Tag Archives: management

video game reviews

Potion Tycoon is a Mediocre Management Sim. It Wasn’t for me

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I was sent a free copy of Potion Tycoon to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.

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What is Potion Tycoon?

Potion Tycoon is a management simulator out now on steam.

The world is full of adventure, intrigue, and danger. Adventures are always in need of a good potion shop, and it is up to you to fill that void.
Build your shop, hire your employees, and create the best shop in the land. Do you have what it takes to fill the realm’s need for potions and tonics, or will you go bankrupt trying?

Gameplay

Players can play through a tutorial to get their shop started. While the tutorial does show the players some of the game’s mechanics, it isn’t very helpful. You are going to have to look things up.

Players will have the opportunity to build and expand their potion shop with a good amount of freedom. The player can choose when to upgrade, what to upgrade, who to hire, and what to build. The only real limit is money and a player’s level. Players can only hire low-level employees, but will eventually gain access to better more efficient units.

Once the store is built, players will need to manage the operations. Workers need to be happy and paid to complete their assignments. Potions need a steady supply of ingredients, and a good alchemist to brew and bottle them. There needs to be a steady supply of the exact potion a customer needs or they won’t enter the store. Running a successful potion shop hinges on the ability to manage each part of the operation efficiently.

Does it work on the Steam Deck?

No, but the Steam Deck lets you know it isn’t a good port. It isn’t unplayable and with a bit more tweaking it might work, but it isn’t worth the trouble. This game looks and feels awful on the Steam Deck.

Review

People who enjoy the different bits of management might have a better time with Potion Tycoon, but I thought it was boring. The first issue I have with this game is that the mechanics aren’t explained properly in the tutorial. You can find a solution to any issue online, but I shouldn’t have to. I don’t want the game to handhold, but some proper direction, especially for crucial mechanics, would be nice. I got stuck on my first run because no one wanted to work and I didn’t understand. This lack of direction is going to turn off a lot of casual players because the difficulty comes from a lack of proper communication rather than a skill-based challenge.

My biggest issue with this game is that it feels like work. Clicking through each chore to get the shop up and running isn’t fun, especially when you compare it to other games in the genre. This isn’t the worst management game out there, but it seems to be made for a specific type of gamer, and it isn’t going to be the casual one.

If you like management games, you have better options. If you are interested in the game, I would wait for a sale. You can pick up Potion Tycoon on Steam for $19.99.

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Matchmaker Agency: A Cute Management Game About Romance

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I was sent Matchmaker Agency for free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee!

What is Matchmaker Agency?

Matchmaker Agency is a management game out now on Steam. In a town defined by its romance, it is your job to facilitate it. Your grandparents used to run the town’s renowned matchmaker agency until their deaths. As the only other person in the family passionate about the business, your grandparents have left the keys to the business to you.

This task won’t be easy. It has been years since the shop was in business, and people have forgotten it is renowned. Build your clientele, run successful ad campaigns, make successful matches, and build your reputation. Can you build your agency to its former glory?

Gameplay

The goal of Matchmaker Agency is to build a successful business. There are logistical challenges that need to overcome like staying on top of your bills, maintaining your client’s satisfaction, building your reputation, and upgrading your place of business. These are decisions players need to make each week. While the main loop of the game is finding successful matches for your clients, staying on top of the business’ logistics keeps the lights on. 

To make matches, you’ll need to attract clients. You’ll do this by spending money on advertising, good word of mouth, and buying upgrades for your shop. When you attract a client, you’ll need to interview the client to find out what they want from their match. Once you have enough data and clients, you can set them up on dates. On dates, you’ll be presented with quick time challenges to help create a spark between your clients. If your matches are successful, you can keep building your business until you’re the best in the city.

Thoughts

I enjoyed Matchmaker Agency. It had a cute premise, a relaxing gameplay loop, and a fun art style. I’m not a huge fan of the genre, so I appreciate how casual this entry is. One unavoidable issue players will face is the awkward translation. There is some odd syntax that makes interviews tricky. It isn’t unintelligible, but it is noticeable. After a while, I kind of knew what the game was asking for, but I did fail some interviews because of the translation.

Another issue I had was with the dates. On dates, players are presented with issues and scenarios they have to react to. These choices affect the success of the date, but the timer goes by too quickly. Bundle this with the awkward translations, these challenges are unnecessarily difficult at times. I failed some challenges because I didn’t have enough time to make sense of my choices. It isn’t impossible, and eventually, you’ll know what the game wants, but it is something to consider. 

Despite the flaws, the game is fun. Matchmaker Agency is a casual management game with a quirky and fun story. It has a great art style, a fantastic soundtrack, and a relaxing gameplay loop. The translation issues are noticeable, but they aren’t a deal breaker. If you’re looking for a casual wholesome game and don’t mind the translation issues, grab Matchmaker Agency. 

You can pick up Matchmaker Agency on Steam for $19.99 (currently on sale for $16.99 for the next 15 hours).

video game reviews

Clean up the City in Rough Justice ’84

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I was sent Rough Justice for free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee. 

What is Rough Justice

In a city run by corruption, its citizens have banded together to create private agencies to keep their own peace. Now its time to take your city back. Lead your agency through cases as you administer the justice the police can’t. Can you clean up the city and make your agency the best there is?

Gameplay

Players start as the head of an agency. They hire freelancers and start talking cases around town. The cases get harder over time, but the freelancers you can hire also get better. Players send out their agents to cases where they are presented with skill challenges. Skill challenges are either dice roles or a timed mini-game. Mini-games are small puzzles for the players, while skill checks are dice rolls based on a character’s stats. There are items and buffs that a player can earn over time to make things easier. The goal of the game is to keep the agency running efficiently without going bankrupt.

Review

While I did enjoy the game and concept, I don’t know if it is worth $20. There are definitely better options at this price point. I loved the flavor and the music, but it doesn’t do enough to stand out. When you compare it to other games like it, you simply have better options. 

My biggest issue with the game is that after a while, gameplay started growing stale. While there is enough variety in missions to keep the game from feeling repetitive, the grind involved ruined it for me. Some of the timers felt unfair, some of the rolls were hard for no reason, and I didn’t care enough about the story to become invested. Rough Justice ’84 isn’t a bad game. If you like the flavor and don’t mind the grind or randomness, you’re going to have a better time with the title. Even if you can overlook the issues, you simply have better options. You can pick it up on Steam and the Nintendo eShop, but I would wait for a sale. 

video game reviews

Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop – Gold Edition Review

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I was sent Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop to review. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but I will keep my review honest.

Bus Simulator is getting a huge update with performance improvements, new features, more cosmetics, a new area to explore, and a very cool career mode. If you are in the market for a relaxing simulator, Bus Simulator should be in your library. It looks good, runs great, and has an amazing soundtrack.

If you are coming into this game as a new player, I recommend starting with the career mode. Do not skip the tutorial because some of the mechanics aren’t intuitive. Career mode gives players a great starting foundation as well as some goals to work towards. You are responsible for the city’s public transportation, and it is your job to make it the best possible. The recommended difficulty is also perfect for beginners, but players can adjust the settings to make the experience more immersive if needed. I recommend you mess with these settings and sandbox mode once you have a solid understanding of how the bus system works. 

I had a lot of fun with this game, but it is a niche experience. If you are looking for a different and relaxing experience, this is a great title to sink some time into. The problem I see this game having is that the amount of time players will sink into this game depends on how much they enjoy the simulation. Players have to obey traffic laws, deal with customers, and drive in real-time. I enjoyed the elusiveness of the game, but I didn’t have the attention span to play for too long. My attention span has nothing to do with the game, it’s great, but it is something to think about before you make the purchase. 

Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop Gold Edition is $45.99 for PC via Epic Games and Steam. The console version is $49.99 for Xbox and PlayStation. The gold edition upgrade is only $14.99 on Steam, Epic Games, PlayStation, and Xbox. The Gold Edition is a great place because it comes with the base game and all the previous DLCs. If you already have the base game, all you need is the upgrade. There are also free console upgrades if you’ve bought the game for your last gen console.

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Game Review: Havendock

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I was sent Havendock as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but this will be my honest review.

If you are looking for a fun village builder to add to your collection or need a good place to start with the genre, get Havendock. The game has great graphics, catchy music, and an addicting gameplay loop. 

You wake up alone and stranded in the middle of the ocean without a single memory. To survive, you must build a base from the materials that float by. As you slowly establish your haven, you will attract other survivors who will help you grow your haven. The trick to this game is efficiency. You must juggle between building, resource management, exploration, and research.

Do not let the game’s cuteness deceive you. You will become overwhelmed by your sloppiness, but that’s part of the process. I recommend that you go in blind on your first playthrough to get the truest Havendock experience. Once you get to the point where you get stuck, look up tips and tricks. If you need more of a challenge, there are settings you can tweak. 

What I like most about this game is how easily it eases players into the mechanics. All players start with a questline that does a fantastic job of teaching players the fundamentals, but it leaves enough room for error to make the game challenging. While I never thought the game was frustratingly difficult, there are enough obstacles to keep it engaging. The game is impossible if you don’t have at least a basic plan on what to research, build, or gather. Havendock will prove a tricky game to master, but it is such a satisfying and enjoyable ride. Even when my village was on the brink of collapse, I found myself humming along with the catchy music, enjoying myself. 

If you are looking for a new game to get into, you should buy Havendock. It is cute, fun, and great for those who’ve never touched a resource management game. The hardest part about this game is choosing when to walk away because there is always something you need to build, research, or work towards. I loved this game, and I think you will too. 

You can buy Havendock on Steam for $16.99. The game is in early access, but it doesn’t feel like it. But if you need further convincing, go try the demo. 

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