Dinkum
Review

Dinkum (2022) is a town and life simulator game set in a fantasy Australia. Your main goal is to build a town on an island populated by animals and plants to attract townsfolk and businesses. It's like Animal Crossing but with more multiplayer and a greater focus on animal husbandry, vehicles, and farming.

At the start of the game, a brief cinematic shows your character leaving the sad, grey South City by airship to a lush Australian island. Once you have landed, you set to work on a series of quests the locals give you. As you do you learn the mechanics of crafting, bug-catching, caving and keeping animals.

As you progress, things open up to give you freedom to expand as you see fit. There's always a new quest or project to take on which ensures that your town never stops improving and growing. But you also need to watch out for encounters with some aggressive animals who can set you back.

Dinkum delivers an atmospheric escape from globalisation and corporations by returning to simple agricultural bliss. It focusses on grassroots town development away from the dreary city and a whimsical, entertaining cast of new friends.

Our examiner, Joe Eaton, first checked Dinkum 13 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 12 months ago.