There are games that you play that after 20-30 minutes you can shut them down and be ok with it. Others will keep you occupied while time just seems to slip away. Pathea Games and Team 17 have released a game that securely fits in the latter category. My Time at Portia is an endearingly addictive game that draws you in from the start.
Your character travels to the town of Portia after receiving a letter from their father telling you he is going to see the world and leaving you his workshop and notebook full of items to build. You take over his small business and learn to build, farm, tend animals, mine for resources, cook and battle enemies to save the town. Along the way you will help the town, befriend locals, build a new life for yourself, and even settle down.
The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, but it is far from a wasteland. History says that people became to dependent on technology and reached too far in their quest for automation. The AI robots that they built soon devastated the world and plunged the planet into darkness. 330 years later a man named Peach caused the clouds to part and civilization to slowly rise up again. Built on the ruins of the past, the present-day people are split into 2 groups. The Church of the Light, that shuns technology and believes in a more natural approach to life, and research scientists that want to use old technology to better the lives of those around them. It is up to you to bridge the divide and walk the fine line without upsetting the towns people.
There are multiple aspects to gameplay. Most of the time you will be handling daily tasks like gathering raw materials, converting them to useable or sellable items and interacting with the over 4 dozen townsfolk. You will need to construct furnaces, grinders and more to get even more advanced items for your shop. You will also be able to increase the reputation of your workshop by completing commissions in a timely manner and helping out the town. There are even ruins scattered across the land filled with enemies to fight and items to find.
The game caters to all skill levels of player. It offers easy to follow tutorials and a logical progression for all your crafting. If you are not that adept at fighting and keep losing, you can leave the fight and come back after you have powered up your character, weapons, and other gear. Death is also a relatively easy obstacle to overcome. If you happen to die in a fight in the overworld, you will be transported back to your bed at the start of that day, losing only the progress of a few hours. This is because the game only saves each time that you sleep. And no matter what time you hit your bunk, you will always wake up at 7am.
Your days in Portia go from 7 am till 3 am. If you have not made it back to your bed by 3 am, your character will collapse and automatically return to bed. Even though there are 20 hours in a day, you still need to watch the clock if you want to complete some objectives. Shops are only open during specific times, and events, such as town festivals and dates can be missed if you let time get away from you. The calendar consists of 4 months, each representing a season and consisting of 28 days. There are 2 different town festivals each month that will allow you to mingle with the community and improve your relations with the townsfolk. While you are busy building the town, you are also building relationships.
Each person in town has a specific job, and most of the over 50 residents can be a potential spouse. As you interact with people you will increase your relationship rating with them. Each person has specific likes and dislikes, so you need to make sure that the gift you are giving will enhance your relationship, not damage it. As your friendship levels increase, you will be able to go on dates or play with residents, this opens up several fun mini-games. The game allows you to date, marry and even raise children with almost any of the townsfolk, regardless of gender. The only restrictions are those that are all ready married and children. Some residents may even pursue a relationship with you if your friendship reaches a high enough level.
The title also features some RPG aspects as well. Each time you level up you will earn a skill point. These points can be added into 1 of 3 distinct categories. Boost your fighting abilities, resource gathering, or your social skills. If you decide that you have misspent your points you can always reset them and pick again. A quick trip to the clinic and some acupuncture will allow you to redistribute all your points to fit your game play style. Your basic stats can also be augmented with the clothes you wear and how you decorate your house. That’s right, that tacky pink couch can increase your stamina, and the painting on the wall will grant you more defense. You have to decide if you will decorate for looks or maximum stats.
Game graphics are splendid. The color palette varies greatly depending on the area you visit, and even the season. Bright colors permeate the over world most of the time, and dark shadows fill the dungeons and ruins. Even rain can turn a beautiful landscape into a dreary place to visit. One downfall of the graphics and size of the world is that whenever you enter or exit a building, you encounter a loading screen. If you leave a building, then have to reenter because you forgot to do something, this can be a tad annoying. A lot of thought also went into the audio as well. Each area has its own sound and feel. The melodic sound will quickly change once you draw your weapon and enter combat. It is nice to see the game adapt so quickly to in game events. Even the sound effects add to the game play. You can here fires popping and generators spark as they power your equipment.
No matter if you decide to try and rush through the story missions or meander through the game exploring the people and places around you – you will spend days playing. There is easily over 100 hours’ worth of gameplay before you even reach the end game activities. This means that you can get lost in the game for days, doing something completely different each in game day. I have personally spent days in the game just fishing and then trying to cook different recipes. There are dozens of dishes to cook, and most are found by trial and error.
My Time at Portia is out now on XB1, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC. A great mixture of crafting, exploring, fighting and simulation that is accessible to gamers of all skill levels. While there is a story in the game, you can play it how you want and progress at your own pace. This is one title that should be added to every game collection. Just remember to clear your calendar for your time in Portia.
