OddFauna: Secret of the Terrabeast – The Adorable Clay-Crafted Crafting Game That’s Taking Steam Next Fest by Storm

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got that one indie game that you absolutely can’t stop talking about. The one that makes you grab your friends by the shoulders and say “You HAVE to play this!” Well, friends, I’ve found my new obsession, and it’s called OddFauna: Secret of the Terrabeast.

A Whimsical World Built on a Giant Beast’s Back

Picture this: you’re a charming little creature called an Astor, living your best life on the back of a massive, goofy-looking whale with legs. Yes, you read that right – a whale with legs. This magnificent beast is called a Terrabeast, and it’s your entire world.

In this delightful sandbox crafting game from developer North Channel, you’ll spend your days chopping trees (because what’s a crafting game without tree-chopping?), building cozy little cottages on your Terrabeast’s back, planting vegetable gardens on its rump (talk about prime real estate), and befriending all sorts of quirky creatures called Fauna.

Handcrafted Charm That Melts Hearts

What immediately sets OddFauna apart from the crowded crafting game market is its absolutely adorable art style. Every single creature, building piece, tool, and plant in the game is hand-sculpted from clay by Emma SanCartier, one half of the husband-and-wife development team, before being 3D-scanned and animated by her partner Cliff Mitchell.

This isn’t just a visual gimmick – it’s a labor of love that gives the game an unmistakable warmth and personality. When you’re running around as your little Astor character, you can feel the handcrafted nature of the world in every movement and interaction.

The Demo Experience: Cute, Compact, and Compelling

During Steam Next Fest, you can dive into a demo that gives you about 90 minutes of gameplay across five in-game days. The demo locks you into a single biome, but that’s plenty of time to get hooked on the core loop.

I spent my time doing what any sensible Astor would do: building my first wooden box house (obligatory crafting game starter home), planting a crop of parsnip-looking “sweetroot” vegetables, and befriending three wild Fauna by offering them flowers and foraged foods. Some Fauna can dig, others you can ride as mounts – each one brings something unique to your growing community.

I also got to experiment with the terraforming system, using my shovel to reshape the landscape. There’s something incredibly satisfying about molding the ground on your Terrabeast’s back, creating little hills and valleys for your future village.

Systems That Need a Little TLC

While the core experience is delightful, the demo does have some rough edges. The building, crafting, and planting systems could use more explanation – I had to figure things out through trial and error. The game also doesn’t do a great job of explaining your long-term progression goals beyond the obvious “upgrade your Terrabeast” objective.

But honestly? Once I got past the initial learning curve, exploring the world and cultivating my beast felt genuinely great. The controls are responsive, the crafting loop is satisfying, and that hand-sculpted aesthetic never stops being charming.

Reactive Environments and Meaningful Choices

What has me most excited for the full release is the promise of reactive environmental systems. According to the developers, “Your choices have an impact on the other OddFauna. Be thoughtful of the diverse flora you plant on your TerraBeast, different environments will attract different beasts.”

This suggests a level of depth that goes beyond typical crafting games. Will planting a grove of trees attract certain Fauna? Will creating a pond bring in water-loving creatures? The potential for meaningful environmental interaction has me genuinely curious about how my choices will shape my Terrabeast’s ecosystem.

Coming Soon to Early Access

OddFauna is targeting a spring 2026 early access release, which means we don’t have too long to wait. You can try the demo right now during Steam Next Fest, which runs through March 2nd.

The Burning Question

But let’s address the elephant in the room – or rather, the Fauna in the campfire scene. Why is that furry little creature wearing a hat and armor that look suspiciously like they’re made from another Fauna? Is this some kind of clay-crafted cannibalism situation? The game doesn’t explain, and honestly, I’m both disturbed and intrigued.

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