Sci-fi coffee sipper Satisfactory gets a 1.0 release date, boasting its toilets will be fully flushable
Fin-dustrialism
The space industrialism of Satisfactory is distinct from other efficiency sims about making endless conveyor belts in two important ways. One: it's a mash-up with the first-person survival genre that sees you stranded on an alien planet, a la Subnautica. Two: there is a dedicated coffee cup item from which you can leisurely sip. It's been in early access since 2019 and, hey, it's rather good. We knew developers Coffee Stain were planning a 1.0 release this year. But more concrete details from management have finally trickled down to the little guy. Version 1.0 will hit stores on September 10th, they say. The complete version will include flushable toilets, a "much sought after addition to the game", we're told.
We still don't know exactly what fresh stuff will be included in the final version (aside from flushable loos, I mean). But a previous video update from the developers promised "yet-to-be-seen content, fixes to some of the long-lasting issues we've had in the game, and a way to complete the game along with a narrative." Ah! Closure! I've heard that's really pleasant.
It has already seen a number of big updates since its earliest incarnation on Epic's store, to be fair. Since then the developers have added hoverpacks, boomboxes, and a peaceful mode that renders alien creatures non-aggressive. They added huge trains in an early update. Then gave the trains signal lights so they wouldn't crash. In other words, it has grown a lot since those first few belts of raw metal were gloriously stripped from the outstanding natural beauty of whatever this planet is called. What, you think I have time to learn a planet's name? I'm busy pumping all the water out of this river.
Satisfactory has sold more than 5.5 million copies, say Coffee Stain. Which feels well-deserved. Though I haven't been keeping track of it since it came to Steam in 2020, I did perversely enjoy my time stripping the alien planet of its materials like a horrendous capitalist pig. Where Subnautica makes you feel like an intruder in its ecosystem with an almost moral obligation to do as little harm as possible to its coral reefs, Satisfactory goads you into embracing an endless hunger for efficiency, until the landscape is covered in conveyor belts and the once-beautiful sky is full of smog. It feels unusually self-aware.
It also has one of my favourite cars in video games. And, in a stroke of summer luck, it is currently half price in the Steam Summer Sale. At that cost it's pretty much an insta-recommend for anyone who loved Factorio, Zachtronics games, or other automation sims. With the caveat, of course, that you will likely lose weeks of your life to it.