Bounced off this game at least twice over the years but am finally gelling with it. It works well with the steam deck since each run between storms isn’t very long so it’s easy to pick up and put down. I think when the game finally clicked for me is when I realized it was less about progression to the next area and more about learning to live in and occupy each space, integrating into the ebb & flow of the local flora & fauna. Like:

There’s some corn I can get if I go over here. And some bubble fruit over there, as long as I take care to evade the lizard who hangs out near it. Sometimes the scavenger tribe comes through here - what can I give them as a gift so they won’t attack me? Time to venture out to this area so I can collect some bats. I bet that corn I ate a while ago has regrown by now. I get a bonus if I go six days in a row without eating meat, can I do that? Gotta take care in this section and watch for the shadows cast as vultures come down. Time to start heading back to the den for the day.

My enjoyment increased quite a bit after I stopped turning my arrival in each area into a quick springboard to get to the next area, and instead sunk into it for a while & mastered the art of existing in that ecosystem. Only after perfecting a routine would I start venturing further out to see what’s next. Very unique game.