Anyone who has played RuneScape at any point the 20 years since its release will immediately be familiar with Melvor Idle's gameplay loop, mechanics, features and progression. Inspired by the popular MMORPG, Melvor Idle isn't afraid to show where it's inspiration came from - but is unique enough in its own right to be have its own identity. Because of this, the game is easy to play and understand whether you've played the source material or not.

With 22 skills to train - each with their own set of mastery systems to progress through, thousands of items, hundreds of enemies and regular updates; you're unlikely to run out of things to do any time soon. The addictive loop of progressing through a skill to unlock better items, resources and equipment to aid in other parts of the game is one that works perfectly in this type of game. Right from the start you're able to jump right into any of these skills, get an understanding of how they work and benefit you and use them to set your own personal goals to achieve. If this sounds like a grind.. that's because it is. However, with it being possible to idle every skill in the game, even with offline progression - you're not forced to sit through the monotony of cutting your 10,000th log so you can master firemaking. Simply start training, go to bed, wake up and reap the rewards.

As you'd expect for an Alpha build of a game, the interface and navigation is a little rough around the edges. All key information is fairly easy to find and access but I have occasionally found myself lost in menus, spending my time trying to find that one button or piece of information I need. This doesn't really take away from the experience, but can cause some annoyance at times. Thankfully, Melvor Idle has an incredible active community on various platforms online who are willing to help and support players on the same journey.

All being said, for the high amount of information and features in the game - most information is presented in a clear and easy to understand way through visual cues and clear dialogue. All items, monsters and actions in the game have their own identifiable icon to go along with them and help paint a clear picture of what's currently happening.

As far as audio goes, there isn't any at all. This isn't nececessarily a bad thing - this is an idle game after all and I'm sure none of us want to hear the exact same sound of a tree being chopped for the 500th time. But for certain parts of the game such as rare drops or important notifications, some subtle audio cues would be welcomed.

Whether you're maxing out your gathering skills, slaying endless amounts of varying monsters or battling your way through the games many dungeons, there's always a reason to return to Melvor Idle and check the progress you've made. Before you know it you'll have sunk many hours into it. Most of the time your tasks will pay off with new unlocks, items and rewards that help you progress even further and access new challenges. This gameplay loop applied to the games many skills; while simple, is addictive, enjoyable and consistently offers a strong sense of progression. What also makes this game stand out against others in this genre is the lack of micro-transactions, something the developer guarantees will not make it's way into the game. This is a welcome change from most other games like it and something that ensures players feel a sense of their own progression and remain on a level playing field with the rest of the community.

The game currently has a total of 3 game modes. The first game mode, the standard way to play is as described in this review and is primarily the advised way to play. For those looking for more of a challenge, there is an Adventure Mode and a Hardcore Mode. Adventure Mode puts restrictions on the player and requires them to purchase and unlock access to the games skills through earned gold. Hardcore Mode is for those looking for a serious challenge and works the same way as the regular game mode with a catch - you get one life. Once you're dead, you're dead. The account is deleted and you'll be required to start over.

All this combined with an involved and listening developer, a strong and supportive community, regular updates and a roadmap of upcoming features of content ahead - Melvor Idle is the best incremental idle game I've played and I look forward to seeing and taking part in its active development.