Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Twitch
    Game on Aus
    • News
      Revive, a new Australian Government arts policy

      Australian Government To Revive Interactive Games Fund

      January 30, 2023

      The Government announced the return of the Australian Interactive Games Fund as part of a new national cultural policy, Revive.

      James Bond spy running from fire

      Golden Eye comes to Game Pass in February 2023

      January 26, 2023

      Exciting times ahead, as Microsoft announced the next wave of titles coming to Xbox Game Pass for Console, Cloud and…

      Developer_Direct presented by Xbox & Bethesda

      Developer_Direct presented by Xbox & Bethesda

      January 26, 2023

      Today, Xbox and Bethesda presented the first ever Developer_Direct, which provided an inside look at some of the biggest games…

      The Kid Laroi x Fornite - Wild Dreams

      The Kid Laroi’s Wild Dreams – New Interactive Fortnite Experience starting 28 Jan

      January 24, 2023

      [This media release has been provided by Double Jump and is presented by the GOA team for your information] Australian…

      2K Game announce WWE2K23 Cover Athlete

      2K Game announce WWE2K23 Cover Athlete

      January 23, 2023

      [This media release has been provided by 2K Games and is presented by the GOA team for your information] The…

      View All
    • Reviews
      SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review

      SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review

      January 31, 2023

      As a child, I spent an insane amount of time watching Nickelodeon. From Danny Phantom to the Angry Beavers, each…

      front view of white elgato microphone

      The Elgato Wave 3

      January 28, 2023

      THE Elgato Wave 3 is an excellent microphone for streaming and podcasting. The built-in audio interface makes it easy to…

      Dead Space review – Return to the dark

      Dead Space review – Return to the dark

      January 27, 2023

      DEAD SPACE has long been a highly regarded franchise in the horror community. Ever since its original release back in…

      Fire Emblem Engage – Review

      Fire Emblem Engage – Review

      January 24, 2023

      THE Fire Emblem series remains more popular than ever and several of the games, including the latest one, Fire Emblem Engage,…

      One Piece Odyssey – Review

      One Piece Odyssey – Review

      January 18, 2023

      CONFESSION time: I’ve never watched any of the One Piece anime shows – or any anime, to be honest -…

      View All
    • Podcasts
      Nuts & Bolts Hero Card Ep 71

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 71: 2023 Starts With A BANG!

      January 28, 2023

      Natty and Jim have their work cut out for them catching up on all the esports news! From ESL launching…

      The Weekly Show Ep 268 Hero Card

      The Weekly Show Ep 268: Out With The Old, In With The New…Year

      December 16, 2022

      Doomcutie joins Stormie and Jim as they talk through mods, leaks and so much more! Plus our Bloody Good Game Of The Week thanks to Aussie Broadband.

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 70 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 70: Farewell 2022

      December 10, 2022

      In their last show for 2022 Jim gets fired up about an incident in Argentinian Valorant, Natty laments the end…

      The Weekly Show Ep 267 Hero Card

      The Weekly Show Ep 267: Consulting The Crystal Ball For The Game Awards

      December 9, 2022

      Doomcutie joins Stormie and Jim as they talk through mods, leaks and so much more! Plus our Bloody Good Game Of The Week thanks to Aussie Broadband.

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 69 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 69: Noice

      December 3, 2022

      Jim flies solo as he recaps the ANZPL Grand Final. He talks League of Legends player movements, an OWL team…

      View All
    • Categories
      • BY PLATFORM
        • Playstation
        • Xbox
        • Nintendo
        • PC
        • Mobile
        • VR
        • Retro
      • BY GENRE
        • Action
        • Action-Adventure
        • Battle Royale
        • Fighting
        • FPS
        • Horror Games
        • RPG
        • Simulation
        • Sports
        • MMORPG
        • MOBA
        • Platformer
        • Strategy
        • Survival
        • Indie
      • GOA ESSENTIALS
        • Esports
        • Conventions
        • Tabletop
        • Hardware
        • Funny
        • Streaming
        • Win
        • Podcast
        • Video
    • More
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
    Game on Aus
    Home » Dinkum Review – a 1:1 representation of Australia
    Dinkum Review – a 1:1 representation of Australia
    GAMING REVIEWS

    Dinkum Review – a 1:1 representation of Australia

    ArlentricBy ArlentricSeptember 9, 2022
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    I’ve been sinking a lot of my spare time into Dinkum for a just over a month now and feel I have a firm enough grasp of what it has to offer to accurately represent if it’s worth your hard-earned dollarydoos (dated Simpson references have never failed me in the past, so here’s hoping this one works as well!).

    For those unfamiliar with what Dinkum actually is, it can be best described as a life simulation + social game, in which you control design elements of your randomly generated island  by crafting and terraforming (alongside a lot of interior/exterior design with furniture and plants). Just imagine Australian Animal Crossing and you’ll have a fairly accurate understanding of the game is at a surface level. I will preface with this; Dinkum – developed and published by James Bendon – is still in early access, and there’s a lot more content on the way; so keep this in mind.

    From the onset of the game, where are presented with the plot of our created character being over the dreariness of everyday life, before we are immediately presented with the unique and exciting opportunity from a lovely elderly woman named Fletch to set out to to a remote island in search of a new beginning. Little did Fletch now, that island is unofficially Australia.

    In its early stages, Dinkum screamed Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley at every turn, which in of itself; isn’t a bad thing whatsoever. Cloning some of the most beloved social simulation games to date, with an Australian ‘outback’ skin would have still made for an enjoyable experience, but where Dinkum truly shines and separates itself from it’s peers is after you’ve gotten over the initial introductory hurdles and really dig into everything the game has to offer.

    Dinkum Review – a 1:1 representation of Australia
    The wild-life of Dinkum is what shines brightest, despite my genuine fear of the ocean and sharks

    I’ll be as completely open as I can be: in the first hew hours I spent with Dinkum I got a bit bored. I spent a lot of my time ignoring the tutorial quests presented to me and instead explored my randomly generated island. I thought I’d seen everything there was to see, and I was left feeling a bit unsure about everything. I loved seeing all the Australian wildlife (the fire-breathing Tasmanian devils were a lovely touch) and the general atmosphere was enjoyable but I thought (emphasis on thought) there just wasn’t all that much to do – and this is exactly how I felt playing Animal Crossing for the first time, and game in which I’ve accumulated over 600 hours in.

    After realising this, I immediately returned back to Fletch and actually played the game as it was intended, and from there; I was completely hooked. It’s crazy how following the intended path presented in front of you leads to good things.

    After the initial introductory quests, the game really ramps up in terms of what you can actually do, and you really have the freedom to make money/’Dinks’ in any way you deem fit. You can farm, fish, hunt, mine, scavenge and even explore caves if that tickles your fancy, and as you progress you’ll unlock new buildings, new villagers, bridges and even vehicles; which is a criminally underrated aspect of this style of game. Quite literally, if you progress far enough you’ll be able to buy and fly around your island in your very own helicopter (which; although buggy at times, is an incredibly fun experience).

    Dinkum Review – a 1:1 representation of Australia
    Yes there are chickens in Dinkum, but much more importantly, there are ‘Vombats’ (they’re just wombats and I love everything about them)

    One aspect of the game mechanics I wasn’t so in love with lies with ‘licenses’. Every aspect of game mechanics are locked behind the requirement of purchasing a license before you can engage with it; so for example – you need a fishing license to fish, a mining license to mine and so on.

    The licenses absolutely infuriate me, and at the same time I completely understand why the idea of the mechanic is included; I just personally think it could have been used better. If there were a few ‘broad’ license types, I’d be much more on-board with the idea, but instead – every single imaginable task requires you to unlock a license for it, which for some seems very out of place. Fletch – we are both the only two inhabitants of ‘Struth island’, why are you making me get a license to dig up some stone!? YOU GAVE ME THE QUEST FLETCH, GET YOUR OWN STONE THEN!

    The world itself is defined by a grid-like system, very similar to Minecraft/Stardew Valley, with really smooth animations. You’ll encounter an abundance of Australian wild-life, some friendly, and some being the most aggressive things you’ll ever encounter in any game; which is the perfect representation of the country I call home. It doesn’t have the ‘collectable’ villager status that a game like Animal Crossing has, as it’s the same cast of characters you can choose to befriend and keep in your island, but Dinkum hasn’t really emphasised this as a priority of the game.

    I highly recommend playing this co-op (with up to 4 players); especially in the early game, as it really speeds up the slow start to material collection (and some of the hi-jinks you can get up to with friends is what really sticks with me from my time with the game).

    All in all, knowing that there’s still an abundance of content, hot-fixes and much more to come gets me way too excited, and the fact that there’s a game of this high quality set in Straya’ makes me oddly proud. If you enjoy simulation, crafting or social games, or if you simply are too scared to visit the land down under because of our ‘terrifying’ wildlife, Dinkum is an absolute must-buy.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleMelbourne International Games Week returns next month
    Next Article The Weekly Show Ep 255: We’re Going To PAX!

    Related Posts

    SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review
    FUNNY January 31, 2023

    SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review

    As a child, I spent an insane amount of time watching Nickelodeon. From Danny Phantom to the Angry Beavers, each…

    front view of white elgato microphone
    GAMING REVIEWS January 28, 2023

    The Elgato Wave 3

    THE Elgato Wave 3 is an excellent microphone for streaming and podcasting. The built-in audio interface makes it easy to…

    Subscribe

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    Ads

    Categories
    • ACTION
    • ACTION-ADVENTURE
    • APPLE
    • BATTLE ROYALE
    • CLOUD GAMING
    • CONVENTIONS
    • ESPORTS
    • Events
    • FEATURE
    • FIGHTING
    • FPS
    • FUNNY
    • GAMING HARDWARE
    • GAMING NEWS
    • GAMING REVIEWS
    • GIFT GUIDE
    • GOA
    • GOA PODCAST
    • HORROR GAMES
    • INDIE GAMING
    • Industry
    • MMORPG
    • MOBA
    • MOBILE
    • NINTENDO
    • Open-World
    • OPINION
    • PC
    • PLATFORMER
    • PLAYSTATION
    • Press Release
    • PREVIEW
    • RACING
    • RETRO
    • RPG
    • SIMULATION
    • SPORTS
    • STRATEGY
    • STREAMING
    • SUBSCRIPTION GAMES SERVICE UPDATES
    • SURVIVAL
    • TABLETOP GAMING
    • TECH
    • VIDEO
    • VR
    • XBOX
    Related Article
    SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review
    FUNNY

    SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Review

    January 31, 2023Dylan BlereauBy Dylan Blereau

    As a child, I spent an insane amount of time watching Nickelodeon. From Danny Phantom to the Angry Beavers, each show brought me plenty…

    Revive, a new Australian Government arts policy
    GAMING NEWS

    Australian Government To Revive Interactive Games Fund

    January 30, 2023Darren 'Str8JaktJim' MacneallBy Darren 'Str8JaktJim' Macneall

    The Government announced the return of the Australian Interactive Games Fund as part of a new national cultural policy, Revive.

    front view of white elgato microphone
    GAMING REVIEWS

    The Elgato Wave 3

    January 28, 2023DoomcutieBy Doomcutie

    THE Elgato Wave 3 is an excellent microphone for streaming and podcasting. The built-in audio interface makes it easy to connect to your computer…

    Game on Australia Logo

    Game On Aus is an Australian games publication working across written, video and podcast, and supported by an ever-growing community of content creators and fans!

    Copyright GameOnAus 2023. Privacy Policy. Website by Digital Hitmen

    CONTENT
    • News
    • Gaming Reviews
    • Podcast
    • Tech
    • Indie
    ABOUT GOA
    • About Us
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.