Nova Lands Review – Automation and Innovation

Going into Nova Lands, I expected the game to play a lot like a combination between Starbound and Stardew Valley. Instead, I found the game far more reminiscent of titles like Factorio, skewing much of the space adventure vibe in favor of the satisfaction of making well-functioning factory-like production lines, with a big emphasis on automation. That’s not to say it is totally void of any story or likable characters, as they are certainly present, but those looking to make satisfying factories and hordes of robots will find more to enjoy in Nova Lands than in similar titles.

Nova Lands introduces players to a familiar but no less engaging survival game experience, where the journey begins with the player literally crash-landing on a desolate island with only a basic harvesting tool at hand. The primary objective, as with other similar games, revolves around resource gathering, where players gradually establishment a modest production line. While basic resources are abundant on your starting island, you’ll quickly see yourself wanting to branch out and explore the rest of the world.

As you progress through the game, your expanding production capabilities unlock access to new islands. These islands hold valuable resources not available at your starting location. Each island presents its own set of challenges and opportunities, requiring you to slightly adapt your strategies and utilize the resources you have acquired to overcome obstacles, mainly in the form of enemies. Firearms and combat drones will be your main tools for self-defense.

Nova Lands takes a unique approach to survival mechanics by introducing an innovative twist: oxygen management. Instead of the traditional hunger bar, players must be vigilant about their oxygen levels to ensure their survival. Oxygen can be extracted from water using one of the first machines you’ll create. The inclusion of oxygen management adds the survival element to the game while limiting it to a single resource that players need to manage. This relaxed take on the survival genre makes for a distinctive gameplay experience that sets Nova Lands apart from other survival games.

The game is all about creating assembly lines, rather than building a cool-looking base. To help automate and protect these creations, you’ll be producing various types of drones. Drones feel like the most important mechanic in Nova Lands. You need them to move resources, manage your production when you’re gone, and even to help protect you in the wild.

Rather than crafting new gear, you upgrade the existing gear available to you at the start of the game. Certain upgrades can be crafted, while others, such as upgrades to your rifle, have to be purchased from the main NPC town for various resources. The game also has a leveling and perk system, with xp earned from basic actions like cutting down trees and rocks. The perks, while useful, are all quality of life improvements and don’t really have any exciting or game changing impact, focusing more on faster resource refinement and inventory space.

Until you have the right tech, oxygen management is kind of annoying and can be a detriment to exploration. Nowhere is this more obvious than the boss fights. The game’s bosses, while fun, felt hard to take on with a draining resource bar (a problem I have with Conan Exiles too) and I found myself running out of oxygen before the boss fights were completed. Your drones deal a lot more damage than your gun, leading you to play more as a support in these encounters, which is actually a feature I kind of enjoyed. Having your drone dish out most of the damage left me free to make more strategic decisions, and manage my dwindling oxygen resource.

As you start to discover more islands, you’ll notice that they tend to feel repetitive, especially considering that each island is shaped exactly the same. Although the resources may vary, the lack of diversity in island layouts and structures can diminish the sense of wonder and discovery that exploring new areas should evoke. Introducing more varied and visually distinct island designs would infuse the game with a renewed sense of excitement and unpredictability, revitalizing the exploration aspect.

While Nova Lands manages to strike a reasonable grind-to-reward ratio, there are instances where certain resources may feel either too abundant or too scarce (the former is especially true on the starter island, where resources respawn super fast.) Fine-tuning the availability and distribution of resources would create a more balanced and satisfying gameplay experience, ensuring that players have a sense of progression without feeling overwhelmed or frustrated.

Nova Lands falls short in terms of replayability when compared to other games in the genre. While the initial early playthrough was interesting, the game simply lacked substance warranting a second one. All in all, the game is rather an average title for its genre, with the same pros and cons applying here as in games like Forager or Factorio. I expect future updates might drastically change what Nova Lands is — a common practice for games like this — but as it is right now I can say a big downside to Nova Lands is that it lacks in scope.

Nova Lands was reviewed on the PC. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles in the Game Reviews section of our website! Nova Lands is available on Steam and Nintendo Switch.