Satisfactory, the grand duchess of first-person factory sims, has finally reached 1.0 on PC after five years in early access, and it features a “complete narrative overhaul” along with some new alien tech, which you can marvel at in the 1.0 launch trailer below. They've also announced a console version, but we don't care about that kind of thing. The only console Satisfactory I care about is the one that lets you disable the fog and get a blur-free view of your gleaming conveyor belt empire.
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If you’re new to Satisfactory, it’s all about turning a perfectly good alien planet into a network of gleaming, grinding production lines. You’re a “Vanguard” working for the notorious FICSIT Inc. You’re supposed to extract and process all of the resources worth their salt and send them up the Space Elevator for the purposes of the Save The Day program. FICSIT Inc may not be exactly what they say it is, but hush now – you’re here to keep a steady flow of stuff going through the refinery, not to think about “worrying undertones”. Or even “worrying overtones” – Satisfactory’s satire on space capitalism isn’t exactly subtle.
Back in 2020, Rock Paper Shotgun’s own far-future Dickensian habitat plunderer Brendan Caldwell deemed Satisfactory a very good time. It was also a relatively easy-going time, given a fair amount of free time. “Everything can be tweaked and adjusted to keep an assembly line running at peak efficiency, or even slowed down to half-speed to make output steadier and prevent clogged conveyor belts,” he wrote in our early-access review of Satisfactory . “But the reverse is also true. Like me, you can play things by ear. Build a shitty factory. No problem. You’re the only person on the planet, no one’s going to fire you.” Good thing you do, Brendy, because that “miles of unnecessary pipeline” looks like it could earn you a few weeks of unpaid suspension.
Brendy has made some satisfying progress since he ruined the early access build with his over-the-top plumbing. The 1.0 build adds a variety of tech, including the last-game Portals “for near-instant transport across vast alien terrain,” but this requires “enormous power capacity” and access to Singularity Cells. Dimensional Storages, meanwhile, “provide an efficient option for inventory management,” powered by Strange Alien Matter. I suppose they let you store things in alternate dimensions. You also have more power to customize your uniform with a variety of colors, helmets, gadget trinkets, and skins. There's nothing like a power drill necklace to keep your mind on work and not focus on why you've turned an Edenic paradise into a maze of chimneys.
We’ve written a lot about Satisfactory over the years – here’s Alex Wiltshire (RPS on Minecraft) explaining how developers Coffee Stain lied about the pipes, and here’s Brendy praising the golf cart again. Personally, I’ve only put about 10 hours into the early access build. I designed a blockage in the melters and couldn’t be bothered to fix it. That’s a sign for me to start over.