Hytale’s first patch is here, and it suggests we’ll soon have all the content we could ever wish for

Hytale finally came out after many years spent in purgatory (or in a drawer somewhere at Riot HQ). Its release was rushed by its old-new owner, Simon Collins-Laflamme, who believes players had waited far too long to get their hands on the game.

This left it pretty barren, but its first patch is already filling in the gaps, setting the pace for what could become a game bigger than even Minecraft.

Hytale‘s first update, released on Jan. 17, introduced a ton of improvements and fixes and even added several new NPCs to its underground jungles, chiefly dinosaurs. New areas were incorporated into the game to service these NPCs, opening up the game to more exploration and wonder, even if some added content uses placeholders for behavior and other aspects for now.

The team further implemented numerous ambient effects, new sounds, refined the gameplay loop, added new behaviors to existing NPCs, and overall made the game much better than it was when it first launched. Every aspect of the game was touched up in some respect, and while a lot more is to come, this is a tremendous first step toward greatness that Hytale seems destined for.

It’s also great to see the team addressing the biggest complaints players had: lack of content, which is understandable due to the special circumstances of the game’s development. Hytale is quickly growing and getting new stuff, which will soon fill up every barren and empty part of the game. There’s still a long road ahead, but the pace certainly seems just right.

Hytale spent most of its existence as an in-development project and only saw the light of day due to the goodwill of Riot Games and Collins-Laflamme, who remained passionate enough for his creation to save it from certain doom. He aims to turn it into a great product at the end, and we cannot wait to see how everything will turn out.

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Earth of Oryn could become the perfect January launch for those who are into city-building and resource management titles, and its release is almost here.

Originally meant for launch last year, we have had to wait till the first month of January. Earth of Oryn will be released exclusively on Steam, and this guide will help you keep track of the upcoming release.

Earth of Oryn release countdown

Earth of Oryn will be going live globally on Jan. 19. It’s unlikely that there will be any more delays at this late stage, and the following countdown will expire once the game goes live.

[hurrytimer id=”1167165″]

The countdown is based on the following timings.

• 8am PT
• 10am CT
• 11am ET
• 4pm UTC
• 5pm CET

You can wishlist Earth of Oryn as of writing. There’s no pre-purchase, so we will have to wait for the launch to go live before we can purchase. The timings mentioned here are based on the information available on SteamDB.

What to expect from Earth of Oryn

Earth of Oryn puts you in charge of starting a new town in Brandford and building it one block at a time. Place houses, roads, workshops, and markets for your townsfolk to survive and thrive. As your town expands, so will its population.

With a modular building system, you’ll be able to give a personal touch to your base. There are research and new technologies available for you to discover on your journey. From the town design to managing its people and resources, you’ll need to do it all. More features are expected to be added later down the line as Earth of Oryn spends more months in early access.

If you want to check it out, there’s a free demo currently available on Steam. While it’s very early access, the last time I played, it will undoubtedly give you a good overview of what to expect.

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