I've noticed that iPhone/iPod games tend to fall into a few distinct categories. There are the quirky puzzle games like Picross (which I have reviewed before), and Angry Birds (a puzzle game when reduced to its fundamental parts). There are the first-person shooter attempts and dual "joystick" Robotron clones. Then there is the shovelware crap that the optimist in me attributes to good intentions and how they inevitably pave the road to hell (or poorly integrated touch interfaces).
Game Dev Story falls into none of these categories. In the time honored tradition of business management simulations like Lemonade Stand, Hemp Tycoon, and (grumble) Farmville, the game breaks few molds. It gives you a tiny independent video game development company that you name and control all aspects of. You control the upper most decisions of the company, hiring/firing employees, picking the genres, style, and console of the games that get made, and then rudimentary assigning of tasks during development. It's very simple without being too restrictive, and the standard speed moves at a satisfying clip that works as something to completely hold your attention just as well as something to fondle with absent-mindedness.
Yes, that woman is on fire. Yes that is good.
What differentiates this particular title from all others is the video game motif. The game has dug trenches around the video gaming culture and thrown you into the fucking thick of it. Obscure references and business decisions whizz by like bullets and can make or break the game for you. I hate to break out the ole' elitist I'm-a-gamer-you-wouldn't-get-it thing, but I seriously doubt my mother or my sisters would elicit as much joy as I do from my virtual secretary predicting the downfall of the Virtual Boy at its launch announcement.
Get it!?
The game isn't all that challenging either, but it's all too easy to generate middling capital and spend most of your time developing Dating Sims for the Game Boy (Sergio Studios is world renown for the Sexy Sexquest series).
It's about whales, I swear.
You can take contracts to make a few quick bucks, but when licensing costs for consoles get in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range, those become a little less viable. Plus, if you neglect game making, you lose fans, which is integral to sales. Advertising gets you fans, and fans even age with game time, so it pays to advertise to the younger crowd. There are tons of neat little layers like that in the game, and thats what really keeps me coming back.
I have a few problems aside from the niche appeal the game is essentially founded on. The music and sound effects are actually kind of annoying, and I wish you could turn them off. They're just a bit too loud and even when I have headphones in the sounds blare out pretty obnoxiously. Also it can be kind of difficult to judge the worth of an employee. They all have stats and things, but sometimes they can just get lazy or bored of their job, completely independent of their power bar (yes that is a thing). It just sort of happens, and its frustrating when I have my magnum opus lined up and the peons decide to revolt. Fools!
His level is maximum.
Any and all flaws, however, are smoothed over effortlessly by the game's 4 dollar price tag. It's a wonderful little distraction with a deceptive amount of depth and personality. If you crave that Farmville hook on the go and without being a douche bag, I'd say Game Dev Story is well worth the $3.99.
One out of one.
One out of one.
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