My Time At Portia

 PC
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37
  1. DarkStation
    Feb 8, 2019
    70
    This is a game with a ton of content, but too much time is spent in less rewarding downtime or grinding for materials in environments that simply aren’t that fun. It’s obvious that My Time at Portia would love to be both a dream game for the building/crafting fans as well as offer a substantial narrative. The slow pace of the former undercuts the momentum of the latter but My Time at Portia does offer a legitimately different variation on what has become a pretty formulaic genre.
  2. RPGamer
    Feb 4, 2019
    70
    It’s a lovely place to spend time in, but My Time at Portia overestimates just how long players will want to spend there. Crafting, collecting resources, and interacting with the townsfolk is all a lot of fun and a very appealing prospect but by the time I was around two-thirds of the way through main missions I was more than ready to be done. The artificial extension of the main story as players have to wait for NPCs to decide to do something is nothing but an annoyance, while the combat is generally unappealing. In the end, it’s a game that has some incredibly strong points that was very enjoyable for the majority of the time spent with it, but the significant weaknesses mean it’s not a universal recommendation.
  3. GameOver.gr
    Jan 22, 2019
    70
    A "feel good" simulation game that borrows ideas from Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing in order to put together tons of content to keep you occupied for hours upon hours. If it wasn't for the sometimes tiresome grinding and the fact that the interesting story comes to a halt rather fast, it could have been an instant classic.
  5. The Indie Game Website
    Jan 16, 2019
    70
    My Time At Portia makes up for its lack of polish with nearly everything else it has to offer. It has what seems to be an endless amount of content, so you’re definitely getting your money’s worth. It doesn’t quite reinvent the wheel, but it definitely gives the games it’s inspired by a run for their money.
  6. Hooked Gamers
    Jan 16, 2019
    70
    There’s a lot to love here, and if you’re a fan of the farm-sim RPG you’ll feel right at home in Portia. Sadly, the overall presentation leaves a little to be desired - by easing back on scope and placing a greater focus on polishing what has already been achieved, there could be something great here, but as it stands, it’s a very solid concept built on unsteady ground.
  7. Cubed3
    Jan 15, 2019
    70
    It's a relaxing, satisfying experience with lovable characters and a lot of depth to its gameplay. It'd be nice if the game took a little more time to detail some of its more convoluted mechanics, and also if some of the busywork around the crafting had been streamlined a little bit. The world can be a little empty at times, and some of the areas, especially the mines, lack charm and detail. Ultimately, it's the excellent cast of characters and their depth of voice work that'll have players coming back for more.
  8. Vandal
    Jan 28, 2019
    65
    Being an artisan in Portia is great and there are many activities to do, but it slow pacing and the 3D visuals can become a double-edge sword.
  9. PC Gamer
    Feb 1, 2019
    63
    A glacial pace and abundance of busywork make My Time At Portia a tough recommendation.
  10. Impulsegamer
    Feb 25, 2019
    60
    The bottom line is that My Time at Portia balances out to be an enjoyable farming/life sim game as the dull writing and storyline is propped up by fun crafting and exploration mechanics. If you’re a fan of the genre for the interpersonal relationships and storylines, look elsewhere. However if the idea of exploring an adorable, colourful world and crafting an impressive array of neat stuff sounds appealing, then Portia is just a short boat ride away.
  11. Guardian
    Jan 16, 2019
    60
    Comfort would increasingly slip into boredom as I watched the timers on my machines creep down. More than once I left my PC to make a cup of tea, letting the game run and the timers tick by themselves. I could feel the game’s pacing jarring with my own tempo of play, but, despite that, I’m constantly drawn back to Portia. This kind of relaxing escapism is exactly what’s needed when the real world feels like such an endless mess.
  12. PCGamesN
    Jan 15, 2019
    60
    My Time at Portia is a gorgeous game with solid crafting mechanics and a mysterious post-apocalyptic tale, but its intriguing story is buried beneath slow pacing and flimsy characters.
  13. Destructoid
    Jan 15, 2019
    55
    The world of Portia is full of promise but the time investment it requires makes it tough to recommend as is. A significant cut in crafting times across the board could go a long way toward making things feel more rewarding.
  14. Metro GameCentral
    Jan 15, 2019
    50
    An interesting attempt to make a 3D Harvest Moon, that combines some of the best elements of Minecraft, but it lacks any real identity or new ideas of its own.
  15. PC Invasion
    Jan 15, 2019
    50
    My Time at Portia is great at first, but it's as insanely stretched out as it is tedious and empty.
  16. Critical Hit
    Jan 15, 2019
    50
    My Time at Portia wears its influences on its sleeve but fails to build both a compelling world and charming inhabitants to engage with when reaching for the same lofty heights. Its loop of resource gathering and intricate building is implemented well, but it lacks the charm to make it all cohesive enough to be alluring.
This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Jan 25, 2019
    Newcomers to the genre may find it tedious despite these improvements, but if you’re all about that renovation grind, My Time At Portia is one of the most modern takes on the genre I’ve seen in a long time.

Awards & Rankings

92
#92 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
58
#58 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 112 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 62 out of 112
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 112
  3. Negative: 21 out of 112
  1. StonedKrows
    Feb 1, 2019
    0
    Edited: 1st of Febuary

    I'm really suspicious of the high scores and loving reviews from small sites. It's still missing its sound, still    Edited: 1st of Febuary

    I'm really suspicious of the high scores and loving reviews from small sites. It's still missing its sound, still buggy, still crashes a lot, still more grindy than a Korean MMO, still poorly written, still has flat characters with less personality than a British politician, and the company still hasn't paid their employees. I sense shifty dealings, which will only hurt the reputation of these smaller sites. The highest scoring "critic" reviews here are an accurate treatise on which sites you shouldn't trust.

    I mean, the highest scoring "critic" review is from Game Grin, who even are they? Whereas Destructoid scored this as 55% (trash, essentially).

    Be wary, and trust the sites you know over aggregates that include no-name critics.

    Review Date: 25th of January

    These devs have been outright refusing to pay their employees (especially their voice actors), using shadily worded 'sorry not sorry' excuses as damage control. That's the first thing wrong with this game, and it should be enough for anyone with a conscience to not support it.

    The second thing is that their marketing team is review bombing other, similar games (Little Dragons Cafe, Harvest Life, and others) to try and reduce the competition. A lot of very similarly worded negative reviews for their competition always ending in 'try My Time at Portia instead.' Yes, try the game made by a shifty developer who pulls this unconscionable nonsense.

    The third point against the game is that it's incredibly average, as depicted partly by its more believable big name critic reviews. Yet Steam reviews are unwaveringly positive and similarly worded, how interesting. Considering how buggy the game is, with its content, at this time, STILL failing to work right coupled with constant crashing (as noted by the other negative review here)? I'm even a little suspicious by the most positive "critic" reviews from no-name/mostly unknown sites. Were it not for them, the overall score would be sitting somewhere around 40-50, which is much more accurate. And considering the hot mess the game is in, it's even more odd, don't you think? I'm not suggesting fabrication here, just paid reviews, which does happen with these lesser known sites (kind of like how shady, lesser known science journals will publish anything if paid enough).

    Fourth point is that they're still failing to properly patch their mediocre, supremely buggy game. Probably because their employees are fed up of not getting paid.

    Fifth point is that the game is still missing almost all of its audio. The majority of sound effects and voices aren't in (due to unpaid employees), yet they still released the game out of early access. It's not a release if your game is almost silent and entirely missing its sound design!

    Sixth point is thst the game just isn't fun. It's one slog of a grind after another. It's nice if you want to play World of Warcraft in single-player, but otherwise the soul-sucking repetition and padding in lieu of real content will likely leave you feeling exhausted and cynical. There are better titles out there for all that My Time at Portia does, there's truly nothing it does better than any given alternative.

    Seventh point is that it's really soulless and feels designed by committee. With the dev having had 57 (mostly unpaid) employees, the game is hardly by a small developer, let alone an indie dev. This isn't some spunky small studio looking to make their mark, they have more employees than some triple-A studios. Too many chefs have spoiled the broth, resulting in a bland experience rife with truly flat, one-dimensional characters you can't wait to get away from (I really can't get over how bad the writing is).

    Basically? This game is a con. One that's conning its buyers with shady marketing tactics, and one that wven conned its creators by stiffing them a paycheck. It seems like those paychecks went to paying off a ridiculous marketing campaign of misinformation. This is not something you should be supporting, and you should be very wary of those who do.

    You can't say you weren't warned.    … Full Review »
  2. Mvrak
    Jan 27, 2019
    4
    gets real boring, real fast
    at first it looks ok... then the sheer repetitive nature, andunfeeling environment leave me empty
  3. bladex
    Feb 10, 2019
    5
    hope you have plenty of patience because when things are working it's very slow. you will be waiting days literally just to craft one itemhope you have plenty of patience because when things are working it's very slow. you will be waiting days literally just to craft one item everything takes real game hours to craft and some of them are just ridiculous and later items require a lot of these items which is mainly steel plates and steel bars those take days to get enough crafted even if you have several furnaces it just takes way too long.

    Until you get the factory which should be IMO available either from the start for a lot of money or a lot earlier in the game. with the factory you just select what you want to make and how many and than sit back and watch everything automate for you soooo much easier. but you don't get the damn thing until near the end of the game!

    in real life it doesn't take hours to make a wooden board too you even have to wait for wood to be made! and there's no way to speed it up except to ride the dee dee and waste time or go to sleep.

    you have to make something in one machine than put it in another and than put THAT in yet another machine just to get one damn material and this takes hours of game time! it gets old and tired REALLY FAST. you'll get bored of constantly going mining while you wait HOURS for your materials to craft there's basically nothing else to do the battles and ruins dungeons are a complete joke and cooking is slow and tiresome! keep reading below you'll find out.

    mining is really slow too at least at the beginning you can only lock onto one blip and you won't know what it is later on you get upgrades that fix that as well as a drill that lets you carve through the rock like butter but it uses A LOT of stamina. you can get relics in the ruins that you can piece together to complete an object you can put in your house most of these gives you an attack boost. or you can put them in the museum for prizes later.

    almost all furniture you place in your house gives you boost to attack, defense, stamina and health up to a certain amount until you upgrade your house. you'll want to max stamina as quick as possible.

    to cook you have to put the ingredients into the quick bar and add them one by one this is slow and tiresome. you won't really need to cook until you the drill which eats up stamina and you need to replenish it with food.

    farming has been dumbed down to the max you basically just get a plant box, plant a seed, throw in some fertilizer and wait for it to grow. apparently your plants don't need watering or weeding in this universe.

    speaking of quick bar whats annoying is if you have an empty slot the very 1st thing you pick up it will put straight into the quick bar instead of your inventory so your constantly moving stuff out of the QB into your inventory. to build stuff you also have to put them into the QB so there's A LOT of moving items back in and out the WHOLE game...

    now lets talk about the battles the battle system is also very bad you basically just button mash and roll and repeat. enemies won't even attack you if you just keep button mashing attacking them. the bosses are as dumb as rocks just hit them a few times roll away and repeat none of them are a real challenge.

    most of the character voices are missing as well as a lot of sound effects i'm amazed this is even out of early access!

    TLDR?

    1. crafting is way too slow
    2. the battles are bad
    3. lots of missing sounds
    4. very buggy
    5. cooking sucks

    final thoughts
    ============
    if the devs are reading this:

    if the factory was available earlier or from the start it would make this game a lot less painful to play. cooking needs to be changed and stop making items go into the quick bar as soon as you pick them up!    … Full Review »
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