Dinkum

Dinkum is a survival life sim set on an island that takes its visual and tonal cues directly from the Australian outback, developed primarily by a solo creator and published under the James Bendon name. The opening shape of the game is familiar — pick up tools, gather wood and stone, set up a basic camp — but the landscape is unmistakably antipodean, all red deserts, eucalyptus forests, billabongs and wandering wildlife that's friendlier on the surface than it actually is.

The survival loop runs alongside a life-sim layer. You can plant crops, raise animals and build out a farm, or roam the island fishing, catching bugs, mining for ores and chasing rare species; changing seasons and weather genuinely affect what grows and what's available to catch. Wild creatures can be confronted directly, trapped, or avoided depending on your build, and combat sits closer to action than to abstract checks — kangaroos and crocodiles hit back.

The town-building layer is where most of the long-term satisfaction lives. A simple campfire grows into a town with shops, fountains, flower beds and windmills, with furniture and decorations crafted to taste. Selling harvested goods earns Dinks, which fund the next round of expansion; new shops open as the town grows, visitors arrive, and some decide to stay permanently. Multiplayer lets friends visit each other's islands, contribute to construction, and join in festivals that mark the town's milestones.