural disasters. Secure the area and make it more hospitable for dwarven settlers.

• Uncover the mysterious secrets of the ancients, while unveiling the story of the hero’s family.

• Play as Ragna The Dragon and help your dwarven protagonist explore the world of Driftlands.