There was a lot of fuss within online spaces when a certain library sorting game came onto the scene. It called to the power washers, the house flippers and all sim-lovers in between, and created a viral new formula. So where does Sort Them Ducks stand in this rapidly growing genre?
It Starts With One Duck
I won’t lie, the appeal of the sorting genre games is not lost on me. The call to organise my stationery and trading cards by rank and number is one that strikes me deeply. So when Sort Them Ducks came across my feed, I jumped at the chance to dive into this cosy, first-person game.
The premise is simple. You are placed in a 3D area filled with thousands of rubber ducks. Your singular purpose: to organise.
DTD (Down To Duck)
I played Sort Them Ducks with both a controller and mouse/keyboard, and I found both reasonably comfortable to use. I did have to reduce the FPS and increase the sensitivity of the controls, but I appreciate having the settings there.
You begin with the ability to pick up and drop ducks, with an inventory of five ducks. With each duck you place, you will earn money toward upgrades, including special skills and inventory upgrades.
These upgrades will drastically improve your collection speed if you choose to use them. While most upgrades are passive boosts, there are three skills to unlock. One shows you where to place the ducks, another highlights duplicates of the duck you are holding, and the third fills your inventory with the duck in your hand.
I really enjoyed these mechanics. Putting them on a timer meant I wasn’t relying solely on the skills to find ducks, while still giving me a few quick and easy wins.
What The Duck?
There were a couple of fun surprises in Sort Them Ducks within the duck designs. I was disappointed that there were essentially two rows of each design. In a way, this makes it easier and perhaps more relaxing than its counterparts, but that will be personal preference.
I didn’t run into any real bugs while playing, but I did notice that my achievements sometimes didn’t pop until the next time I booted the game. Also, the bottom half of the fruit/food shelves often let me pick up ducks on the other side of the shelves when trying to place things. Nothing egregious, though.
I Sorted Them Ducks
It took me a few hours, but I did “Sort Them Ducks”. The music was chill enough that I could listen to my audio book while casually organising away.
If you’re looking to branch out into a new organisation-sim or are looking for a less intensive sorting game, then definitely give Sort Them Ducks a look.
Platforms: PC
Publishers: Mr.Duck
Developers: Mr.Duck
Played On: Steam
Key Provided By: Keymailer
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