House Builder 2 - Early Access | Home is Where the Heart Lives
Home Sweet Home
Publisher and developer FreeMind has produced one of my favorite ‘cozy’ games of the generation. Whether you are new to the genre or not, House Builder is a small, but great experience. I have not played Stardew Valley, but this has a similar look and feel that gives the game a welcoming and comfortable character. Personally, as a big fan of Spray Paint Simulator and casual simulator games in general, House Builder 2 is just what the doctor ordered!
The Action
The game begins with a small tutorial. Your neighbor has an old fence that needs replacing, and you are just the handyman to help. This small task is used as an example of those to follow; demolish the existing fence, pick up wood and supplies from the Fix It Store and get to work! The game has no time limits, and the only stress you may experience is trying to fit all the required materials into the bed of your little pickup truck. This little challenge is one of many things that highlight the not-so-serious attitude of House Builder 2. As the game progresses, you will learn to do many construction tasks such as demolition, reconstruction, digging, cement pouring, mudding and painting walls, along with cleaning and mowing lawns occasionally. Each of these projects are presented in layers, with each piece being highlighted in blue. In this way, there is very little to think about and that is core to the casual experience. Additionally, there is a button for “Builder Sense” that highlights the exact material in question at any time. Unsure of what material to place? Hit the button and the proper materials glow. Have the material but cannot find where to place it? Builder Sense will increase the visibility of the blue marker. This lifeline ensures that I am never frustrated and left confused. My previous favorite, Spray Paint Simulator, has a similar feature and, in much the same way, House Builder 2 evokes the addictive sense of satisfaction.
The World
I think the sense of satisfaction and completion is the most important component to any game in the casual sim genre, and House Builder 2 is overflowing with opportunity. The open-world nature of the game is great! There are a few islands connected via bridge that we can explore, with a range of environments from small cities to farm fields. At first, the player is directed to specific jobs by a ringing phone, but it soon becomes obvious that there are many other jobs to seek out in the world. As previously mentioned, these jobs may have you digging pools, renovating old barns, or building entirely new buildings. Whether it is a log cabin, a small store or a brand-new house, each job was just as enjoyable as the last. I was racing through tasks and soon found myself scouring the map for new places to build and people to meet. There are two sets of collectibles that I found enjoyable to find: old tires and what is implied to be Corona beer kegs. That is just the start of the silly style and character this game features.
The Charm
From the very first moment, House Builder 2 is charming. Collectibles and a cute little city are just a few of the comfy components of this unique game. On the main menu screen, the player is met with a soft country tune. I am not familiar with any of the artists in the soundtrack, but the radio DJ says something like, “Hard rock for those in construction.” There are two radio stations that you can flip between and each has a very short list of background music that greatly contributes to the ‘care-free’ atmosphere. Care-free appears to be the law of the land because there are no consequences for the players’ actions. In a post-Grand Theft Auto world, an open world with cars and pedestrians could inspire acts of aggression. The game lets you commandeer any vehicle on the road, including police cruisers, and no one ever acts concerned. Any violence done to pedestrians is completely ignored and the victims in question tumble around on the ground in a humorous way. This attitude was very appropriate in a cartoonish world, and ensures that I am never stuck walking to a jobsite, or bored in traffic. I tried to be on my best behavior, but mostly so that I wouldn’t lose any materials in-transit! The necessity to pack up and transport materials to the jobsite meant that I was often dodging and weaving between obstacles to avoid knocking heaps of supplies off of my truck. This, unfortunately, has the potential to highlight some of the very few negatives of the game. The bugs.
The Bugs
There are really only two negatives to be found in House Builder 2. Firstly, the scope of the game is limited. This small open world can be crossed in a matter of minutes and, as a result, the environment can become really familiar quickly. The ease of getting around is a positive, but the size of the map really restricts the number of different locations and biomes present. Within the first two hours, I felt comfortable driving from one place to another without checking the map. Thinking positively, this emphasizes good visual navigation and map design. The size of the game may be underwhelming to some players, but I would argue that, in this case, size doesn’t matter. The real issue with House Builder 2 is the bugs. Keeping in mind that this is an early access launch, I fully expect developers of FreeMind to address and resolve the underlying issues in time. In the meantime, there is a button on the pause menu to get “unstuck” which appears to respawn the player just above their current location. This is to get you out of tight corners or out from between layers of the terrain and this will happen often. After the first few hours, every play session would begin with first opening the menu and becoming unstuck. It appears that I was getting stuck in the map upon saving my game. This wasn’t a very big issue as no progress was ever lost, but the same cannot be said about building materials. There were several instances of grabbed items slipping beneath the map as I was moving from one place to another. A few fences are permanently under the map or going through another object. In every case, I simply abandoned the piece and grabbed another. At worst, this meant having to drive back to the store to buy more supplies, and carefully transport them in the pickup.
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