The Shrouded Isle
My my…this is certainly a game that casts cynicism upon religious belief, is it not? Apparently “ignorance” is a virtue, boys and girls!
So what the hell IS this game? Well, it’s a strategy game/management simulator, in which you basically have to keep a bunch of aristocratic houses onside, while finding one poor soul to sacrifice every season to the mighty deity Chernobog! (A sly reference to a certain Ukranian nuclear power plant disaster, perhaps?) To do this effectively, you must interrogate potential candidates and keep abreast of their various vices and virtues, in order to decide who is most worthy of such sacrifice, and who is more worth keeping around to undertake morale-boosting tasks. But be careful! Target a single house one time too many, and there might be nasty consequences…
– Real player with 16.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Management Turn-Based Games.
I got this game at launch. The premise seemed strong, the art direction was compelling, so I took the jump.
Positives
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Simple to learn - the mechanics are easy to get used to. The fundamentals are not bad, so you don’t need much time to get going. The important thing is how you apply them.
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Very hard. Go into this expecting to lose but have fun. Treat it more like a choose your own adventure crossed with XCOM or Darkest Dungeon.
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Art is amazing. The minimalistic use of colours looks top notch. The game allows you to switch between colour palettes, as well, so you can go with whatever feels best. I believe the limited usage of colours was a strong choice in making the game look a bit otherworldly.
– Real player with 9.2 hrs in game
Tower Alchemy
TD crafting + mechanics + 60+ towers = Unique gameplay and interesting take on TD. Combine towers to make more powerful ones. Buildings and potions provide bonuses. Complete objectives for rewards.
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– Real player with 1.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Management Colorful Games.
老板，游戏凉了！- Game Company Simulator: back to 2000
It’s a fun game. Look up a YouTube video to see the gameplay, because it might be a little different than you think (you don’t design the office, buy furniture, etc. like other game dev tycoon games). The little events are pretty hilarious. Kind of feels like I’m in a Monty Python sketch at times.
– Real player with 2.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Management Cartoon Games.
Gangster Empire: Vendetta
IN A WORD: MAYBE
IN SHORT:
WHAT TO EXPECT: Crime enterprise simulator. Mature themes. Low budget production. Basic graphics and audio. Simplistic, limited gameplay. Good range of random dynamic events provide core strategy depth. Minimal supplemental gameplay mechanics. Very repetitive. Clicker like tempo. Played on fixed-resolution window. No settings apart from muting audio. Singleplayer only.
ACHIEVEMENTS: NONE.
STATUS: COMPLETE. A FEW BUGS. ONE CTD.
– Real player with 13.7 hrs in game
Overview
If anyone seeks out REXCurse for an opinion about a gang-themed game (especially a gang-themed game involving management) you know ol' Il Pallino is on the job. With no sort of backstory and a mostly casual experience, Gangster Empire: Vendetta doesn’t have anything in the way of a “vendetta” against anyone or anything. Instead, there’s just turn-based strategy gaming in which the player controls a gang with a maximum of eight people and looks to complete the game by either satisfying requirements for money or reputation. Crimes involve petty theft, violent assaults, hacking, drug dealing, long-term schemes (which can be either violent or non-violent), and good old fashioned legitimate businesses. Sometimes the player may be asked to assign gang members to complete various tasks for outside bosses who provide large amounts of money upon completion and an increase in reputation the player can either hoard in hopes of reaching their overall goal or spend on attacking a rival crime boss who occasionally schemes against the main character’s gang.
– Real player with 8.8 hrs in game
Husbandry
This game is pretty cool. I played it for a long long time and couldnt stop! wish there were more animals to unlock and i wish there were more to the game cos i really enjoyed it and i hope the creator makes more games.
– Real player with 5.2 hrs in game
Very fun game with cute graphics and relaxing, enjoyable gameplay. Bought it yesterday and have already played 3 hours! The music is nice, too.
– Real player with 5.0 hrs in game
1980
Quite fun, quite well executed, it’s a small game but what it does, it generally does well.
The one criticism I have to make concerns “gentrification”. I know what gentrification is, I’ve spent the last twenty years living in Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle, all cities where gentrification has happened. The issue of poor people being priced out of their city is one that I’m aware of. It’s a complex issue - it’s bad for the working class population, but quite nice for the upper-middle-class upwards, because the whole city is reshaped for them; very often the city as a whole thrives. Forty years ago, Catherine street in Toxteth in Liverpool was the scene of rioting; today you pretty much have to be a millionaire to own a house there. The people who used to live there have been pushed out. As to whether you think that’s fair, that probably depends how wealthy you are, and whether you’re on the left or the right politically. It’s currently a live issue in Manchester; regeneration of the northern English former industrial cities was done by giving developers free rein to gentrify at will. The cities were risen from their ashes, essentially at a cost to their working-class populations.
– Real player with 9.0 hrs in game
This game is not bad, but it’s very unsatisfying.
I understand that you can’t really “win”, that’s the premise of the game.
I started several times and tried almost every possible approach to get all the first missions done, but it seems like that is not possible?! Or there is maybe like one combination/timing, which will make is possible and I wasn’t able to find out how.
If somebody knows, make a comment!
Now it just felt unsatisfying, that I was neither able to finish the missions nor the game in a good way and it was a more frustrating than enjoyable experience. If this is intended due to the urbanization story, okay, but I didn’t liked it.
– Real player with 5.5 hrs in game
Astero Inc.
Beautiful game. After the first hours of game, feels very addictive and funny situations with the characters and gameplay. It maintains tension at all time on the asteroids! Highly recommended
– Real player with 50.0 hrs in game
The game felt fresh, fun and challenging. If you skip the tutorial you will suffer punishment, but you will feel acomplishment as you make your way through the game and master it step by step.
– Real player with 7.8 hrs in game
ATC Infinite
This game is amazing, its great fun for when your bored or when you want to test your brain and being focused and organised.
– Real player with 4.2 hrs in game
This game really has a lot problems; some of which are probably unsolvable due to the game design.
First, some pros:
1. The command line design is actually the simplest I have ever seen; this makes controlling a lot easier.
2. The game runs smoothly and has a clean interface.
Now the cons:
Let’s start with something that can be fixed:
1. Graphics error: I see a “discord” button on the airport selection page. (Fixed)
2. Gameplay Bugs: I have experienced problems like collision, even with vertical separation. I have also experienced bugs that planes fail to intercept the localizer even I have guided the plane to the orange line. (Fixed)
– Real player with 2.7 hrs in game
City Game Studio: a tycoon about game dev
City Game Studio
I joined the open beta for City Game Studio a little while ago. Ever since I have seen it grow substantially. The game has been improved so much in a short amount of time and I can only see it getting better and better from here on out. The developer is very active and takes all the feedback and criticism he gets very seriously. Many of my own suggestions have already made it into the game and whenever an issue arises he is quick to fix it.
The game takes place in a city where you can rent, buy and even build your own studios and exhibitor centers. When your company is doing good you obviously want to expand and get even larger teams working on even bigger titles. The result of that can be very satisfying.
– Real player with 198.3 hrs in game
Overview
First off, on advice from this author’s attorney Frankie “Fine Print” Lymann, copycat games are not a crime. (See Data East USA v. Epyx for proof that copycats do not constitute copyright infringement.) Remember Game Dev Tycoon? Take the awesomeness of the aforementioned game, add interior decorating, an outside world where buildings can be rented, bought, and even constructed, and then add in some nice new ideas (along with a bad idea) and you have City Game Studio. In case the reader doesn’t know, the game is a management sim in which the player starts a game company starting in the year of the player’s choosing, and goes from rags to riches through developing and publishing video games.
– Real player with 43.6 hrs in game
Cubic Currency
A charming indie game with character. Hot take on capitalism
pros:
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excellent worldbuilding
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immersive experience: soundtrack, sound effects, and art are very well done
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fun and nuanced gameplay that keeps you coming back
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balances randomness and skill well
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well planned achievements
cons:
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seems a little too easy (i’ve won each of my first 3 runs without many difficulties) – let capitalism be more brutal! (or, have different difficulty settings–that’s probably a better way to do it)
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as far as i can tell, there isn’t “save game” functionality? either that or it’s not intuitive how to use it. could be a nice thing to add
– Real player with 4.7 hrs in game
Full Disclosure. I bought this game at 90% off. It was less than a dollar, so at that price i really can’t complain for myself.
Now if you buy it at full price, it might be a little short for that price tag as I finished it in just over 3 hours. The game has enough elements to make some days/levels a bit intense, especially with the last character. Which is good because without the juggling of customers and the negative dice types, the game would be waaay too easy. And if you want to achievement hunt the game to 100% then you’ll probably get maybe an extra hour or two of gameplay.
– Real player with 3.1 hrs in game