In a genre often defined by grit and gloom, Flotsam emerges as a beacon of optimistic tranquillity. This city builder, set on a waterlogged Earth after an unspecified apocalypse, has finally launched in full after years in early access. Developed by Pajama Llama Games and published by Stray Fawn Publishing, it transforms survival into a soothing, deeply engaging experience.
A Serene Setting for a New Beginning
Forget the desolate wastelands of typical post-apocalyptic games. Flotsam presents a world of rolling blue seas and glorious weather, where the remaining human population clings to life on scattered islands and building tops. Your journey begins not in a bunker, but on a humble boat. This vessel becomes the heart of your endeavour, gradually expanding into a vast, self-sufficient floating village through the addition of walkways, pontoons, and various structures.
The core gameplay elegantly splits into two interconnected halves: meticulous settlement management and expansive oceanic exploration. You must scavenge the waves for every piece of plastic, wood, and metal needed to build your community, while also rescuing new survivors—known as Drifters—to join your growing populace.
Intimate Management Meets Peaceful Exploration
While the game shares DNA with classic city builders like SimCity in its need for a balanced, functioning ecosystem, Flotsam distinguishes itself with an intimate, hands-on approach. You won't zone vast industrial districts with a click. Instead, you'll manage the finer details: ensuring you have the correct ingredients for meals, drying saltwater-soaked driftwood, cutting planks, and purifying water. This granular focus creates a powerful connection to your floating home, making its success feel personally rewarding.
The loop is captivating. You zoom in to assign tasks, collect resources from islands, and build new facilities like seaweed farms, schools, and power networks. Then, you zoom out to the map to navigate your growing settlement to new points of interest, letting work continue as you travel. The progression from a basic raft to a humming, multi-faceted community is consistently satisfying.
Charm Over Challenge, Without Sacrificing Depth
Flotsam's greatest achievement is its tone. It is a game about progress, success, and collaborative community. While you must attend to the serious business of keeping Drifters fed and healthy, it rarely feels like a grim struggle. The game wants you to succeed, and solutions to resource bottlenecks are logical and often immediate. This creates a wonderfully relaxing pace that is hard to put down, as there's always one more small improvement to make.
This is not to say the game is without minor flaws. The tutorial could be better integrated into the opening experience, and some players might find themselves briefly searching online for clarification on certain systems. Furthermore, genre veterans may find the core building loop familiar after the initial hours, and the inclusion of more elaborate quests or narrative events could add welcome variety.
Yet, these are small quibbles against a game that so confidently carves its own niche. By focusing on a small, knowable community—where you might recognise every resident by name—Flotsam delivers a uniquely personal city-building experience. It proves that saving humanity's future can be a playful, peaceful, and profoundly enjoyable undertaking.
Flotsam is out now on PC, priced at £19.99. It was fully released on 4th December 2025.
