Doloc Town turns a familiar farming loop into something wonderfully strange with vertical building, platforming, drone combat, and a post-apocalyptic world full of personality
Doloc Town is a farming simulator, but it does not look or move like one. Instead of viewing a wide field from above, you play from the side in a 2D world built from platforms, ladders, ruins, and stacked pieces of scrap. It sounds like an odd fit for the genre, yet the developers have somehow made it work. More importantly, they have used that perspective to create ideas that would not be possible in a traditional farming game.
The farm is the clearest example. The ground is contaminated, so crops grow inside planters that can be placed on constructed platforms. Rather than expanding across a large flat plot, I built upward, adding new levels and arranging pots, machines, and pathways vertically. Watching a messy pile of scaffolding slowly become an efficient farm is incredibly satisfying. It feels personal too, because the 2D layout encourages me to think about how I will move through the space instead of simply filling another square grid.
The familiar farming loop is still here. I plant seeds, water them, wait, harvest the crops, and sell what I grow for a profit. That money goes toward new seeds, tools, structures, and further expansion. Weather adds another consideration. Acid rain can damage buildings and crops, forcing me to protect vulnerable parts of the farm and keep everything repaired. Eventually, sprinklers and other automated systems reduce the daily workload and let the whole setup run much more smoothly.
Reaching that point takes time. Like many farming simulators, Doloc Town drags a little during its opening hours. Money is limited, chores are manual, and learning where every resource and system fits can make the first few days feel slow. Once I unlocked better equipment and started automating repetitive jobs, the rhythm improved considerably. I spent less time handling basic maintenance and more time deciding whether to expand, explore, complete quests, or chase the next useful upgrade.
The side-scrolling format also lets Doloc Town include proper platforming. I can run, jump, climb, and work my way toward higher or more distant parts of the map, which gives exploration a welcome sense of movement. Progression even has a light Metroidvania flavor. Some paths remain inaccessible until I obtain a specific tool or upgrade, such as a jetpack or a stronger pickaxe. Returning to an old area with new equipment and finally reaching a blocked section keeps the world feeling fresh.
There is combat as well, handled with help from a friendly drone that follows me around. Manual aiming feels janky and strangely disconnected from the otherwise responsive controls. Thankfully, an automatic mode lets the drone target and fire at nearby enemies by itself. I switched to that and never looked back. It makes combat a lighter companion to exploration instead of an awkward interruption. Walking, jumping, platforming, harvesting, and interacting with the world all feel great on a controller.
The setting ties these different systems together. Doloc Town is a survivor settlement built in the remains of a collapsed world, where people try to continue with ordinary life despite monsters, hostile drones, poisoned ground, and acid falling from the sky. The rusted structures and patched-together homes sell that history, but the game never becomes oppressively bleak. Its striking colors, detailed pixel art, and cute, chibi-like characters give the apocalypse a surprisingly warm personality.
Those inhabitants regularly ask for help. Many jobs are simple fetch quests, but that never bothered me. They provide a reason to explore, gather resources, and learn more about the people trying to build a life among the ruins. Some conversations are genuinely funny too. Humor makes sense in this kind of setting. When everything around a community is falling apart, a dumb joke can be as valuable as another box of supplies.
Doloc Town runs great on the ROG Xbox Ally X. Performance was smooth, the controls fit the handheld well even if the game doesn't have an official controller support but the Steam Input thing works wonders, and the bold color palette looks fantastic on its display. The ability to play through a few in-game days, make a little progress, and suspend the session makes it a natural portable game. Automatic drone fire also means the one awkward input never gets in the way for long.
This is still built around the familiar cycle of planting, watering, harvesting, selling, and expanding, so anyone who has played another farming simulator will understand it immediately. What makes Doloc Town special is everything constructed around that loop. Vertical farming is clever, platforming changes how I interact with the world, ability-gated exploration gives upgrades more purpose, and the post-apocalyptic town has real charm. The opening requires some patience, but once the farm grows upward and the systems begin working together, it becomes difficult to put down. Definitely give this one a try. Thanks for reading!
