RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic for Nintendo Switch is a classic for a reason: when the original amusement park simulation game launched, it created an entirely new genre. RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic is a double-dose of nostalgia, combining the first two games — with minimal changes — into one package. It isn’t always easy to convert a game that originally used a mouse…
Wholesome Snack is done for another year, so I’ll feel cozy and happy for the rest of the day (well, night). One featured game, Loftia, is being developed by Sydney-based indie studio Qloud Games. The upcoming cozy solarpunk MMO has already made a big splash in the gaming world, raising…
“They don’t make them like they used to” is such a facetious…
Planet Coaster 2 is good. But then Planet Coaster was good, and…
“Princess Maker-likes,” like Lair Land Story, are a niche within a niche, but it’s a genre that can be oddly compelling. They’re spreadsheet simulators, in which 90 per cent of the game involves carefully managing a girl’s development by carefully selecting her daily activities. But while that might sound dull,…
Read More
Take Game Of Thrones. Take Princess Maker. Mash them together (after taking the sex out of both), turn the result into a spreadsheet simulation, and you’ve got Long Live The Queen. This ultra indie game is not without its delights and offers players a decent challenge on their way to…
Read More
Mr. Prepper is so disappointing. It could have been something spectacular, given that it weaves a story that is so steadfastly critical of America, but instead it collapses in a whimper that never realises its mechanical ambitions nor delivers on its thematic premise. Combined, those two failings make it frustrating…
Read More
The Future You’ve Been Dreaming Of is a voyeurism simulation, and coming from developer qureate, we all knew what that would involve upfront. As the developer has so brazenly shown with Duel Princess and Livestream Escape From Hotel Izanami, qureate’s teams likes the fan service to be heavy and unabashed.…
Read More
Idol Manager sounds like a pervy fan service-focused thing, but it’s actually quite a genuine simulation, dealing with the incredibly complex world of Japan’s idol industry. From dealing with the dynamics and personal relationships between group members, to managing the girls so that none of them gets burned out, organising…
Read More
Before the film that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp had way too much fun with, and before even the Stephen Sondheim musical that more people should see a production of, Sweeny Todd was a Penny Dreadful. People don’t really know what these are anymore, but they were once wildly popular…
Read More
I’ve played loads of farming sims (Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, Stardew Valley) so when I learned I was going to review Farm Manager 2022 I was pretty excited. I figured it would be like those games but seriously amped up, and I wasn’t wrong there. It’s an incredibly in-depth…
Read More
What can I say about cats that hasn’t been said before? Cats are great. They do silly things, like chasing small plastic springs. They do cute things, like lick your nose to say hello. They do impressive yet annoying things, like beg for food (but at exactly the right time).…
Read More
German publisher, Toplitz, and developer, Superkami Games, has shared the first “CGI trailer” of the upcoming city-building simulation, Sengoku Dynasty, and it looks like it could be something truly special. What is most comforting to me, however, is the great pains that Superkami Games seem to have gone to so…
Read More
Hundred Days is one of those wish fulfilment simulators that I am so glad exists. I love vineyards. I love touring them, tasting their boutique wines, and then staying for an à la carte meal at the vineyard’s inevitably pretentious-but-tasty restaurant. The food is always perfectly matched to the wine,…
Read More