This is probably one of the best games I have ever played. Although I recognize that this game can feel somewhat clunky at first, that clunkyness transforms into supreme agency to manage your colony exactly like you wish. This game is probably not for everyone.
I also recognize that if you "play for thrills", this is probably not the game for you. This game is a story-generator. If you are able to immerse yourself into the continuity of your colony, and the history of it, your satisfaction will be greater.
This game has great replayability, and actually completing the game (on a "real" difficulty) is a challenge. This game is supposed to be a constant uphill battle, with small periods lulling you into a false sense of security.
There is great variation in how you want to approach the game. Want to be a colony of organ-harvesting cannibals? Great! Want to have a 1-man colony of some autistic guy creating art all day, to sell for grand profit? Uhh.. suuure
Failing can be fun in this game (unless its bullshit).
I recommend to always play with "Randy Random", as the other storytellers are inferior.

The Ideology DLC allows you to impose your way of playing the game on your colonists to a greater degree. There are also some great mods.

This is a good colony sim, and I got over 100 hours of playtime treating it as such before I got bored.

That, however, isn't the main selling point, nor is it why I'm giving it 5 stars. This is the perfect video game storyteller, and ohoho when I understood that my enjoyment increased ten fold. Don't treat your colonists like cogs in a machine. No. They are people, with stories to tell, watch. Watch as Betty becomes the best constructor in the galaxy and makes legendary sofa after legendary sofa. Watch as you make a psychopath into a doctor and give them a minigun to mow down hoards of raiders from who she'll capture the survivors. watch as Barry flirts with a women the day after his wife dies tragically defending him. Follow the characters, follow their relationships, follow their journey's, that's what makes this game so fun. That's why I'm giving it 5 stars.

When a friend of mine first told me about this game, I was excited to see what it was like and give it a try because he had shared so many tales about it. When I got home, I immediately went to YouTube to search for a gameplay video, and my initial thought might have been 'WTF?' I got a really bad impression of it, as it was not what I had imagined at all. The visuals and gameplay didn't appeal to me at all. However, I forced myself to give it a chance, considering the wonders my friend told.

To my surprise, I COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG in judging this game 'by its cover'. It turned out to be absolutely amazing! Even when I take breaks from playing it, I find myself inevitably drawn back to it later on. This game has swiftly climbed its way into my list of all-time favorite games. It is incredibly unique and addictive. Despite having spent many hours playing it, I feel like I have barely scratched the surface. There are countless things to discover and try. This is definitely a game you should experience firsthand to truly understand the hype surrounding it.