K-pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut

What's here is good, but only a good start. A very unrealized game and after giving it the benefit of the doubt and playing through multiple styles, I'm disappointed. It takes a few hours to figure out exactly what's going on, then a few more hours to realize that this game is extremely limited. The concept you choose doesn't seem to matter and for the most part bonuses you get from your management style come far too late. I was really disappointed to see that it's pretty much the same handful of characters each time and that while there are multiple outfit choices, customization for those or for hair or makeup don't exist. This, plus the fact that outside of paying (in game) for indoor vs outdoor vs 100k music video, there are no differences/customization options related to the presented concepts. On the whole, the game's art style WHICH I TRULY ADORE, is sorely underused. And you don't even get to personalize your managersona. The game introduces a social media component and then does absolutely nothing with it. There's no coherent measure of what you've borrowed, what you owe, what you've made. Brand deals are seemingly randomized, outside of an event you drag to a calendar and can't influence, and there's no fun merch. Even designing the album cover and light stick is meaningless and not even featured in a fun way. I couldn't figure out what New + did, and when I gave up on that, New + had erased/replaced the other, more successful girl group I'd just finished with AND eaten the save of the game I started new game + on. There isn't even a warning that this is how it will proceed. If shelling out 20 bucks for four hours of the same thing over and over is a vibe, go for it. It was a thing to pass the time while dealing with insomnia. But I felt really sad that trying to tackle all the supposed difference making options was meaningless. I honestly fear the goal is to be like those mobile games that hide better choices behind diamonds, except here it'll be paying $20-25 for a piece of your K-Pop story, considering you finally debut and the game just ends.

### 📣 A Passionate Fan’s Feedback & Balancing Suggestions! 💖 Hello Wisageni Studio team! First of all, I want to say a huge congratulations on the launch of **K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut**! I purchased the game on day one because I absolutely love the concept, the gorgeous hand-drawn art style, and the amazing original soundtrack. The potential here is massive, and I am writing this long, detailed breakdown because I truly want to see this game succeed, grow, and inspire more titles like it in the future! I just finished my first full round (about 10 hours of gameplay). While I deeply enjoyed the charm and the visual novel elements, the overall strategy and management loops currently feel a bit "loose" and unfinished. Here is a comprehensive breakdown of the issues I encountered and my suggestions for tightening up the balance: #### 1. Severe Progression & Action Gating (The RNG Problem) * **The Issue:** Unlocking 2nd-tier actions feels incredibly frustrating. For instance, I repeatedly attempted an action with a listed 10% RNG success rate, but even after attempting it over 30 times, it still failed to unlock. Relying too heavily on hard percentage locks halts natural progression. * **Suggestion:** Please add a "pity" mechanic or a progressive success scaling. If a player attempts a 10% action 15 or 20 times, the percentage should scale up incrementally so that effort eventually guarantees success. #### 2. Mini-Games are Too Rare to be Rewarding * **The Issue:** The built-in interactive mini-games are a fun way to break up the text, but they trigger so rarely during the main gameplay loop that they don't feel impactful. * **Suggestion:** Increase the frequency of these training/audition mini-games, or make them a core part of major evaluations so they feel like an active, rewarding skill check rather than a sporadic surprise. #### 3. Strict Time Constraints vs. Late-Game Content * **The Issue:** The game text mentions special activities and content you can unlock once your group releases 3 singles. However, the strict weekly calendar format simply does not provide enough total time in a single run to actually produce 3 singles naturally. * **Suggestion:** Consider extending the game's timeline or adjusting the pacing of single production so players can actually experience the content built for 3 singles without rushing blindly against a countdown clock. #### 4. The Stat & Job Imbalance (Early vs. Late Game) * **The Issue:** Right now, the stats on the characters don't feel proportional to the work they actually perform. Worse, the massive amount of experience/work stats gained during the active single production phase is so stupidly high that it completely invalidates all the slow, meticulous training you do in the early game. * **Suggestion:** Balance the mathematical progression. The single production phase should be the culmination of your early training, not a massive stat-boost that renders the first half of the game completely meaningless. #### 5. Ambiguous "Old School" Strategic Choices * **The Issue:** Classic management sims always thrive on tight trade-offs: *Do I take this minor job for money right now? Do I focus purely on training? Do I risk it for a bigger role?* Right now, the state balance between training, money, and securing roles is incredibly unclear and feels loosely connected rather than tightly strategic. * **Suggestion:** Make the underlying mechanics and trade-offs transparent. Let players clearly see how choosing a specific role impacts their trajectory, rather than leaving the outcomes feeling entirely ambiguous. #### 6. Obscure Song Selection Requirements * **The Issue:** When choosing a track for the group, we are given 3 distinct songs to select from. Each song lists different requirements, but *what* those requirements actually translate to mechanically is completely obscure. * **Suggestion:** Clarify the UI text for song selection. Show us exactly which stat thresholds (e.g., Vocal, Dance, Charm) are needed to pull off the track successfully, so we can make an informed management decision. #### 7. Confusing Financial & Company Systems * **The Issue:** The money system is incredibly baffling. Once a single drops, the group generates "stupid money" (massive amounts of cash), yet the manager's actual profit share is abysmally small and the game never clarifies your ownership or standing within the company. Having millions of dollars sitting in a company pool that you can't interact with makes the economy feel half-hearted. * **Suggestion:** Please add features to spend that late-game wealth! Let us reinvest that massive revenue into buying company shares, upgrading the studio, or funding larger promotional campaigns. --- ### Final Encouragement! 💪✨ Please don't take this critique as harsh—I am writing this because **I absolutely adore the foundation you have built!** The character interactions feel genuinely warm, the art is stunning, and the writing has so much heart. You have created a truly unique gem for the K-pop gaming community. With some tightening of the mathematical balance, clearer requirements, and a bit more breathing room in the timeline, this game could easily transition from a great casual indie game into a definitive management masterpiece. Keep pushing forward, Wisageni team! I cannot wait to see how you continue to update, patch, and expand this wonderful world. You have a huge fan in your corner! 🫰💖

从头到尾玩了一遍。不值这个价，期待那么久简直是失望透顶。就这内容怎么好意思拿出来卖？

Большую часть времени ты просто составляешь почти одинаковое расписание, повторяешь одни и те же тренировки и надеешься, что рандом позволит получить нужный результат. Многие решения почти ни на что не влияют, отношения с персонажами работают неясно, а некоторые сюжетные линии просто обрываются.

内容配不上价格，自由探索性不高。无论主线剧情还是支线剧情也很普普通通，有些玩法说明翻译得很僵硬，里面的小游戏也很无聊，过完整个流程的印象只有时间被浪费了。

I really enjoyed this game at first and thought it would be one that I would sink many hours into. But that's just not how things have panned out. I agree with the others that are saying there is little to no replayability as it will just be the same story with the same characters. My playthrough ended abruptly because of a choice I made. I would be fine with that, even like it, if this game felt replayable. I tried to dive right back in because part of me wanted to see it through to the end. I realized right away how boring it would be to go through again. I played too long for a refund so I will just uninstall and maybe run through it again sometime years down the road when it can feel somewhat fresh again. Maybe by then the game will have better balance too. Maybe grab it on sale if you're really curious. Just know what you're getting into.

please update this more and give us more trainees. let us have a boy groups aswell. this game has potential to be queen status.

会莫名其妙卡周，46周突然所有按键都没有了，退出重新进也不行，玩得那么辛苦一无所有