The Last Craftsman

This game is a neat take on the farm life sim style of game. The farm aspect isn't really a main focus, so much as it is just one of the avenues of gathering items. Gathering items, and specifically the tags on items, is the main task for the player. Crafting and completing requests from people typically requires you to provide items with specific properties rather than specific items. So, someone may want something fluffy and a bunch of different items could be used to meet that requirement. There is a progression to the game, so as you complete requests you unlock more ways to gather items, new crafting recipes, and even a dungeon that you progress through by playing a card game. There is a decent amount to work through for the price of the game, so a lack of content isn't an issue. There don't seem to be any time-limited events that rush you toward completing specific tasks by a deadline, so it can be less stressful than other games in the genre. As a side note, the fishing mini-game is kind of unique and more engaging than most other fishing mini-games and the fish have a surprising variety of tags that makes it a useful gathering task to complete.

Not very far yet but I've been playing this on steam deck a little bit at a time. The game really hits all those farm/life sim elements that you expect with a few twists. I also really love the art and music which makes it easy to play. A huge bonus is the dev has been responsive and even implemented a few steam deck specific fixes despite the game not being officially supported on it yet. the default control scheme suggested by steam work really well it almost feels like a native port. A few minor UI issues are still present but nothing game breaking since the updates. This is a game I can see myself booting before bed each night to accomplish a few tasks and unwind. Really looking forward to playing more and to see what else comes.

EDIT/UPDATE: DEV is very active on discord! Make sure to join for any Q’s! I have finished most current EA content (with the exception of puzzles can’t figure those out) and I can’t wait till more is added in future updates! (Also dev replied to fishing comment and after reading I was able to figure fishing out!) Playing on the deck. Not too many issues with that. (Have run into some minor problems) but It’s very playable. This game has a lot of potential. It needs a good polishing. This game is GRINDY. Combat- combating is fun they made it into a fun card game if you’ve ever played adventure time card wars… it’s the same idea/card play Fishing- I can’t for the life of me figure out how to fish. I have a rod. I throw it in the water and it twists back- away from the water. Never makes it in the water. Saw something that Implied fishing should be done at night. Tried that’.. No dice. Not sure if it’s user error or a bug… The game has interesting fun mechanics.. your inventory isn’t slotted it’s weighted. Each item weighing differently- same goes for chests and other. You don’t pass out for staying out late but you do get penalized, instead you’re “sick” waking up with half energy and I believe it lasts a few days. There is a doctor you can go to for meds. There is no skill tree, but they do have mods for your tools and other things to upgrade (less energy ++ore when harvesting etc) Farming- if farming is your least fav part of farming sims then you’ll love this game . You plant the seeds and wait to harvest . That’s it. No watering no scare crows no fertilizer etc. The art/graphics is very simple but still nice. The common areas feel very flat at times. The game needs a good rebalancing as well. Not enough resources (ore flowers) spawn but a lot of needed to unlock new craftables. If you like a challenge there are also puzzles that I can’t figure out 🤡 I really like this game, I hope they can bring it to its full potential. Also there is a story I’m slowly working my way through it but it’s a little confusing at times’

This game feels like a fresh take on Stardew Valley. The farming is simplified (no need to water the crops!!), the fighting is a fun card minigame, the items can be used interchangably with other items that use same tag, the villager's requests pay good money(doing requests is your main income, rather than farming) and the research mechanic is very fun. I also love the graphics and the music! The game is already super fun and I'm excited that more stuff will be added, as this is early access! And the dev is very active on discord :) come join if you have any questions or bug reports!

The game's progression is perfect. It might look like a gentle farm game on the surface, but so far there has been a ton to do. And I don't mean more mundane tasks, there is just an incredible amount of content! The crafting and item system is also super unique, fun, and interesting. Also, it's adorable!

This is a neat take on the crafting genre. I haven't gotten too far into the game where I found a bug. The dev was very quick to get back to me about it. So far, I am really enjoying it. I will update with more specifics as I play. Edit: 25 hours in, and I can say I am loving this game. There are still a few bugs still, but it doesn't take away from the game.

I've never actually given a review of a game before but I really like this game so far and it's a pity there aren't more reviews. I hope it increases visibility a bit. I really like this gem of a game, It is in early access so it isn't fully finished but I've played for over 9 hours and there's still plenty for me to do. I like how the game looks, it also runs well enough of steam deck, though you do need to make minor adjustments like using the steam keyboard. There are characters to talk to and get to know, a town, woods, and cave to explore. You can mine in the cave and there's also a fishing mini-game that's a bit different to what I've played before but not difficult to play. It's handy because you can use the same tool to cut down trees and mine and also to plough land to plant crops. The crop planting is pretty simple, no need for water or fertiliser. The game is more about crafting, hence the name! What's interesting is that you research materials and see what they are made of and then this also helps you to unlock new crafting recipes. The villagers make requests that you can fulfill to increase your reputation, unlock more recipes and also improve your relationship with villagers as well as being a source of income. There are mods for fishing, harvesting and to expand your inventory. The inventory is based on weight and not on numbers of items. There's also the ancient ruins where you play the card based battle games again robots. It isn't too difficult to get the hang of it but it provides enough of a challenge trying to get through the different levels. I joined the discord server as I had a question and the developer got back to me very quickly and was very helpful. All in all, this is a cosy game that seems well worth the price.

The Last Craftsman takes the verbs of games like Stardew Valley and My Time at Sandrock and pushes it in an interesting direction more focused on crafting and automation. As stated in the game's description, the main gimmick is that crafting is done via tags instead of strict recipes, so a table doesn't care whether the wood comes from fine lumber or sawdust. The challenge is in determining how to best progress when considering what you can grow or harvest. For instance, many recipes require the generic METAL tag. Iron bars can be smelted, but is often more valuable for their IRON tag making recycling scrap metal (from the world or dungeon) a better option. It's always enjoyable to feel like you've gotten one over on the game by "solving" a tag. Tip: try figuring out what different foods and drinks do. Most of the tags have a unique buff and some of them are paradigm shifting. The cons are that inventory management can be cumbersome (missing some QoL features like craft-from-container) and there are a few bugs and crashes due to being an early access game by a solo developer. You might also be disappointed if you're specifically looking for the social sim elements of Stardew Valley as those are de-emphasized (which is a plus for me).

Not your typical farm sim at all. This is a game that was made by someone who looked at the genre and said "Okay, I'm going to do ALL the QOLs, but still find a way to balance it so that it's rewarding and fun!" Everything from the tag system, to the selectable day length, to the ability to stand in one place and just.... harvest everything, make this game a true contestant in this rapidly overcrowding genre. Super hoping this one gets more exposure.

With only 7hrs game play, already know this game is a classic. What hooked me and will keep me playing, has to be the unique collecting tags. What you collect will have several tags, so a leaf can be blue, plant material and also, fluffy. Yes fluffy, cute, old, spooky, and many more. This really mixes things up and makes this game so enthralling. It is a breath of fresh air and has breathed life back into the sometimes jaded genre, post Stardew. Crop planting is amazing, buy seed, open inventory, select, place on ground, job done. No prepare soil, no watering, just wait several days and you have fresh produce. Cook with them and get some nice buffs for when you go collecting stuff. A lot of thought has gone into this game. I have played many games and countless hours. This game is in the top 5, for addictive, must play one more day. Fishing is also a joy, can easily spend a whole day and have fun. The mini game is how it should be. Would highly recommend to any one who enjoys Stardew and the like. You will be pleasantly surprised and totally hooked with in 5 in game days.

Calming, enjoyable content. The details put into the game are great. Will continue to progress and watch for future content!

Good game is good with all the potential to be a GREAT game one day. I can tell the dev has put a ton of time and thought into every aspect of this game so far and I really can't wait to see where it ends up. Should be a insta buy for anybody who likes these types of games

Super cozy and relaxing harvesting and crafting, mixed in with exploring your new town and a little mystery to keep you playing...what exactly happened to the last craftsman? After years of playing games where you basically have to be on top of a tree to chop it down, I seriously appreciate how easy harvesting is as well. Definitely a must-buy if you are a cozy gamer looking for something new and interesting.

The Last Craftsman is a little gem of an indie life sim. I've only seen one other game take on the task of combining a life sim with deckbuilding elements, and as someone who greatly enjoys both genres I'm so glad that multiple people have been taking a run at it. High points: Incredibly, the fishing minigame. Making a repetitive task engaging is a challenge for any game dev, but I think fishing is a particular hurdle for many. The fishing here can be tricky enough to be engaging without feeling frustrating, and the ability to modify fish behavior without having to hit arbitrary fishing milestones is greatly appreciated. Collecting and crafting! Collect things to research other things to collect more things! If that isn't your speed you won't enjoy this game, but if it is something you seek out you might want to give this a try. Mixed? The deckbuilding combat doesn't seem like anything to shout about from the rooftops yet, but bear in mind I haven't unlocked all the cards or dungeons yet. The main standout for me was having the second boss hard counter the most powerful cards you have access to early on - it makes sense to try to get players to think outside the box rather than just steamrolling things with a heavy status deck, but since there is limited access to cards before fighting this boss, it makes it a bit more frustrating than engaging. In my opinion the second boss might work better as the third boss, but I can understand if that would make it too easy to fight at that point. Overall, though, the card combat works a heck of a lot better than most other combat systems in life sims, it's actually nice to do and doesn't feel shoehorned in. Needs work: I do not feel very compelled to interact with NPCs. The writing that there is for them is serviceable (Etta in particular is a delight) but I am just not interested in talking to them very much outside of scripted scenes. That feels more like a side effect of being a solo-developed game in early access than some glaring issue, though. What I'd like to see: Like with most games I like, I'd love to see more accessibility features, the primary ones I can think of would be having the option for a longer bite window for fish for folks with slower reaction times, and potentially something like a slow time mode for the fishing minigame itself where the fish moves slower but the reel also fills up proportionately slower, so that people who can't move the mouse as fast have the option to still play the fishing minigame. An alternate font like Open Dyslexic would also be cool to see. Overall, the game is solid as it is, and is absolutely worth it for ten bucks. If you like life sims heavy on crafting and errand-running with a unique combat system, you should give it a try! If you prefer your life sims leaning towards exploration and interpersonal relationship forming, it may not be for you.

just found this game to be boring. the game looked fun had some interesting aspects but had no real direction the game elements didnt flow well least in my opinion. and the content isnt really there. note i have only played about an hour or so but if you cant get my attention within an hour... i mean you're probably not gonna

Amazing game, Stardew tier. Addictive and clever craft / research system with item characteristics. So fun to play ! I hope there will be tons of content because I want to spend a ridiculous amount of time in this game.

I LOVE this game! Great work, can't wait to see what the future holds!

An excellent concept for a game, with a solid core game loop already in and an extremely active and responsive developer. The core gameplay mechanic is simple: every item in the game, be it a harvested raw material, an animal product, or goods from the general store, has a bunch of associated tags with point values. Crafting, item processing, and quest turn-ins don't usually call for a specific item, but for an item tag or a group of tags. For example, making a battery requires some amount of items with [metal] tags, so you can use your hard-earned processed iron or copper bars no problem, as you normally would in any other game. But that empty beer can you fished up earlier could work just as well, meaning something that would normally be considered junk (it even has the [trash] tag) is actually fairly useful! This leaves you constantly asking yourself "What's the easiest way to get this tag?" and "which tags on this item are the most useful?" That [fish] you just caught could always be roasted up into a quick meal, but since it's a [blue] fish it might be more valuable as a dye in making a blue piece of furniture a quest asks for later. If you liked stockpiling every item in stardew/minecraft/etc "just in case I need it later" you'll find yourself frequently rewarded for your efforts in this game. And since most of the uses for an item are in its tags, you can also make a good educated guess when you [i]don't[/i] need to save something and can safely use it now. "I already have a large pile of [yellow] squash, I can safely cook my yellowfin snapper for energy." As for the active developer, within twenty minutes of me joining the developer's discord I saw him successfully discover a bug with another player and asked him to put an achievement in the game for doing something silly. At the same time, we were discussing how to prevent infinite item crafting loops and getting feedback on adding plot foreshadowing in the first week. No, the game isn't finished yet, but after about ~10 hours I can tell there's already at least another 15-20 hours in here and I'll be sad when I run out. The game is already easily worth the current price though and will only improve with time.

pros: + A lot more content than i expected from a fairly cheap early access game. There's tons of items to craft and things to discover. 10-ish hours in I got access to a deckbuilding mechanic. And I haven't touched the electricity mechanics yet. + I bought it without checking the system requirements (which my laptop just barely doesn't meet), because come on, it's a 2d farming sim. Still performs fine. But YMMV. + dev is very active in the discord and forums. cons: - currently very little NPC content. next update is supposed to be at the end of the year, so if a major appeal of the genre for you is the ability to romance and befriend NPCs then you'll be disappointed for a while. - crashes sometimes...but that might be my fault cause my laptop doesn't meet the system requirements.

If you love cozy farm sims but you've used up Stardew Valley, do take a look at The Last Craftsman. It's in the cherished Harvest Moon tradition of "you move to a town, you make things, you perform tasks, you get better at performing tasks, you make friends." TLC's new wrinkle is that you aren't a farmer; you're a craftsman. You collect objects that have tags (e.g. scary, shiny, wood, slimy). You then build things that match some of those tags. For instance, if you want to build a lamp that takes two shiny and three metal, you bring together two shining fish and three discarded plates of sheet metal. Anything shiny will do, anything metal will do, but the numbers have to match or exceed the demand. The game is fairly low on grind. You plant, but the plants require no maintenance other than harvesting. You do have to gather resources, but it quickly becomes clear how to obtain most of them. As you level up, there are more things you can build. In particular, at higher levels there's an automation system that can move (for instance) metals and wood into the forge). There are a couple of minigames that I both enjoy; a fishing one, and a Slay-the-Spire-like card one. I think you'll have fun. I am. This is an early-access game. "Early access" here doesn't mean buggy or crashy. It's never crashed or frozen for me. I found a couple of small bugs (a missing item in a list, getting stuck in a wall) but neither was game-breaking. The UI and game balance are still under active development, as is the game content, but what's there is stable enough to enjoy for hours (33 for me so far) and the dev is extremely responsive to suggestions and bugs.

A very interesting game, Its early of course but its solid whats here. The tag system for crafting is nice since it doesn't restrict you to having to use the same items to craft the same thing because of the tags etc. Characters are interesting as well, theyre designs are fairly unique. I'm not to far into the game but man for 10 bucks usd I feel like the games worth it at the very least to support the dev and see where this goes.

What an absolute gem. The Last Craftsman fulfills everything that I love about these types of games; foraging, farming, discovering, unlocking, upgrading and CRAFTING. Boy, oh boy is there crafting. Don't be fooled, as this is not your average Stardew Valley clone; this game is very much its own creature. A lot of the activities you would expect are there, like fishing, but the core mechanics and mini-games are completely redone, or fundamentally different in the most refreshing way. Not only that, but there are new, VERY interesting nuances like card battling that will surely keep you busy throughout your days in the sleepy town of The Last Craftsman, Gear Springs. Yes, the game is in Early Access. Yes, it is constantly being patched, balanced and updated. Yes, this is a game being created with extreme appreciation for its community. If you have an opinion or a suggestion for this game, expect it to be heard and promptly responded to with positivity by the developer. I have only 32 hours in this game and it still has so much to give; I expect hundreds of hours of gameplay for this one. Just buy it. BRB gotta go hatch some cow eggs.

This game has really taken the cake for me. It's got farming, mining, friendships, fishing, and a wonderful story line. There's even combat (in a different kind of twist)! While this game is still just a fledgling, the Developer really puts in the time and effort to listen to everyone's feedback and ideas, he's still actively working on the game and it can only get better. So far i've sunk about 20 hours into it, and i've barely scratched the surface of everything that can be unlocked and built and purchased. It's been a really refreshing game so far. I love the typical "stardew" feel it has, but once you put some time into it you'll see just how different it is. I'm so looking forward to the next updates, and to play it even more! TLDR: If you like Stardew and like minded games, this is for you. p.ps (YOU CAN PLACE PATHS UNDER STUFF-if you know you know)

I'm really enjoying this game. It is right up my alley since I love crafting and the hints to a bigger story is pretty fun. Right now there are some minor issues in the early access but the developer has been very open to making changes and fixing issues. I feel the game is pretty relaxing and fits nicely in the cozy genre. There are some minor issues in the beginning where I wasn't quite sure what to do. But once I figured it out things went pretty smoothly. It can be a little grindy in some parts but it wasn't to a degree that took away from the game. I really like the tag system in the crafting which allows multiple ways to craft an item or fulfill a request. The friendship aspect of the NPCs feels a bit unfinished. It doesn't seem like you can up your friendship with just talking and it's the same dialogue for most of the characters except a few when you talk to them. But I assume this will change since it's early access right now. In any case, I lost track of time when playing this so that's a good sign in my book and I'm already looking forward to playing again.

Pretty cool game. I really like the concept of tags on the the items that is used as component for crafting. The card battler part is alright. All in all I already had for less than 1$ an hour and I can't wait for this game to get more mature and play more!

Amazing game if you love crafting and stardew valley. Each item on the map has a tag and depending on its tag you can combine items to new crafts. Farming is an option but the major focus of the game is on a fun story and unlocking crafts and machines. Steam punk vibes! I totally adore the card-game "fighting system" and running around to find new ways to craft your stuff. It is only grindy if you haven't found the smartest and most efficient way to craft. Its still in EA and the updates are working towards a better balance overall. Great potential! Oh, and dev is super cool and responsive. I hope there will be looooads of content added over time!

What an absolute gem of a game. I love everything about the atmosphere of the game; the art, the story, the dialog, the tunes (all of which are outright BOPS), and everything else. This is an impressive game in its own right, let alone that this is from a single developer. Lots of interesting ideas. Can’t wait to see the game evolve through the updates to come.

I am absolutely blown away by this game! It's clear that the developer poured their heart and soul into this project, and the result rivals games made by larger teams. The attention to detail in this game is remarkable. It always surprises me how much these single dev teams can accomplish in the gaming world and It's clear that this developer has a deep love and understanding of the genre. One thing that really sets this game apart is the sense of community that it fosters. As a veteran of this genre, I find that the characters in the world are the most important aspect in making a great experience, and this games characters captured my imagination right from the get go. All in all, I would highly recommend this game to anyone who loves simulation games, or who appreciates the hard work and dedication that goes into creating a game like this.

There's a lot of love put into this game, you can just tell. It very clearly takes heavy inspiration from Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, and other farming sims, but it's also got a lot of original mechanics that really makes it stand out. The crafting system especially is so addictive and creative. It really is a joy to play around with. I would highly recommend anyone who loved games like Stardew Valley but are in the mood for a different but similar experience to give this game a shot. It deserves so much more love and attention!

Great game with tons of promise. Lots of update, lots of existing content, frequent developer communication, it has all the tell tale signs of a long lasting game. It was also developed by a single person, which is insane.

this game is straight fire. when i stumbled upon the fully-formed deck building mechanic i fully lost my mind. ten thousand stars.

A neat life sim with a unique tag based crafting system and a surprisingly good rogue like deck builder. There is fishing, farming and villagers to interact with. A key thing for me is that it has a way to automate resource refinement and collection.

This is such a sweet mix of Sandrock/Stardew. I like that farming itself is made much easier. Nevermind hoeing, planting, watering and half the day is done, Just grab your seeds,put them in soil and let nature do it's thing, In a couple days you have some fresh produce you can grill on your campfire. I like the clean lines of the game, the research abilities it makes collecting and harvesting worthwhile. I will definitely continue this game and look forward to seeing it evolve. Kudos to the dev.