IT Startup: Tech Fodder

[b]TL;DR:[/b] I currently work in the IT industry as a project manager, and I certainly cherish when my teammates experience burnout, just like in the game. Your aim in IT Startup is to reach more project points than your opponents during each battle to beat them and progress. You build your team (deck) on the way, pick up permanent upgrades, handle events, and enhance your strategy in other ways. [b]Regarding the core gameplay loop of IT Startup, it is possible to say that it consists of similar elements to most roguelike deckbuilders, but they are all themed around the IT industry[/b]. There are also various thematic gameplay elements, like tech quizzes and random meetings, and the game is built around a burnout mechanic, which is fun to play around with. The IT-themed mechanics, specifically, really enhance the experience. You can fire your employees, become a good company, use special powers, pay extra money to cheat during battles, and so on. [b]The IT theme is well-implemented, and I enjoyed each part of the game thoroughly[/b]. [b]The most prominent experience I had with the game is its difficulty, but it is built in that way for a purpose[/b]. When you finish runs, you get to unlock booster packs consisting of various cards (even upgraded ones), and you can build your custom deck with those to enhance your strategy. This is the only roguelike deckbuilder game I encountered this mechanic in, and I adore it. If you enjoy creating synergies in roguelike deckbuilder games, this may be a fun game for you thanks to its unique deck-building meta-progression. [b]Considering the art, audio, and user experience design, I can't say that the game stands at a favorable place, but they certainly were not important to me[/b]. I picked the game solely because of its theme, and I couldn't pay it less attention. In short, IT Startup: Tech Fodder is a promising roguelike deckbuilder game, and [b]it is even more amazing if you work in the IT industry[/b]. The price is just right for what the game offers, and it even has a physical version (does not play the same) if you are interested!

An absolutely hilarious and relatable take for people working in the IT industry. The game is stands out from other card games where it plays against 2 other opponents at a time and those opponents compete with each other as well like a board game. The theme is revolves around inside jokes, memes and problems faced within the IT industry. The game's goal is to race to obtain a number of project points against 2 other opponents (companies) You upgrade a developer's skills with knowledge to increase their contribution to the project. Only developers contribute to project points and they get burnout as they do so. Burnout can be induced by work, someone else within or even outside of the company ([i] from your opponents [/i]) There are other employee types like HR and Project managers who also increase or relief burnout from developers. You play around 6 game rounds per run and a final boss battle at the end. At the end of each win, there will be an interlude where events like budget meeting can take place. There is also a pay 2 win option which uses your winnings from previous rounds to get an unfair advantage during the game. I exploited this to the limit in my first run haha. While there are many things to like about this game, there are also some slight downsides. Audio and UI are pretty mediocure though that's understandable considering the price of the game sold. I am not very sure of how good the gameplay loop can be. I do enjoy my 1st run of the game but it's never going to be as compelling as slay the spire and balatro which are the top 2 in the genre IMO. Overall, I really enjoyed this game and it's amazing if you are working in the IT industry as you can relate to it. I would definitely recommend this to all my developer friends.

It's definitely a unique experience among the deckbuilders. I can't say that the game is super high production quality, and some of the art is a bit jarring (I dearly wish I could remove the atrocious paperclip popups) but what it has is a pretty unique board system that makes you burn through your cards pretty quickly which makes maintaining a boardstate a non trivial endeavor. I don't regret buying it, it's interesting to fiddle even if it's unlikely to last me quite as long as, say, lost branch of legend.

Unique and hard roguelike deckbuilder, where you manage your dev team by playing developer cards, granting them knowledge and playing action cards with the purpose of reaching a project goal score, but, be careful, because you are facing 2 AI who have the same objective, and they will play their dirtiest tricks to reach it first. One thing to be aware of; this is a deckbuilder, but not a Slay The Spire type of deckbuilder, because it works more like a board game, where you and your enemies can play up to 5 devs and up to 2 action cards each (yu-gi-oh style), generating a different amount of energy each turn. Difficulty is hard... Is it fair? Hell no!! And that's is part of the charm. Game is not fair, but it is balanced in its own unfairness. Yes, some enemies sometimes start with a lot of resources and can cast multiple cards and just destroy your units, but, at the same time, you can also use some dirty tricks, like stealing their almighty units by just using in-game currency. Game also works as a dark comedy, specially if you are into developing or programming, so you could end up laughing about how the game works and some of the descriptions... or it might give you depression because could hit you hard... Replayability value is vast enough. Having 5 different difficulties, different starting decks, plenty of different synergies to build and also having the ability to create your own starting deck with cards that you unlock by beating the game, giving enough place for you to try whatever crazy combo comes to your mind. I would score it with 8.5/10 and if you are interested in some gameplay, you could check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o0nHkdvaSc

Fun (and funny) card game. Our objective in the game is to complete the project before our competitors. Depending on the deck we choose (or assemble) it can be achieved in various ways. We can improve our own employees, steal them from our enemies or sabotage other teams. We can even be a ruthless CEO that will take every measure to win. Gameplay is rich in details and IT humor. I love all the small things that are happening on your desk and are feedback to your actions. Visuals are the weakest part of the game - they are very uneven. Some menus looks very "basic" and others looks OK. Most of the time we spend in game so it's not a big problem. On the other hand, drawings from the cards looks really nice and are funny. Overall it's fun to play.

This was a fantastic game. I enjoyed every moment of playing through each deck type, unlocking all the stuff and getting 100% achievements. The crazy part is how true it is of working in any kind of software development environment. I thought it would be more painful facing such parody, but it was truly a fun experience.

Having kickstarted the OG game and someone who WORKS in an IT Startup, I gotta say this game is incredibly fun and humourous. The vibe is great and the execution is fun. Would love it if he kept expanding the decks and deck types forever

There's a lot of good stuff here. Deckbuilding, engine building, tech industry humor. Serviceable graphics. Fighting 2 opponents at the same time adds an interesting competitive tension. The core gameplay loop has enough content to be complete, it's 1.0 release is definitely a complete game with no disruptive bugs.

Really enjoyed the different ways you can build decks and love the programming theme. The game has a quick and addicting game loop that I'd highly recommend to other card game enthusiasts! :)

What a wonderful hidden gem! I have played the tabletop game before, but this version of IT Startup takes the experience to another level. What will your playthrough be like? Will you be a selfish PM who profits from developer burnout, or an easy-going expert who cares about self-development and work-life balance? Perhaps an HR genius with recruitment tricks will spice up your game, while hand-picked action cards will make your opponents cry? How will the modules change your game? This is a well thought out game with many levels of mastery - feel like a quick round of cards - sure, just pick a deck and play on relaxed difficulty. Fancy a challenge? No problem - the more you understand the mechanics, the crazier builds and combos you can come up with. All topped off with hilarious IT inside jokes and even funnier card designs. IT Startup: Tech Fodder is a fun and relaxing game and you will not be disappointed!