RIP Flash!
Learn About the Game The Stoneager
I’ve been poking around in The Stoneager lately, and it’s surprisingly cozy for a game that throws you back into the cobblestones of prehistoric life. You start off as this lone cave-dweller fumbling around for flint and berries, and pretty soon you’re juggling building rudimentary shelters, fending off wild beasts, and figuring out how to spin animal hide into something you can actually wear. The art style’s got this hand-drawn vibe that feels both whimsical and grounded, so even when you’re wrestling a mammoth you don’t feel like you’ve dropped into some ultra-realistic gore-fest.
What really hooks you, though, is the crafting loop. At first, you’re just smacking rocks together to get sharp edges—classic caveman stuff—but every new tool opens up another nook in the world. Build a spear, and suddenly you can hunt boar instead of foraging. Carve out a digging stick, and you’re unearthing sweet potatoes that literally change your energy bar. The gameplay encourages experimentation, and there’s a kind of quiet thrill when you discover that a little sandstone wedge can pry loose a hidden relic or two.
Beyond solo survival, the game peppers in short quests that tie you to a budding tribe. Other Stoneagers show up, each with their own little quirks—one might be a stubborn hunter who refuses to craft better gear, while another is all about stockpiling strange mushrooms you’ve never seen. Your choices matter: do you share the spoils, or do you horde resources so your own stats skyrocket? It gives the whole thing a subtle social layer that feels fresh in the survival genre.
I’ve lost track of hours trying to get a proper rhythm going—two minutes digging, ten minutes accidentally setting my own camp on fire—only to leap back in the next morning because it’s just so satisfying figuring out how to make fire without flare-ups. It’s not a brutally hard-core sim, but it captures that “starting from square one” excitement really well. If you’ve ever wanted to see what life might’ve been like before the wheel without signing up for an archaeology degree, The Stoneager’s a neat little time machine.