Dwarves, Pickaxes, and Pure Fun !
Hey there, folks ! While last time we focused on Beat Cop together, today we’re looking at Craft The World. I’m bringing this up because it’s a truly stylish game, and I think far too many people have unfortunately missed out on it. Maybe not enough marketing, or perhaps too many games launching at once... anyway, let’s break it down together !
A Quick Word on the Studio
Before we dive in, a little context : the game was released in late 2014, developed by Dekavir studio. What’s truly respectable is that they never abandoned it. Over the years, they’ve released plenty of DLCs and expansions (like Sisters in Arms or Dig-with-Friends) that added multiplayer, new biomes, and a ton of crafting mechanics. You can really feel that these guys love their creation.
The Concept : Management and Bearded Buddies
Craft The World is a pure management game. Do you like dwarves ? I do. Do you like gathering wood, precious stones, and digging into the earth ? Me too. And for a small game, that’s already a great start. So why review this ? Because Craft The World offers much, much more than what you might see in a few teaser or gameplay videos.
The principle is simple : you start with 2 or 3 dwarves on a 2D map. You can move from left to right, somewhat in the style of Kingdom Two Crowns. Your dwarves start with nothing, and they’re pretty useless at combat, magic, or crafting. You’ll need to quickly help them progress by chopping wood, digging tunnels, and building things, all while fighting off a variety of monsters !
💡 Chef's Advice : Don't give up if the game feels a bit much at first ! It’s actually very well-designed in terms of Quality of Life and easy to master once you’ve got the basics down.
Survival : Between Comfort and Nighttime Brawls
At the start, you need to accumulate resources and quickly build a shelter. One very cool feature of this game is that you can build on the surface across several floors, but also underground ! You can even choose to focus on just one or the other. But you’ll need to close off access quickly because, on one hand, dwarves need comfort (and increasingly complex recipes to eat), but they also need protection. Every night, a horde of skeletons and undead will attack your base. To counter this, our dwarves can be equipped with increasingly sturdy sets of armor and weapons.
Digging Ever Deeper
How do you progress ? You have to dig deeper, always deeper ! But be careful—the further you descend into the bowels of the earth, the tougher the encounters become, as high-level monsters live down there. By searching, you’ll find iron, silver, gold, and even mithril !
On the surface, you can trade certain resources at a shop to buy plenty of gear. Several events will spice up the game : the arrival of an aggressive orc village nearby, various invasions, and many more surprises.
Why Do I Love This Game ?
Because it just feels good. It’s the kind of title where you appreciate shifting from a tense underground phase to a simple surface phase, and vice versa. Much like in Subnautica, these alternating phases (the high pressure when you’re deep down with weird creatures, followed by the return to the warmth of your perfectly built base) are incredibly engaging and immersive for the group's survival.
As the game progresses, you’ll have more and more dwarves. By completing objectives, you earn rewards : armor, base upgrades, and new companions ! You can specialize them in melee combat, ranged (bows), or magic. Some will also specialize in a trade : cook, fisherman, farmer... which will speed up all daily tasks.
💾 A fun little detail : you can fully customize all your dwarves ! So, when I play, I enjoy creating dwarves named after my friends from the Clan. It’s fun to see them digging, fighting, and building with their personalized little faces !
The Chef's Verdict
All of this makes the game pleasant and relaxing. The graphics are very charming, the colors are warm, and everything glows in the tunnels thanks to the ores. Some battles set the bar high, so there is definitely a challenge to meet.
Having played through several times, I’ve seen the patches roll out. They’ve truly enriched the game over the years with more units, gear, complete new biomes, and fresh mechanics. Simply put, it’s all good. That’s why I invite you to give it a chance. Whether it’s starting a massive world or just a quick "chill" session after work, this game remains one of my best surprises of recent years.
💡 Join the community !
If you play Craft The World and want to share your best bases, strategies, or videos, feel free to join the Little Big Campus Discord 👾
And if you have management or survival games that left a mark on you, feel free to talk about them in the comments right below !
