I passed on this game a because it looked like a generic city builder. But having finally played it it had some surprising mechanics.
building up. Your space is fairly limited and you'll want the good land for growing food. So you need to build up. Buildings ontop of buildings and you'll need to account for efficient pathing and scaffolding. I thought this was a really cool mechanic.
power, the power mechanic is also pretty interesting. Everything that needs power is either attached to a powered building or connected via a big spinning log. Power sources are water wheels and windmills neither of wich is consistent so you also need gravity batteries. These are cool because the higher up you make them the better they are which encourages you to use mountains and scaffolds to make huge structures.
I'm looking forward to seeing how this game continues to grow
It's definitely a recommendation from me for all basebuilder/colony management enjoyers out there, maybe its not as deep or complex with its mechanics as I'd prefer at times but it's a very unique, charming game that only keeps getting better with updates like these. Badwater seems like it could really spice up the game and change it drastically in the later phases which is just what I hoped for!