Dinkum

Genre: Action-RPG / Management Sim

Players: 1

The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

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Review:

Dinkum, released in 2025 on PC and Nintendo Switch, is an Action-RPG and Management Simulation that has players leaving an unfulfilling city life to head to an Australian-inspired frontier to settle and start a new life in the wilderness, gradually attracting others and building up this settlement to attract others, with a game that overall seems to pull elements from numerous titles, including Minecraft, Animal Crossing, and Terraria.

As with Minecraft, Dinkum takes place in a world constructed of “voxel” blocks that can be deconstructed and rebuilt as you see fit. There’s a bit more detail in this world than in Minecraft, but at the same time it isn’t infinitely large like Minecraft is, nor can you dig tunnels under the earth like you can in Minecraft. And characters have a bit more detail… but I digress, the point is that Dinkum’s visuals aren’t technically very impressive, and while Minecraft is a good point of comparison, I would argue that Minecraft’s much larger world makes it far more ambitious on a technical level.

All of these visuals are backed by a lighthearted soundtrack that sometimes takes a backseat to simple environmental sounds, which works well enough for the game. And this is joined by characters who speak “babble speak” in a manner similar to Animal Crossing characters.

When it comes to the gameplay, you have the land deformation of Minecraft, though you have less freedom to do so here and it’s more tedious since you need to individually pick up and put down each block of dirt you dig. You have a decent selection of activities to partake in, like farming and fishing, though these come with their own frustrations.

You’ll also find yourself earning money much in the way you would do so in Animal Crossing, often by simply catching bugs or picking up seashells off the beach and selling them, using this money to buy tools. You’ll also have tasks to accomplish to earn points in a manner similar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons‘ “Nook Miles”, with these points being used towards unlocking the licenses you need to use nearly every tool in the game. Like I said, this game is a bit more tedious with some of its activities.

Also, as with Terraria, you’ll be building structures to welcome new residents to the island, with the game providing players with a goal structure that’s often not present in this usually more open-ended genre. However, I should note that the game’s pacing can get a bit slow at times.

While I do have complaints here and there about tedious frustrations and poor pacing, overall I do like Dinkum, and I think it’s a good blend of multiple games at different corners of the “cozy game” space, making for something that is both different and also instantly familiar with players who have played any of the game that inspired it. And while I don’t think it’s likely to take the place of any of those games, I think this is still a solid entry in the genre worth checking out by those who enjoy this sort of game.

tl;dr – Dinkum is an Action-RPG and Management Simulation that has players settling an Australian-inspired locale, with gameplay that feels like a combination of games like Minecraft and Animal Crossing. And while the pacing has issues and there are some tedious gameplay choices here, overall I think this is a solid take on the genre worth checking out.

Grade: B

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The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

Dinkum – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

Genre: Action-RPG / Management Sim

Players: 1

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Review:

A year after its release on Nintendo Switch, Dinkum has received a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition release, with a free upgrade for those who own the original Nintendo Switch version of the game. Given that this isn’t a graphically-ambitious game, I couldn’t help but wonder how this game might be improved on Nintendo Switch 2. Well, let’s take a look.

Truth be told, Dinkum’s Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is one of the more underwhelming Switch 2 Edition releases I’ve encountered yet. To be sure, this is a free upgrade, and there are improvements, but they’re comparatively minor overall.

You do get improvements to both framerate and resolution here, and while they’re noticeable, I do feel like those improvements are pretty modest. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition also unlocks access to an in-game costume, which… well, it’s not nothing.

Then there’s the loading times, which also see minimal improvement – on Nintendo Switch, it takes 32 seconds to load the game to the title screen and an additional 29 seconds to load a game save, compared to 29 seconds and 16 seconds on Nintendo Switch 2.

In the end, I’m glad for every game that gets any Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade, especially if it’s free. That said, I don’t think Dinkum’s Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is any reason to give this game a second look. It’s an improvement, but it’s not much of an improvement.

tl;dr – Dinkum is an Action-RPG and Management Simulation that has players settling an Australian-inspired locale, with gameplay that feels like a combination of games like Minecraft and Animal Crossing. And while the pacing has issues and there are some tedious gameplay choices here, overall I think this is a solid take on the genre worth checking out.

Grade: B

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