Sandustry
Sandustry
Game
Game2025
Whiskerwood
Developer Minakata Dynamics
Establish a home for your industrious mice under the oppressive paw of your cat overlords in this city builder featuring complex simulations, intricate production chains, and the age-old rivalry between cat and mouse. From the Steam store page
470 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
90
LovedLoved
322 positive · 37 negative
95% range 86–92%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 322 | 37 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 33 | 3 | 57 |
| Lemmy * | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 6 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
1,964 of 2,089 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
90% recommend · 257 yes, 30 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 287 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (3,616 of 3,916 positive).
Some players find the game lacks polish and has frustrating UI or balance issues. [1][2][3]
Liked
Representative posts
- [3]
Disclaimer: While I do conceptually like the idea, the parallels to Timberborn/Rimworld/Factorio are hard not to draw. As others mentioned there are quite a few UI/UX changes that are needed and the gameplay loop is very monotonous and annoying. I will be lenient based on the early access considerations. This feedback is only meant as a constructive criticism. That said, lets get to it. I am mainly gonna focus on …
- [11]
My best friend loved this game! He spent hundreds of hours playing it. So much so that his save game actually became a benchmark for the developers to improve the game’s performance! :D He loved the community and was always telling me about the things he built. Even when I didn’t understand a single word he was talking about! :'D And he also complained about it *a lot* whenever things didn’t work the way he imagined …
- [12]
This game only entered Early Access a week ago, but it's off to an EXTREMELY strong start. A lot has already been written about the game's strengths and flaws, but I'd like to point out something that I find especially important: the devs are doing a phenomenal job responding to criticism. It's only been seven days and the devs have already sent out four patches. That's one every 36 hours, and they've all been …
- [2]
Its good, its really good, but there are some clear fundamentals missing IMO that hold it back from being one of the best in this genre, The main issue I have is a clear lack of a main goal. The constant problem is paying taxes and pirates which once you have a simple basic understanding of the game becomes no problem at all. The game needs a harder narrative towards an end goal that demands the player to move and …
- [13]
THIS is how you do Early Access well. The game itself is a really enjoyable colony manager, just the right balance of chill and plate-spinning, but what really makes it shine is the constant stream of quality of life updates we've been treated to since launch day. The developer actively listens to, responds to, and actually actions player feedback, with remarkably quick turn around. Since launch just two weeks ago, …
Summarised from 34 of the 386 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Whiskerwood sits at 90% positive across 359 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Reactions
60 of 470 · most liked firstMy best friend loved this game! He spent hundreds of hours playing it. So much so that his save game actually became a benchmark for the developers to improve the game’s performance! :D He loved the community and was always telling me about the things he built. Even when I didn’t understand a single word he was talking about! :'D And he also complained about it *a lot* whenever things didn’t work the way he imagined they should. :DD From everything I know and saw, it’s a lovely game. And I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disclaimer: While I do conceptually like the idea, the parallels to Timberborn/Rimworld/Factorio are hard not to draw. As others mentioned there are quite a few UI/UX changes that are needed and the gameplay loop is very monotonous and annoying. I will be lenient based on the early access considerations. This feedback is only meant as a constructive criticism. That said, lets get to it. I am mainly gonna focus on the Gameplay. There are constant interruptions from passing ships which…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Disclosure: Game provided by publisher] Hey folks, adding Whiskerwood to my curator page with a big thumbs up. It's another survival city-builder in the vein of Timberborn or Against The Storm, except this time with mice under the thumb of colonial cats. store.steampowered.com/app/2489330/...
positive · AI labelView post →Worth buying on sale, and sort of worth playing... but after a few hours I'm already getting frustrated by the poor UI and lack of QOL integrations. This is nowhere near as functional or polished as a game like Timberborn is (even back during its earlier Early Release days). I worry this game will never be finished before the studio moves on to something else. So enjoy but buyer beware!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's decent. I half-expected it to be just a Timberborn ripoff but in reality it borrows from most popular city builders and is more of an Anno + Timberborn + Dwarf Fortress + Safisfactory + Frostpunk. THE GOOD: Full z-axis. You can both stack buildings into skyscrappers, or settle down below to protect yourself against cannon fire. Research tree that actually feels right. You're organically progressing through technological eras like in Civilization rather than "no building that yet just…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I regret buying this game. I also struggle to imagine the developers getting it to a point where i would recommend it over Timberborn (esp Timberborn w mods) The core issue is that Timberborn is built around a dynamic, intuitive and fun water system. Whiskerwood is built around... Paying taxes... While droughts/badwater change the way you interact with the map in Timberborn, in Whiskerwood you just send heaps of resources off map (or hide everything underground so you can just ignore…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want to like this but there are some baffling design choices and so many traps for new players. - All early reseach is locked behind one resource, and all industrial production buildings are similarly gated behind one resource. So every game goes pretty much the same way. There's no alternate paths to take to making a successful colony, or interesting corners to explore. There's one optimal path. There's nothing really interesting about the research process or the tech tree, it's just a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Even when the tax cat is robbing me blind I'm enjoying the game, it's damn near cyclic in nature when I look at my supplies and go "We're so back" Then I look over at the tax collection coming up tomorrow being three times what I have in monetary value and immediately switch to "it's so meowver" Bravo devs, good game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game only entered Early Access a week ago, but it's off to an EXTREMELY strong start. A lot has already been written about the game's strengths and flaws, but I'd like to point out something that I find especially important: the devs are doing a phenomenal job responding to criticism. It's only been seven days and the devs have already sent out four patches. That's one every 36 hours, and they've all been substantial. I've already seen UI tweaks, quality of life features, balance…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very realistic game, cats extort money from me, like my cats do in real life.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We've been working on colorizing Whiskerwood Vale lately, we're dropping the 4 color restriction style and making the game colorful! (Also don't mind the nametag thing above the player, that's some semi secret stuff we've been testing) #lowpoly #pixelart #ps1 #indiegame #godot #fall
neutral · AI labelView post →ICYMI, I've added Whiskerwood to my curator page, the new game from Railgrade developers Minakata Dynamics. It's good!
positive · AI labelView post →With over 300+ hours into Whiskerwood, from Demo, to early access and now with live, I can definitely give this game 2 Paws Up! It's a great team and they are very on top of their creation and react quickly to any issues. I expect great things for Whiskerwood. Update AUG 2026: So, it's been almost a year and Whiskers is still unfinished... Daniel has promised a large update soon (due any time now if that is the case). For those of us that have played whiskers as far as you can get, meaning all…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its good, its really good, but there are some clear fundamentals missing IMO that hold it back from being one of the best in this genre, The main issue I have is a clear lack of a main goal. The constant problem is paying taxes and pirates which once you have a simple basic understanding of the game becomes no problem at all. The game needs a harder narrative towards an end goal that demands the player to move and expand. Right now you can finish the tech tree without ever leaving your…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →2026 03 09 (Early Access) S.W.O.T Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Strengths - The supply chain gameplay is rock solid. - Goal setting. There are lots of short, medium, and long-term goals that emerge organically that keeps you hooked. Short term goals involve supply chain management, medium term goals involve larger infrastructural patterns, long term goal is to get to the end of the tech tree and break away from the claws. Great stuff. - Verticality. It is very…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Probably the most fun I've had with a worker placement/city builder game. Fans of Timberborn, Satisfactory et al would definitely get their money's worth on this one! Feedback for the devs: - The stone economy is a little weird right now. There is just way to much of it. Dumping stone into the sea kinda solves that since you're ridding yourself of your Captain Insano amounts of stone, but why not create a new resource (other than cut stone or earthworks) that makes use of it? - Rebellious…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As an aside, if you want a faster, more mission-focused railway building game, check out Railgrade, from the developer of the recent hit Whiskerwood. It's a bit lighter on the gritty sim side, but that lets you focus on hustling to hit mission targets, which can get pretty tough. Looks great too.
neutral · AI labelView post →Is it a fun game? Yes. But frankly, it also has a lot of flaws. Frankly, the game, with its current system, is designed for building a small colony of 50-100 mice, but it also offers the option of starting with a massive map that you can never reach due to the short daytime cycle. The day cycle moves too fast. If you have a large colony or want to go to a neighboring island, a 7-minute day cycle isn't enough. The nights are so short that if there isn't a canteen right next to where the workers…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Play time: 22.8 hours Pros: Great concept and performance Neither pro nor con: The game feels a bit more survival focuses than city builder focused. The devs have tweaked the difficulty a lot in the first week, so we'll see how that progresses. The pace of research feels a bit too slow in my opinion, but someone may enjoy the longer paced play throughs. Cons: Game play feels both too slow and too long in some ways.. Being stopped every day to see the progress is fine at first, but really…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was a great chill colony builder with some survival elements. But the recent Nautical update has ruined it. I always played with pirates off, but now it seems if I want to build a navy to just explore, or to send boats out to trade or fish, I have no choice but to deal with combat. Real life has enough violence and tragedy, I don't want it in my cute little mouse town game. My enjoyment of the game has diminished greatly because of the combat and attacks I can no longer avoid. Worse, the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hands down, a top tier colony sim. Mixes some of the best features of titles such as Timberborn (3D building and terraforming) or Against the Storm (procedural maps, random events and an impatient crown). If you're a fan of either game, this is a must check. That said, this being an Early Access, it's not completely free of technical and balance issues. However, the devs so far have shown an amazing response to player feedback. Definitely worth checking out at its current stage. Looking…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Whiskerwood, the new game for fans of "people who loved making incredibly fucked-up aqueducts in Civilization 4"
neutral · AI labelView post →FINALLY! I've been waiting for this game for months now! I've played the *Meow* out of the Demo and had so much fun! Finally being able to play the "full" release with sooo much more to do is just awesome! The game is so unique and filled to the brim with stuff to do! If you liked Timberwood chances are you'll love this one too! It's kinda similar but with way more consequenses. It has the day night cycle like Timberwood, as well as seasons like winter as opposed to drought. But the Cat…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →honestly i wish there were a few features in the game like i wish the water could fill in spaces so you can reshape your islands and stuff a bit but i find this game very satisfying to play and enjoy a lot. its really fun and satisfying. wouldnt mind being able to give my whiskers outfits so i can keep track of specific whiskers and their jobs as a glance. even if its just like hats.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →THIS is how you do Early Access well. The game itself is a really enjoyable colony manager, just the right balance of chill and plate-spinning, but what really makes it shine is the constant stream of quality of life updates we've been treated to since launch day. The developer actively listens to, responds to, and actually actions player feedback, with remarkably quick turn around. Since launch just two weeks ago, we've had no less than ELEVEN updates to the game, and these aren't just…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Whiskerwood looks like an adorable game of cat and mouse, but in reality it's a brutal city builder where my grossly incompetent governance never goes unpunished for long.
positive · AI labelView post →This has got to be my favorite review of Whiskerwood so far.😼 Thank you to everyone who has picked up the game and left a review! Your support has made this launch even more amazing than we imagined. 🧡
neutral · AI labelView post →EDIT: The game dev just keeps pumping out fixes and updates for this game. I can stand behind anyone dev that actually listens to the player. I had a blast playing the demo and for the first time in a very long time was anxious waiting for a game to release. This instantly became my favorite game on steam and I don't throw that around easily. This is coming from a guy that scrolls the endless steam catalogs for hours just to download a game and play for 10 minutesto then uninstall. This game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Whiskerwood is an indie city-building and colony management game that blends classic God-game mechanics with a whimsical, anthropomorphic theme. The game casts players as the overseer of a growing civilization of cats and mice, combining lighthearted presentation with surprisingly methodical systems beneath the surface. Players designate zones, construct buildings, manage resources, and guide their feline population toward long-term prosperity. Early gameplay focuses on basic survival:…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rodent themed videogames. This may be an odd topic, but recently I've noticed quite a number of mouse/rodent themed games popping up. This is always excellent news in my unbiased opinion :3 I thought I'd mention some of them here. --**Currently available**-- **Small Saga** - I've seen some gameplay of this online. From what I can tell, you play as a ragtag collection of rodents in turn based combat. The art style is cute, but I'm not yet sold on this one (I've got enough RPGs to play as it…
neutral · AI labelView post →200 hours finally. so here is a review and I think they earned. totally recommended. its a very pretty city builder. its more of aesthetics than capitalism really. I have 1000++ of every single stuff including gold bullion. everything is abundant. cant say much about higher difficulty, probably will change a lot. but since im a casual aesthetic builder, I enjoy making my towns and islands pretty more than economic important. so yeah, dont get stressed about it. just enjoy watching your town…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A lot of fun, but I'd love some sort of definite endgoal. I get bored when the gameplay loop is just to build for the sake of building. That works for some people, but I really need something more definite to be building towards. Even if it's just something like "Earn a 10 star happiness rating" or clearing a checklist of challenges or something like that. I'll change my review as soon as I hear that there's something more definite to be working towards. Until then, I just can't really get too…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the first Steam review I've ever written. I'm leaving one because I believe this game has a lot of potential. As a software architect, I can appreciate the direction the developers are taking. I'm also a huge Timberborn fan with over 600 hours played. One thing I've learned from that game is that supporting modders can significantly grow a game's community and lifespan. Developers can't implement every idea themselves, but modders can expand the experience in ways that benefit…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has extremely high potential to become a truly amazing city builder. It has all the bones at the moment and scratches an itch similar to Banished but mixed with Dwarf Fortress and Tropico. If you enjoy those games, this is a high recommend from me. (EDIT 05/26: After returning after 6 months to see the state of the game, I'm glad to see progress being made, but unfortunately the progress hasn't been in much I wanted to see. I have added some points in parenthesis to the below list and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you enjoy games like RimWorld and Against the Storm, you will very likely enjoy this game. Definitely a game I will be sinking many hours into. Note for the devs: VFX on Medium makes the rain look HORRENDOUS. I have a lower end PC so turning it down helps improve performance, but I have to keep it on High or it's unplayable.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →List of games where you play as a rat or mouse. # Rat/mouse games - [Ratopia](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2244130/Ratopia/), survival and city building of cute rats - [Whiskerwood](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2489330/Whiskerwood/), city builder with rats under the oppressive thumb of cats, choose if you'll appease or start a revolution - [Ratropolis](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1108370/Ratropolis/), roguelite, tower defense, city-building, and deck-building with rat…
neutral · AI labelView post →In short: it's very ambitious, very unique, very charming, and seems to know what it is trying to achieve. The flaws are vastly outweighed by the good things and it outclasses most recent colony games in EA, only buckles when compared to the few giants that have been in open development for years already. The more complete story: I'm about 45 hours into the December EA build of the game and I have to say, this game is rising quickly to the top of my favorite recent colony managers /…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10/10 would raise another colony of cotton-picker mice that starve to death during the winter and then get eaten by their cat overlords because they missed tax day
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Charming game that's uncompleted. There needs to be a tutorial or something that indicates what mice are good at what tasks. Build process is extremely slow. Takes several days it feels like to complete any building. Resources get snapped up fast and are limited. Combine this with a tax system that removes resources in order progress and it feels like you're constantly on the backfoot. Just needs to be tuned up a bit. Buildings should construct faster, resources should be gathered…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →great game, love the new nautical update, adds a ton of depth, its not just a city builder. DEVS! I cant wait to see act three, my only request is the ability to fight and rebel from the claws and have a little revolution. And maybe at some point, a late game long term technological progression with the science tree, like steam, electricity, gasoline, etc.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Whiskerwood is so much fun. I love the world building, the resource management, the cute little mice, and how quickly the devs put out patches and updates.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Huge congratulations to Minakata Dynamics on the launch of Whiskerwood! It's been 2 and a half weeks since its Early Access launch, and it's wonderful to see so many players discovering the game and sticking around — 91% positive reviews and more concurrent players than on launch day.
neutral · AI labelView post →a really charming game about helping mice build things with popsicle sticks. i think the dev was very close to a much bigger hit. the gameplay loops and systems for the most part are very well thought-out and executed. Unfortunately the game rather quickly gets muddled by a lack of clear and meaningful objectives. Instead of trying to implement cascading, meaningful goals, the dev has put in something like economy inflation? where difficulty climbs mostly as a result of decreasing…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game offers stunning visuals and an enjoyable experience. You can adjust the difficulty level to be as cozy or as challenging as you prefer, catering to your gameplay style. There are official mods available in the workshop that add even more fun to the game. The community is friendly and helpful, and the devs are very supportive.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a long time lover of Dwarf Fortress, Whiskerwood caught my eye with the sheer number of systems and factors it keeps track of, all while incorporating verticality and a brilliant atmosphere. I also adore the artstyle. Maybe its because I grew up on Redwall books, but very rarely is a game not improved by "...and also they're all talking mice."
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So, with that out of the way, what's Corsair Cove all about? If you've played games like Banished or Timberborn or Whiskerwood (another game Hooded Horse sent me a copy of) it's that same general idea, but with pirates and absurd use of vertical space because you build on cliffsides.
neutral · AI labelView post →Whiskerwood has completely taken over my brain. It’s reached the point where I genuinely announce “okay, I’m off to play mouse game now, bye bye” like it’s a scheduled life activity. No other city builder has hooked me like this, and I think it’s the combination of smart systems and pure charm that’s done me in. Building vertically into the mountainside feels so good. Mining, terraforming, stacking production chains, then watching everything click into place is deeply satisfying. But the real…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →*[Review title]* [Insert videogame title here] is an amazing experience so far. Nah guys just kidding LMAO, this is no AI SLOP review dog**** here is my actual opinion: What can I say in this day and age and with my prior experience with other games it is somewhat difficult for a game to retain my attention. BUT I just spent 5 hours in this game and it just flew by. And I really enjoy that fact. I wanted a game that would make me enjoy the time that I spend on it. This game is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cat-and-mouse city-builder Whiskerwood is charming, engrossing and out now in early access on PC.
neutral · AI labelView post →I found the game interesting for the first 8 or 10 hours but it quickly became boring. The struggle to have enough mice to produce goods and advance only to give it all away to the cats who tax you higher for having more mice. This is a game about balancing resources and mice. Not all that fun after 10 hours of play. I tried for 5 more hours to maybe get to a place where it might be fun. Nope, just more types of paths that come very slowly, more decorations, more tools, nothing exciting. At no…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very cute and well crafted game, just hear the tiny squeaky when you deploy your subjects. The game definitely made a good first impression.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Probably the most realistic "Feline Extortion Simulator" you will find on Steam. This is an Early Access worth getting, and another great gem in the House of Hooded Horse. I'm glad to see Minakata taking a go at something that isn't so much of a 'puzzle game' like Railgrade turned out, and seems built to be much more expansive. Has strong feelings of an intermix between: Against the Storm, a bit of (dare I say) Banished, a sprinkle of Dwarf Fortress, and some Timberborn... but not at all as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I rarely write reviews for games (this probably will be my 2nd, or maybe 3rd at most). But I decided to do it for this one. TL:DR If you love city builders and survival colony sims, games like Stonehearth, Anno, Timberborn or The Settlers - buy this game, you'll get a ton of fun from it. I've first encountered this game in Game Pass. After about 20h of playing there, I decided to buy it on Steam. I love colony sims, survival city builders and similar games. And honestly, this is the best one…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is cute and fun, but also still early access and has its problems! You have to dig for metal in order to pay your taxes and by this you got to collect also stone to reach some of the metal. This stone ends up in your warehouses, that are far too small and block in the end other resources you need to let your mice survive. Would not be any problem if you would not have the pressure to produce enough stuff to pay your taxes to the mighty king cat. But you don't have the time to lay…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game Pass Nov 2025 Wave 1: 5th Sniper Elite: Resistance Dead Static Drive 6th Egging On Whiskerwood 7th Voidtrain 11th Great God Grove Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris Pigeon Simulator 12th Relic Hunters Legend Winter Burrow 14th Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/1...
neutral · AI labelView post →Just on the immediate horizon, we've got Unbeatable, an incredibly slick narrative rhythm game. Whiskerwood, a city-builder about mice struggling under oppressive feline rule. The Last Caretaker -single-player survival crafting FPS set at sea. Building up your ship and defending it from invaders.
neutral · AI labelView post →Played the Demo and now the Early Access. I love the concept, the visuals and I would very much love to see this game evolve! Some very key elements are still missing for me, so this is more a kind of "Things I wish Whiskerwood would include / change"... which is why I sadly can't recommend it yet. But I'll keep checking up on the progress! The big stuff for me and some strange dynamics I'm not sure are intentional: - Not much concext regarding the cat and mouse dynamic / story above "you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing game, really fun. Coming from someone with hundreds of hours in Timberborn it is very similar to that while being very unique in it's gameplay loop. It's basically a colony/city builder like Timberborn where you can mine out and build block by block in all three dimensions and have a lot of creative freedom with decoration all while fighting to keep your mice alive by managing the food and pollution. I can't wait to see how they develop this into something even cooler and I would 100%…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Timberborn was the gateway to this style of games for me. I was hesitant to get it at first because I like timberborn because of the very relaxed nature of it. I have to say I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. It can be tuned well enough to make it a relaxing game that doesn't require much brain, or it can be ever so slowly ramped up at different aspects so you can learn the whole system at any pace. I have a few personal gripes that I seem to not be alone with(Pollution, Storage and a few…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been waiting for this one! I played a ton of the pre-release demo (so most of my experience is based on that, at time of writing), and much, much more of the dev's previous game, Railgrade - side note, if you like trains/logistics and haven't played Railgrade, do yourself a favor! It's super underappricated! Even in early access form, this is just an incredibly solid colony sim with a completely charming theme and aesthetic, top notch music, and logistics that (much like Railgrade) are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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