Eh?

I find it funny that I know of this game because people always kept saying that Game Dev Tycoon was a rip-off of it because I find this to be a weaker game. Think about it this way: Game Dev Tycoon gets to the meat-and-potatoes of what a good casual tycoon game is like. It's intuitive, doesn't waste your time, and while guesswork is involved, it feels more like a pipeline of discovery and less like a total headscratcher. A fundamental part of all Kairosoft games is giving up and eventually looking up what all of the combinations are. I wish I could say that that's just a me thing, and while it totally is in a way, I don't do it because I'm lazy. The core loop of these games is compelling in short bursts, but anything longer than that will kill your enthusiasm. I've felt this in all of their games, but Game Dev Story has always been the most egregious to me. For an experience that's supposed to be casual, there are entirely too many knobs and switches to play with. At least, it feels that way because that's how it's presented.

I'll give Game Dev Story credit for its cute and charming presentation. I've always found that a lot of these games tend to have pretty flat and unappealing aesthetics. Game Dev Tycoon will, at the very least, make you smile. I just wish I had more to say about this than that.