BitCraft: Age Of Automata Closed Alpha Access First Impressions — RuneScape Meets Palia

BitCraft: Age of Automata, or just “BitCraft,” is an upcoming survival sandbox MMO by Clockwork Labs. You craft and build with others to create entire civilizations from the ground up across expansive open environments. The entire game hinges on social interaction and cooperation within its single, massive, editable, one-server world where players collaborate to construct camps, towns, villages, cities, and eventually empires across continents and oceans.

Fortunately, BitCraft — the self-proclaimed “first large scale survival crafting MMORPG” — is currently holding a Closed Alpha Access and I got to see what this game is all about...and no, it has nothing to do with crypto, despite "bit" being in the name.

From the get go, BitCraft enthralled me. I hate the name, but I quickly got over that once I stepped foot into its vibrant world with stunning graphics that are stylized enough to appear unique and not too childish. You, the player, awaken in an unfamiliar setting, starting out with nothing except Wisp, your spirit friend. They teach you how to craft tools and structures. You claim a spot for yourself and thus the adventure begins. And by that, I mean running around gathering materials and using them to make stuff. This is a survival sandbox game, and BitCraft is not really unlike all the others in that respect.

The game does feature terraforming, NPC interactions, and a landlord system that allows players to own and rent out properties — which is part of the player-driven economy. You're able to claim a territory for yourself (and your friends) anywhere on the map basically and do with the land as you please. BitCraft emphasizes social interactions and does seem to take the "massively multiplayer online" thing seriously. In that regard, you can contribute building materials and resources to others' projects, fostering a sense of community and teamwork.

There's even dungeons where you might stumble upon treasure. However, BitCraft has no combat. (You can hunt animals though.) There’s also no controller support and a lack of WASD movement, as you’re confined to click-to-move. (The worst kind of movement!) Additionally, I didn’t like the game’s stamina system. (Why must crafting games always include this?)

This might sound weird, but BitCraft comes off to me as RuneScape meets Palia. It plays like RuneScape, just without combat and much of what Palia has to offer. The game is certainly beautiful and I could see myself playing BitCraft with my “non-gamer” girlfriend (if it’s free or the price is right). Just not by myself, as BitCraft is far too chill for my taste. I can’t say I’m exactly excited at the moment, but definitely intrigued. Let’s see what else the game has to offer and I'll circle back with some later impressions as I continue my journey!