Final Factory takes the core factory-building and automation gameplay of Factorio and places it in a unique space setting. With its top-down view, players are tasked with managing an expanding their space stations, leading a fleet of combat bots into battle, and venturing into the mysterious dark fog to uncover alien relics as well as new resources. While Final Factory offers some fresh ideas and engaging gameplay mechanics, it falls short in certain areas, resulting in a mixed but enjoyable experience. Anything in this review is subject to change as the game is currently in early access and to my knowledge the developers have been very active rolling out updates to their project.
At its heart, Final Factory shares the addictive loop of resource gathering, automation, and factory expansion seen in Factorio. Players start by harvesting space resources like asteroids and rare minerals to kickstart their cluster of space stations. The reason I say cluster is due to the fact that these space stations will heat up and become unstable the more components you add to them. Luckily very early in the game will present to you the possibility to create hauling bots that essentially replace conveyor belts. The top-down view provides a clear and strategic perspective for managing your sprawling space factory, and setting up automated production lines.
Combat in Final Factory is also mostly automated. Players lead a fleet of combat bots that follow and assist them. These bots can be upgraded through research as well as increasing how many bots can join your fleet at any one time. Whether you’re defending your factory from alien attacks or venturing into the dark fog to find alien relics, your combat bots are your trusty companions in battle.
The exploration aspect of Final Factory is basic, Out of a space game I would hope for more out of a space setting or but unfortunately it just isn’t as colourful or interesting as some other games in the factory building genre. The player will venture into the dark fog-covered areas of space finding alien relics hidden within, but also they will come across asteroids containing resources necessary for expanding your operations. The alien relics are used to slowly upgrade you ship’s stats like speed, health, mining speed and other basic stats.
While Final Factory introduces some innovative gameplay mechanics, it also suffers from lack of depth in certain areas. The combat can feel repetitive and too easy over time making it fairly unnecessary at later stages. The research tree, while expansive, doesn’t always feel rewarding or impactful enough to justify the time investment.
Final Factory successfully captures the essence of factory building and automation gameplay in a space setting. The top-down view provides a strategic perspective that’s well-suited for managing and expanding your small cluster of space stations. Building and optimizing production lines, laying down docking ports for hauling bots, and automating resource management offer a satisfying gameplay loop that will appeal to fans of the genre.
While the game introduces some unique combat mechanics with a fleet of combat bots and exploration elements with dark fog-covered areas, these aspects may not be as refined or impactful as the core factory-building gameplay. The combat and exploration add variety but do not hold up to others in the genre.
If you’re a fan of Factorio and looking for a new challenge that emphasizes factory building and automation in a space setting, Final Factory delivers a solid and enjoyable experience. I would definitely recommend picking the game up as it is still extremely easy to lose yourself for hours upon hours as you make a mess of your space station and start again and learning new things every time.