At the Cataclismo preview earlier this month, we were enthused by the toolset for building the dense base of this survival RTS. In fact, the architecture was so satisfying that the lack of a sandbox mode was one of the few drawbacks. Good news: Cataclismo's shortcomings are no longer.

Earlier today, Cataclismo received its first patch since its early access release, adding a much requested sandbox mode. In this mode, the resources available are unlimited, and you can build without restrictions, whether you want to explore strategic spaces or refine the aesthetics of your castle. This is an important skill: no self-respecting castle owner would just put Marlon in the right place. Imagine this! Merlon misplaced! I can already hear the courtiers laughing.

While it's nice to have the freedom to play with Cataclismo's building toolkit, this is an addition that provides a utility that can be carried over to non-sandbox modes: in Cataclismo, blueprints can be saved; in Cataclismo, blueprints can be saved in the same way that you save your own blueprints. This means that if you create a substructure or defensive feature that proves to be particularly useful, you can save it as a template and quickly place it without having to rearrange the individual parts later. In the sandbox mode, new blueprints can be designed and saved without having to worry about resource limitations or fear of encroaching fog as in other game modes.

And of course, you can launch a furious siege to see how well your meticulously shaped fortress defends itself. Or you can place an army full of troops in an immaculate and impeccable structure and just kind of watch. I probably would have done a lot of that. That's the real video game.

To celebrate the addition of the sandbox mode, Cataclismo developer Digital Sun is hosting a Lord of the Forts building contest on Discord. Apparently the developers will be judging on unit placement, strategic considerations, and most importantly, “aesthetics and omnipotence.” See, I told you about Merlon's placement, didn't I?

Cataclismo is available for early access on Steam.