#management simulation

[gamersgrove]

Dredge

At a Glance: An solitary journey, in which the ocean hides both unimaginable bounties and even deeper horrors. Story: Dredge begins with an unnamed fisherman seeking fortune. While his story is seemingly a simple one, torn diary pages reveal darker secrets. The world of Dredge is built on mysteries, and answers only yield more questions. As you try to repair your damaged ship, and save up money by selling fish, you start to realize that there's something afoot, eldritch horrors to discover along with ordinary fish. Style: I love the art from Dredge. Despite feeling similar to Darkest Dungeon, it's still unique and suits the story and atmosphere well, despite in-game perspective occasionally being disorienting. In Dredge the player controls a small fishing boat, from which they can fish and salvage items from the sea floor. The art style is 3d but simplified, with cell-shading that almost brings to mind a painting. Characters: While the characters of Dredge aren't necessarily welcoming, they are interesting. Wary of strangers, they're not easily won over, but help them enough times, and they might start to open up a little. Rather than being named, each of the characters is described by their role--"Dockworker", "Old Mayor"--ect". It lends a literary feel to the characters, where they're more archetypes than actual people, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. When you hear about the woodsman, or prince in a fantasy story, your mind often fills in the blanks, and assumes their personality and motivations. This is to say, instead of making the characters feel flat, they put one in mind of characters in a story being told from memory. I do wish I knew a little bit more about the individuals, but this is also just down to me being nosy, and wanting all the little details. Music: Man I was not expecting the music from Dredge to be so good, and I've never been so happy to be wrong. The music does so much for the atmosphere of the game. It reminds me of Hollow Knight or Professor Layton, in that there's a melancholy to it, but that it's also just dang pretty. The Restless Town is one of my favorite tracks but there are plenty more good ones as well, including The Twinned Town, and The Morning's Plans. The Good: -I know I've already mentioned the atmosphere, but MAN, it's just so good--the aesthetic and music really contribute, and make it feel like a very cohesive vision on the point of the creators -Great accessibility functions! I found myself stranded without a motor at a certain point, and couldn't travel fast enough to get to a place where I could repair it without getting killed by monsters--being able to turn off the monster attacks temporarily was SUCH a nice feature, especially because it's not locked in for your entire playthrough, good fishing options available too! -Gorgeous and very unique art style--almost reminds me a little of Darkest Dungeon (in a good way!), locations are also stunning and unique -Lore is fun to discover, and paints a gradual picture of a deeper story -Inventory management is well done, and upgrade system feels like it's been fully fleshed out The Bad:  -Days are almost too short—wish there was a way to make them longer -Would like a little more structure, in terms of how story progresses, or unlocking side quests—can’t help but feel like I’m missing something -Certain mechanics are frustrating, such as motors being able to break on your ship--I think I'd still be stuck if it wasn't for being able to turn on a non-combat mode -While it doesn't bother me, the format of the game can be repetitive, which possibly would dissuade those wanting more of a variety--I found it relaxing but your mileage may vary. -Ship controls can feel a little clunky and are challenging to get accustomed to Final Consensus and Rating: Enjoyable lore fragments and art style, but sailing mechanics can be a little choppy, and slower pacing may be a downside for some players. 7 out of 10.

[gamersgrove]

House Flipper 2

At a Glance: A simulation game that puts you in the position of a one person construction crew (without all of the real life complications), and allows you to clean, renovate and sell houses. Similar to House Flipper 1, with some quality of life changes, and the ability to share houses with the community, and create custom jobs. Story: House Flipper 2 follows a similar story layout to House Flipper 1, with a couple key differences. All main story jobs now have full voice overs, with unique clients and phone conversations that you can engage in, if you so choose. This makes the characters feel more 3D, and much more unique.

The types of jobs are also more varied. While House Flipper 1 primarily focused on houses and gardens, 2 also features a wide range of commercial spaces, including art galleries, cafés, hotels, museums, and offices. House Flipper 2 is also still being updated, and additional jobs are planned as well, along with more items, in-ground pools, new properties for sale, and cars to place in garages or driveways. Style: House Flipper 2 has a markedly different style than House Flipper 1. The colors are less muted, and layouts/visuals more detailed. It features thicker lines, and a more stylized experience, especially in comparison to how pared back HF1 is. Despite some preferring the volume of items in HF1, there's no denying it, HF2 is PRETTY. Especially notable are the beachfront properties, and lush, green cabins. HF2 features time of day that changes, which impacts the type of light you see in game, and while this makes for a dynamic experience, it also comes with challenges.

The light during mid-day is BRIGHT, and makes it very challenging to see highlighted items (especially because you're unable to change the color of the cursor or highlighter.) That being said, the afternoon/evening light is gorgeous, especially when you get to see the sun set over the water. There's a lot of little details that make House Flipper 2 feel like a labor of love, and not simply a way to cash in on HF1's success. Characters: Because of the voice overs and text messages, the characters from HF2 feel better realized. No longer limited to short emails, and buyers, the characters from HF2 have a lot of personality, and unique writing styles. There's also a gallery of unique buyers for the houses in-game, each with specific requrements to satisfy. Despite the requirements being more clear-cut than HF1, they're still extremely challenging at times, and can be frustrating. It's not a necessary part of the game though, and simply serves as a fun extra task. Music: Once again, House Flipper strikes out on the music. What's in-game is decent, and vaguely resembles elevator music but it gets old FAST. The soundtrack is very short, although the forest jobs have a pretty song that plays, and if it's one major thing I'd change, it would be a bigger score. Having sound effects play is helpful for certain actions, so I usually just turn background music off, and keep effects on, and have something else in the background. It's hard not to compare it to Sims games, and their shockingly good soundtracks (the GBA Urbz still lives in my head to this day.)

The Good:  -There's so much good, first the art! Really gorgeous art style-it's halfway between stylized and realism, and it strikes a perfect balance

-Charming character interactions, that pack a lot of personality into a couple brief lines

-Full of throwbacks to House Flipper 1 and various easter eggs hidden throughout

-Lots of room for creativity--the change style function, and ability to use hex colors for paint allows for so many possibilities

-While not as many options as HF1 (yet), there's still more than enough styles to explore, and different brands make it easy to commit to a specific look

-The addition of community properties and a sandbox mode allow for almost infinite content, long after the main jobs are done-Lots of quality of life updates, including the ability to duplicate items, and scan wallpaper/flooring, and items to copy the style. The Bad:  -There isn't a lot of bad, but there's a couple things that really irk me--sweet god, please add an undo button to story mode. I can't count the number of times I've messed up the color on a piece of trim or accidentally deleted a window or door. Please let me go back, at least one click so I can fix it, instead of having to spend more money because my hands aren't as steady, or I misclicked -A couple accessibility features are lacking, particularly in terms of visual clarity. The option to change the color of the cursor and highlights would make it so much easier to see what you're working on, and what spots you've missed when cleaning, especially when the daylight in the game comes in one shade, BLINDING. How am I supposed to know what I still have to clean if it looks like someone is holding a flashlight up to my face? Even changing the brightness in game didn't help much -Certain community properties are just too dang big, this could be a console issue, but sometimes they just crash the PS5 entirely, so some additional stability would be great! Final Consensus and Rating: SO close to being a perfect 10. Several accessibility changes, and a return of the minimap from House Flipper 1 would improve gameplay. 9.5 out of 10

[gamersgrove]

Dave the Diver

At a Glance: A deep-sea adventure that combines underwater exploration with management of a bustling restaurant, Dave the Diver features an almost endless amount of quests, whether you're looking for excitement or laid-back collecting.

Story: Dave the Diver focuses on the titular Dave, a unlikely protagonist, who gets in deep, (pun fully intended) with trying to manage a restaurant, and help an eccentric variety of characters along the way. During the day you have the option to dive for fish to supply Bancho Sushi, a seaside restaurant that needs a fresh coat of paint, and a lot of help. This may seem straightforward, the mysterious "Blue Hole" you're supposed to explore contains more than just fish, and the joy of discovery is all part of the charm. Although there is a "main story" to follow, you're allowed to explore at your own pace, and there's nothing to stop you from trying to find all the different fish species or focus on upgrading your restaurant instead. The flow of working the bar and diving gives a natural feeling to story progression, and encourages finding a balance that works best for you.

Style: Dave the Diver features a hybrid of 2d and 3d styles that's surprising in how well it works. While the oceans of Dave feel idyllic on the surface, there's danger beneath, particularly when you begin to venture out at night, and the environments become darker and more oppressive (and the creatures more aggressive.) This being said, it never verges into the horror genre (granted, if you're afraid of deep oceans, or dark water, than your opinions will likely differ.)

Characters: The characters in Dave are nothing if not unique, with different motivations, interactions and quests for you. Some of them can be quite abrasive, and there's a couple that I happily never would've interacted with again, and would like to tell them to take a hike (preferably right into the path of one of the many sharks--I'm looking at you Ellie). I love Bancho and Yoshie though, and of course, Momo deserves the world.

The titular Dave is also a very sympathetic character, who tends to get walked all over by some of the more overbearing individuals, and while this is just how some people are, it was frustrating to not be able to defend yourself through dialogue choices, or at the very least mitigate this somewhat. The realism might be refreshing to some, but when I'm looking for good ole' escapism, dealing with a character who's behaving like an absolute pill is not particularly enjoyable.

Music: I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the music in Dave the Diver. While some of it bordered on lo-fi, which I really don't enjoy, it had just enough of a beat to feel like it fit the vibe, and didn't detract from the overall experience. Cutscenes seem like a love letter to 80s and 90s anime, and the music reflects this--enough to bring a smile to even the most jaded.

Sound effects are another place where Dave exceeds expectations. Utilizing tools gives very satisfying auditory feedback, a distinct swish when you harvest plants, or the ping when you strike rock.

The Good:

-Interesting cast of characters, with fun designs! I found the side characters to be really compelling, and seeing all of the short, anime-style cutscenes with them was one of my favorite parts of the game

-Enjoyable collecting aspect, with different fish cards you can collect, as well as customizable keychains for your phone, and skins for your fishing boat.

-Boss battles are challenging but satisfying, and can require surprisingly in-depth strategies to overcome

-Gorgeous design aesthetic! Dave the Diver features more pixelated art, but it's polished, with bright colors, and unique designs that don't feel like a compromise--proof that a game doesn't need to be photorealistic to still be gorgeous

The Bad:  -Dave the Diver is a game that throws you into the deep end, without a lot of explanation. While some may not mind this, I found the amount of new mechanics introduced right away to be a little overwhelming.

-On a similar note, there's aspects of gameplay that are just never explained, and you're expected to figure them out on your own--which once again, might not bother some people, but I'm still annoyed that the taste score mechanic was literally never explained

-The difficulty level is quite high, with few accessibility features, and while the added challenge may be enjoyable for some, I found the level of frustration almost too much. Perhaps that's more my expectations/others descriptions of the game, and the inclusion on many cozy gaming lists, but to me, it's much too challenging and frenetic for me to think of it as a "cozy game".

-While the humor is often on the mark, the focus on Dave's physique and amount of fat jokes leveled at him are pretty unpleasant. It's never been a type of humor I've appreciated, and rather than find it funny, they make me cringe. After the third one in a fairly short span of time, I think I should legally be allowed to use my harpoon on the next 'jokester'.

Final Consensus and Rating: I felt conflicted in my final rating of Dave the Diver. While I enjoyed the premise and art style, the management focus lost me a little. My final score is 8 out of 10. (KT gives this one an 8.5 or 9, she likes challenging games much more than I do.)

[gamersgrove]

House Flipper

At a Glance: A simulation game that puts you in the position of a one person construction crew (without all of the real life complications), and allows you to clean, renovate and sell houses. Story: House Flipper features a series of structured jobs, depicted through emails to the player, in which they have to fulfill criteria and provide clients with the house or garden of their dreams. There's also the ability to buy and renovate houses freelance, and while this might sound mundane, it's incredibly relaxing. If you've always liked the house-building aspect of the Sims more than the life simulator than this might be the game for you! Story takes a backseat to personal creativity and mechanics, but there's humorous moments hidden throughout the game's emails, including a troublesome ex-boyfriend who's stolen all the radiators in his former partner's house,  the ability to take a flamethrower to pesky weeds, and references to well-known houses. Style: House flipper while not the prettiest game, more than makes up for style with quantity, and concept. The older items look comparatively dated, but this hasn't stopped fans from making some truly incredible houses, and seven years after it's release, there's still a huge following (and some very active reddit forums). House Flipper features a great deal of freedom, whether you want to make luxury apartments or fast, budget accommodations, and it's slated for a remaster in Winter 2025, which will include all of the previously unreleased on console DLCs, a fresh graphical remaster,  full voice acting, over 800 new items, and plenty of quality of life updates. Despite the creation of a sequel, many users still prefer the style of House Flipper 1, and although I find the mechanics frustrating (and a bit jerky), there's still plenty to enjoy. Characters: Characters are not the focal point of House Flipper. The most you can see of your player character is their arms, and the clients are only heard from through emails or in the comments they make as you renovate houses. House Flipper 2 expands on this, and adds the ability to have conversations with clients, and branching dialogue. Despite the lack of deep characterization, it does little to detract from the overall gameplay experience, and relaxing, sandbox-style atmosphere. There are also buyers you can interact with, but they're more annoying hurdles than anything, else, and trying to sell to all of the buyers at least once is a much more complex task than it first seems. 

Music: Well, it has music. There isn't anything terrible about House Flipper's music but it isn't going to break any new ground, and it's main draw is that it's subtle enough to be easily ignored after spending hours designing a house. I usually don't like listening to different music when I'm gaming, preferring to listen to in-game tracks, and dialogue. HF1 (and 2) are some of the rare exceptions to this rule, and I usually listen to gaming youtube channels instead (or multi-task, and listen to documentaries in the background.) It's not a huge detractor from my overall opinion of the game, but there's a bit of missed opportunity too, and something like the original Sims music would feel right at home in HF, and further enhance the experience. The Good: 

-Great replayability, and open-ended building/reselling modes encourage creativity

-Very relaxing, and easy to lose time in--if you're like me, set a timer!

-Friendly, supportive community makes asking for advice feel much less daunting, and can help a lot with some of the mechanical intricacies

-Art style, while a little simple, is also not unappealing, and allows for a lot of really stunning builds

-Very inspiring in terms of real life decorating as well, I've found both House Flipper Games to be excellent for planning spaces.

The Bad: 

-Mechanics can be downright fussy, especially on the Switch. I haven't played the PC port, but the PS5 fares a little better

-Longggggg load times-DLCs can be buggy, play at your own risk. I had the pet DLC corrupt itself and ended up having to restart my file. They're fun but not worth the chance of your hard work disappearing

-Game engine tends to putter, aside from longer load times, movement and mechanics are sluggish. While not unplayable by any stretch, it's more noticeable in House Flipper 1, than in 2 Final Consensus and Rating: Overall, House Flipper is both relaxing and creative, all the best parts of interior design, with none of the downsides, and with a supportive, friendly community, there's plenty of fans to share it with. 9 out of 10.

[modernneonmedia]

The Indie Shelf: Prison Architect

Hello everybody! Today we have a new more detailed version of Prison Tycoon, Prison Architect.

PRISON ARCHITECT

Developer(s) Introversion Software Producer(s) Mark Morris Designer(s) Chris Delay Platform(s) Windows, Mac OS X, Linux Genre(s) Construction and management simulation Mode(s) Single-player Distribution Download

Prison Architectis a game by Introversion Software, also…

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