To be honest, when I first saw the promotional picture of "Taoyuan", I clicked on it with the mentality of "another skin-changing simulation business". But after actually playing it for a few hours, I have to retract this bias. This is a very solid buy-out mobile game with no in-app purchases, no stamina bars, and no forced ads. When you open it, you will find a wasteland and your hands.
Let's talk about the picture first. The overall style is a cartoon style of ancient ink and light colors. It does not pursue realism, but it has a great atmosphere. The mist in the morning, the ripples of the stream, and the golden rice fields during the autumn harvest can all make you calm down. The character modeling is not exquisite, but the movements are natural, especially when the villagers walk past you with hoes on their shoulders, the atmosphere of "living life" is very strong. The architecture also restores the evolution process of ancient thatched houses, wooden buildings, and gardens. The sense of accomplishment from dilapidation to prosperity is visible. The UI is simple and there are no fancy red dots, which I like very much. Give it 8/10.
The gameplay is the highlight, and it is also the most "dissuading" and "top" part. It is not a casual game, it is very hardcore in the early stages. You need to let the villagers eat, keep warm, and treat diseases. If you are not careful, "the whole village will starve to death" or "the whole village will be wiped out by the disease." To open up wasteland, you need to cut down trees, quarry stones, and plant land. Each season has different tasks and crises. For example, if there is no firewood in winter, people will freeze to death. There is a lot of pressure to survive, but it is this kind of pressure that makes every time you expand your house, every time you tame wild birds, every time you collect herbs, you feel a special sense of accomplishment. In the middle and later stages, we turn to management and construction. We can decorate pavilions, plant tea and raise silkworms, and slowly move towards the ideal of "Peach Blossom Land". The overall rhythm is slow and not suitable for fast fragmented time. It requires patient planning. If you like survival strategies such as "Don't Starve" or "Exile", you will find it very enjoyable. But if you just want to farm easily, you may be tortured in the early stage. I give it a 9/10 for the gameplay. I deduct points because the tutorial is a bit jumpy and some synthesis recipes have to be explored by yourself, which is not very friendly to novices.
The krypton gold aspect must be highly praised. Buyout system, one-time payment, no in-game purchases, even skins and decorations are unlocked with in-game resources. This is simply a breath of fresh air in domestic mobile games. If the developer Taojin Interactive dares to do this, it really has the confidence to sell content. Although the price of the game is not very cheap, it really becomes "your game" after buying it out. You don't have to watch the gift pack pop-ups every day, and you don't have to calculate the cost-effectiveness of the monthly card. You can just enjoy the fun of building a home. I give the Krypton Gold Dimension a perfect score of 10/10.
The social function is relatively weak. Currently, there is no multiplayer connection and no friend system. There are only some NPC interactions and the "virtual family" gameplay of marrying a wife and having children. You can marry villagers and raise offspring, but the offspring will only serve as labor force without much emotional interaction. Players basically have a single-player experience. If you want to open up wasteland with friends, you can't do it currently. However, there seems to be an official update plan, but don't expect it at this stage. I give the social aspect a 5/10. Single-player players will think it doesn't matter. Online players are advised to wait and see first.
Finally, let's talk about the overall experience. What impresses me most about this game is its "realism". You will feel happy because of a rain in spring, you will be anxious because of typhoid fever in winter, and you will also watch the small village you built with your own hands getting bigger and bigger brick by brick. It is not a fast-paced fun game, but a "slow game" that requires you to concentrate on the game. If you can accept the frustration of the pioneering period, the middle and later stages of it will give you great spiritual satisfaction.
Overall rating I give 8.5/10. The screen is 8 points, the gameplay is 9 points, the gold is 10 points, and the social interaction is 5 points. On average, my recommendation is: Strongly recommended to players who like survival simulation and ancient style construction; but if you are a light casual party, or only like one-click food-collecting games, it is recommended to watch some live performances before making a decision. After all, the buyout system is not like a free game. If you regret it, you can delete it and run away. With these tens of dollars, you are not just buying a game, but a journey to a paradise that truly belongs to you.
I am a game reviewer, a stubborn player who only tells the truth. The above evaluation is based on the current version. We hope that subsequent updates can supplement the social content and allow more people to build a paradise together. 🌺