It takes a really special game to make me dream about spreadsheets and spending hours on how I can optimise my businesses.
TLDR: Excellent management game with elements that play very close to The Sims. Some of the best optimisation I've ever seen in a videogame considering how much is happening at once. Great customisation options with excellent modding landscape.
I went into this game expecting something like The Sims but locked into the business career, and oh man it keeps on surprising me as the world opens up bit by bit. Going through story mode is a good way to drip feed the management mechanics and slowly find ways to automate everything. Adding simulation mechanics on top of management of businesses really makes you feel like you are part of a constant living world that is ever evolving; from market demands, competing with business rivals, importers dealing with stock shortages, and more. Playing as a character that can walk/drive around the city and interact with the world in-person enhances the experience that much more rather than being an overseeing entity that manages things from the sky like in similar games of the same genre. It may seem cumbersome at first, but it does highlight how much more convenient it is when you reach a stage of automation later.
I've spent more time than I'd care to admit customising and arranging furniture for my businesses and homes. There's so much choice for different pieces of furniture and on top of that you have the option to change the colours via a proper colour wheel if you really want a certain hue/shade. It is possible to get installation businesses to install all the necessary furniture in an instant for a high cost, but I find it cathartic and cheaper to arrange everything myself.
I'm really impressed by how seemlessly and accessible it is to customise aspects of this game via files found on PC, such as playing custom songs on the radio, or adding your own logos for businesses to use in-game. The game also allows you to export your business data as an Excel spreadsheet from inside the game. I have never seen a management game do this so easily in-game, and it's an absolute god send if you really want to get into the nitty gritty of optimising your businesses by literally seeing it in a spreadsheet.
The modding scene for this game is extensive since the modding community has been making stuff during the early access period. This game truly was made with modding in mind and it's great to see how people can change or add things into the game from furniture, music, vehicles, and even overhauling mechanics in the game itself.
Overall, truly impressive management game. I'm having so much fun min-maxing everything and theory crafting my next steps for expanding my business empire. I'd even go as far as to recommend this at full price given how much content is in here with a healthy modding community to keep it alive.
