Has implemented what I call an “anti-feedback loop”. In Game Dev Story, Pocket League Story, Manga Story, the systems flow seamlessly into each other. Here, gameplay so bizarrely grind-y that it just gets boring. The boxing stuff is just ancillary. You just throw the boxers into the ring, farm resources, and train boxers until they win. But if you want to, I don’t know, enjoy the game, you’re just wasting time. The boxers retire or max out stats, you need to wait a certain amount of in-game time to get the next generation of that fighter to come back… I don’t know, it’s boring. I definitely jumped the line, buying Kairosoft’s newest game (at the time)… maybe that makes me unappreciative of their evolution as a development studio? But having played other sport management sims from them, I know they can do better.

Anyways, playing this game made me keenly aware of how much time I was wasting IRL. It gave me existential dread and crippling depression. Planning on completing it one day to help me pass the time, maybe as I’m watching paint dry. I’ll add an update to the top of this entry when I do

I feel like this never got the proper recognition it deserved as an oddball indie game.

I’m impressed the developer figured out how to make the iOS feel actually cozy. You can install whatever mods you want at your leisure. Usually devices like iPhones and consoles feel so sterilized, every addition is just a product.

That being said, having beaten the base game, I probably won’t be playing this version anymore. The controls are clunky and rely on button mashing to an extent and I don’t want to damage my touchscreen. I think I’ll grab it off GOG and see how it feels.