Fun and relaxing game for creative players
You will be amazed by the beauty of your creations in this game, and likely care less about winning the levels. Not that there is any shortage of substance as far as gameplay dynamics. You will need to be clever thinking of solutions to overcome obstacles in order to progress. It is easy to see why From Dust won the award for Best Strategy Game at E3. Still some critics complained that this wasn't a sandbox game. They don't understand the difference between an "open world" game and a sandbox. See the definitions of these terms on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_world
That is to say there is plenty of opportunity for sandbox play in From Dust, where you can just mess around and have fun, rather than being forced to complete a specific objective. The fact that the goal of the game -- in all but the final level -- is simple and straight forward gives players more of a chance to focus on making their creations. For example, at one point I didn't want to complete a level, but instead decided to use lava to redirect a river into the crater of a volcano, and turned it into a steaming lake. As the volcano filled with water, plants started to bloom around the surroundings along new streams. This was amazing how it looked like a real natural world inside a game. How the streams and plants flowed in random configurations, as if the game was a professional program to simulate the forces of nature. This game may have actually originated from such programs, considering the lead developer's background as a volcanologist
However, as much as I enjoyed this game, I could not give it a 10 rating. There is definitely room for improvement. They were a little lazy in making a PC game that was meant for a console. The UI actually has a thumb pad in the top comer were your active abilities are displayed. Also it was very annoying at times waiting for the men in the game to find their paths, after laying out well defined routes for them to follow. Moreover, sometimes the abilities fail to activate when they should. Perhaps this could be addressed in a patch or in an expansion specifically for the PC.
In closing, I actually liked how the game was integrated to the internet, and so easy to download and start playing right away. The download only cost me $15 USD at the time, which is an exceptional value. I prefer playing games that way instead of messing with CDs and boxes, and trips to the store. You can download it again anytime from your account online too. I really don't think I've ever spent $15 on something with such a high entertainment to expense ratio. From Dust is well worth the investment for creative players who enjoy relaxing yet mentally simulating fun.