Overthrown is a unique sandbox game "relative to most of the genre," with an ever-changing world that separates itself from genre giants like Minecraft

After proving itself as one of our favorite Steam Next Fest games earlier this fall, Overthrown is finally available to play in full - and according to developer Brimstone, it's a worthy title to pick up for any fans of the sandbox genre looking for something a little bit different.

Overthrown is anything but "normal" - it's a city-builder sandbox hybrid in which you can lift and chuck pretty much anything you want, from boulders to buildings. Brimstone doesn't shy away from the unconventional either, opting to axe expected mechanics such as fall damage because it's "annoying" and setting Overthrown apart from genre giants like Minecraft with a unique twist on procedurally generated worlds.

In an interview with 12DOVE, the developers delve into what makes their new game a one-of-a-kind experience amid other sandbox gems like Mojang's own. "While we're fans of the sandbox genre in general," writes Brimstone, "there are certain elements we find to be a bit tedious such as inventory management and the general grind necessary to progress and establish a settlement."

The devs say they hoped to avoid this grind: "What we wanted to do differently was to be able to automate away the repetitiveness with NPC citizens handling that and letting the player focus on exploration and combat instead, able to help out with resource gathering to speed things up, but still free to do something else instead." Their goal with Overthrown is simple - freedom and fun without stress.

"Our goal with Overthrown is to have a sandbox game that the player can just jump in and play by themselves or with friends, without feeling like they have to follow guides," as the studio puts it, "or min/max things to have fun." Whether a player is looking for a more relaxed experience or some action-packed combat, they can find it - and also seamlessly swap between both styles of play as they please.

"Sometimes when I play I might spend a whole season just expanding and gathering nearby resources," explains a dev, "and at other times I'm hunting (i.e. toying with) outlaws for a few days. It feels really flexible moving between the two." Brimstone is doing its best to ensure that Overthrown never feels empty, too - a problem that all too many sandbox titles arguably seem to fall victim to.

"The wilderness is something that we don't want to feel empty," describes the studio, "and that's why we have several updates planned that will increase the variety of the world with new creatures, plants, and encampments." There's already plenty to liven up the world as the game sits in early access, however, and Brimstone says it's part of what makes Overthrown so different from other games with sandbox-aligned play.

"Something that's unique in the game relative to most of the genre is that instead of having a procedural world that stays the same once generated (barring player input), in Overthrown new plants sprout and grow between seasons, and creature nests and outlaw camps appear in the wilderness," write the devs. These enemies can then actually fight each other "even if the player isn't there to observe it."

This means that everything essentially keeps ticking just like it does in the real world, and players can interfere if they choose to. For instance, one could raid outlaws' bases before they've had the chance to recruit new members. If they don't, the outlaws could grow in size and become strong enough to attack. To add to this realism, Brimstone also has some changes up its sleeve relevant to the environment in Overthrown.

"In future updates, we're adding pollution that turns zones barren if excessive," reveal the devs, "and the tree density in an area will determine if a region counts as forest or grassland, meaning that excessive logging will make medicinal herbs and mushrooms stop spawning." It's a layer of realism I wouldn't have expected from the game that allows us to chuck entire factories with ease, but I'm so here for it.

If Overthrown sounds like it's up your alley as well, whether it be for its chaotic physics or for its city-builder mechanics and real-world flair, you can snag it now while it's in early access on Steam. The game will also launch on the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 in the future, so if you're on console you don't have to worry about missing out - I know I certainly wouldn't want to.

Looking for more of this year's bangers to play? Here are the best games of 2024 to check out.