Developer: Team HalfBeard
Platforms: PC (Reviewed)
Genre: Adventure, Simulation
Publisher: Yogscast
Time to Morp is a colony sim game. This game was developed by Team HalfBeard and published by Yogscast. Games similar to Time to Morp would be Slime Rancher or Ooblets. This game is only available for Windows.
Time to Morp is a single or multiplayer game where a crew of explorers land on an unknown planet, and they find these creatures they name Morps. They call them Morp’s because those creatures can morph into other resource creatures upon consumption. Upon this discovery, players have to build a base for the crew and create areas for the Morps to live in. The game consists of building, resource management, upgrading and many other tasks. This game is fun, both single-player and multiplayer (up to 4 players). When playing either way, there is no major difference in how the game works, but we found that playing multiplayer was just as fun. This allows for more hands on deck, which can fasten the progression and allow for better coordination when building your automated base. In multiplayer, no issues or lag were making the game work smoothly. The only thing we did not like was that players had to be within a certain range of NPCs to interact on a cutscene, which was a bit tedious at times.
The controls for Time to Morp are fairly simple. When starting, there is an NPC that shows you the ropes of how certain items/mechanics work, and as you follow through on these little tasks, you learn more about the controls. It is also really handy that the controls are shown on the screen next to their allocated icons, making it more accessible for players to pick up on. Overall, the controls worked smoothly, which was great.
Now, the art style of Time to Morp reminds me of the game Ooblets. It has this quirky, cartoonish look to it, with elements that look very futuristic. The warm, muted, geometric colours create a cosy atmosphere that captures a delightful yet otherworldly aesthetic. The game is full of colour and is extremely vibrant. The design of the characters of the Morps is so fun to look at because each is unique and exaggerated, which adds charm to this game. I really enjoyed the different regions within the planet and how each was detailed with something different. The different regions have unique Morps, forgables, and items for you to collect. By far, my favourite part of the visuals would have to be the Morps and how each one looks so cute and distinctive. The character interaction is also so much fun in the game as there are so many cutscenes and dialogues that you can have to further progress the game. Each character has a quirkiness personality which matches their character design. Alongside the visuals, the soundtrack and sound effects really bring the game to life. I love the noises the characters and Morphs make, which is really funny. I feel that the soundtrack could be a bit more dynamic, especially when in comparison to the visuals, but it has a bubble and whimsical atmosphere to it.
This game comes with a lot to offer, which makes the game so much more interesting. First off, there are a number of tasks that you can complete which take time for players to build up, which I absolutely love. The overall goal of this game is to automate the production processes through the resources you collect from the Morps. As you complete various tasks, you unlock more resources that you can use to further unlock crafting recipes for machines that may be useful in your automation. Because of this, strategy automation builds to allow for players to slowly progress, giving Time to Morp a great gameplay time value.
The second thing this game has to offer is the Morps themselves. Each Morp has its check-in to which you can see if they are happy enough to be producing, resources and what their likes/dislikes are. Beyond just that, the Morps can adapt and evolve to better your production. This allows players to properly take care of their Morps to get them to their best abilities. The third thing to offer is the UI for this game is also very player-friendly which keeps an account for everything that you have encountered, much like a glossary, and having the ability to scan for items is such a good way to not waste lots of time looking for the wrong thing. Even though the UI is quite handy when it comes to exploring, I do wish there was a map that would just make the game so much better with coordination and maybe have the ability to put waypoints and such (especially in a multiplayer world).
Both myself and my friend found this game to be so much fun. When we were brought into the main menu screen where we could customise our characters, we knew that the game was going to be promising, and it sure was. The game does consist of a lot of trial and error to make sure certain things work better in one way or another, but this does not take away from the experience whatsoever. It is good to keep in mind that the game is in Early Access.
If you are looking to play a quirky, fun colony sim game that has a charming design and a whimsical soundtrack. A game that offers a creative experience for either yourself or others, then this game will fully immerse into the world of Morps and automation. Time to Morp is a wholesome, complex game that you should definitely check out!
Overall: 9/10
This is S & S. We are world game explorers. We play games. We have played over 10,000+ games! We travel, we write reviews AND we play more games!!!!
