As an Australian gamer, there is always a surge of adrenaline when either a game uses Australia as the core location or a developer from Australia makes it big. Death Stranding 2 being set in Australia (despite being a heavily altered version) instilled pride, full of animals we see on a country drive. Hollow Knight, followed by the world-stopping Silksong, was created by a few lads in Adelaide that essentially held the world’s attention until release. Still, rarely does a game have both an Australian developer and a very Australian setting. Enter Dinkum, the love child of Minecraft, Stardew Valley and any survival game worth its pinch of salt. Dinkum is essentially a farming/outback sim, but it is also a town builder, an RPG-lite and a collectathon. You could even call it the Aussie Animal Crossing. Either way, the result is a flavoured focus on essentially creating an outback suburb from nothing. While my initial hours felt fairly slow in barely making a change to the landscape before night hit and my character needed slumber, the progression eventually reaches a stride that sees more people, more tasks and higher stakes establish a place that is unique to you.
The plot basically revolves around your character and an elderly lady moving from the city to the bush. Old lady wants the bush location to resemble former glory, hiring you to make inroads in this great task. From there, days go by and often minimal story will feature as you work hard in gathering resources. But then you’ll have new NPCs arriving as the outback becomes more homely. It’s enough to get you started, but the gameplay is where your focus will remain.
I have a love/hate relationship with farming sims. Stardew Valley never stuck for two reasons: art style, and how quickly a day would pass by. No sooner had I tended to animals, crops and relationships before my character needed to go to bed. Dinkum moves slower per day and is not as punishing. Night is a great time to fish or complete other tasks, and overall it is encouraged to stretch out the day. My first few days had me fearing the end of the day, but once I saw a beautiful sunset turn into dark I knew that much of the magic remained later on. There is also more to achieve in a quicker span than Animal Crossing. Dinkum is inherently more active, there are animals to fight and capture, and there are dangerous locations to explore. It’s almost more akin to Core Keeper in that regard. There is much to balance in bringing this desert to life, so let’s get stuck in.
Your role on the land is dictated by licences. Want to access an axe to chop down trees? You’ll need a licence. Pick-axe to mine ore? Licence. Fish? Licence. These licences are acquired by completing side-missions, which will then see you choose which licence to access. I prioritised the licences that allowed me to buy the gear from the first vendor (shovel, pick-axe, rod) which then allowed me to sell my items. Money is a core commodity in Dinkum and is needed to progress. It’s actually a rewarding system that becomes somewhat of a tutorial for each function. You won’t have enough points early to buy all licences, so you’ll spend that day chopping trees, catching fish, catching animals and more to become a master at said task. The game is not always holding your hand either. I didn’t know how to farm, how to plant seeds or how to work out the fishing mini-game (I’m a pro now) without countless attempts. There are so many items available that it can be hard to know where to focus on next. I had moments of frustration, but in those moments I would simply explore wider parts of the map and come away with something worthwhile. Before you know it, you’ve erected bridges over water, paths that speed up your movement and tending to chickens in a pen. As the map is influenced by your builds, you’ll really start to feel connected to it all.
Combat is light, but it is there to keep you on your toes. We know the Australian Outback has countless creatures that will destroy us, and Dinkum is no different. Sure, kangaroos won’t attack on sight. But cassowaries and crocodiles are two examples that you’ll need to be aware of when navigating the bush. The crafting table provides plenty of options in building to fortify your town, likewise in weapons to stay safe or other pieces to increase strategy. There is never overly intense battles or a difficulty curve in enemies, but Dinkum wants to make sure it evokes the reputation of Australia’s flora and fauna. My first foray into the bush saw many animals grazing away, which I was whacking with my spear. I made the mistake of whacking a cassowary and was soon chased all the way back to base. You’re best to wait for certain licences to tackle such beasts. Cooking and eating for buffs plays a large role in both combat and energy levels, which is tied to campfires and cooking stations. You’ll also have gear to manage, and finite slots to be aware of. The combat is not why each day flies. This comes down to the building.
Town crafting lives or dies by options and feel. If the options in building are limited, the player soon becomes limited by game rather than creativity. Feel is really about the ease in which structures can be mapped on a field. Dinkum succeeds in both areas, drip-feeding build options that become bigger and more impactful as the game rolls on. You’re essentially looking at 20-50 hours for a decent build, and 70-100 hours for a complex build. I recommend checking out YouTube for some visually brilliant builds that I would never have the capacity to create. Checking these out from the sky view (you unlock at helicopter at a certain point) adds another layer of visibility to work that very much started with the dust on your toes. This is where I find the game to be unique – how it looks in the first calendar month to how it looks 30 hours in is like assessing two very different titles. Dinkum rewards longevity, patience and a love of the process. I learned to not stress about each day’s achievements, as you really can’t put a time on navigating the great outdoors.
A final area worth reviewing here is art style, which can also lead into performance. Dinkum has a unique style and set of colours, though many may see this is close in presentation to Minecraft. Being fully 3D works here and elevates the game’s strengths over something such as Stardew Valley in my opinion. The facial features are simplistic and animal models are basic, but the charm is enhanced through their movement and personality. There are countless decorations and options in creating your town alongside visual nods to Australian culture. Performance is tied to style because it moves as it should. I encountered no major glitches or bugs (outside of the many butterflies) and the framerate was solid. Sounds are not a main contributor to the game, therefore my issues were minimal there also (outside of some odd voice/typing sound choices). In the end, style will very much depend on your own view. I appreciate the look here, which is better assessed once a town is fully operational.
Dinkum is an Australia farming and town builder sim that moves the main character from the city to the outback. It starts slow, allowing you to learn all the core mechanics before truly making the place your own. Story is light and customisation is deep, demonstrating where the focus of the game lies. I can’t recommend this enough to those who love Stardew Valley, Minecraft and any other game allowing for creative freedom in construction. Flying over a town after 30 hours is a joy, but the little moments such as seeing a shark bob up while you’re trying to catch a fish still resonate deeply. Prepare to be addicted!
Pros
- Fantastic setting for this genre, full of life and Aussie critters
- Deep customisation in building and farming
- Plenty of replayability, reliant on your creativity
Cons
- Can be slow to begin with
- Story is light and implores immersion
