See, it’s easily exploitable, meaning once you locate a compatible pair, that’s it. It adds a bit of strategy to the game, but that’s also why I’m filthy rich. Then, when those isolated groups put out a song, their chemistry shines and, by proxy, their track sales skyrocket. Alternatively, a few of these girls will form cliques, friendships, and in a couple of cases, romantic connections. Of course, when you run a large corporation that houses an equally sized band of Idols, there will be drama. If you relish incremental stat upgrades, it’s unbridled bliss and why my coverage is late. The fact of the matter is it’s so Goddamn addictive and satisfying. Since the overall challenge isn’t an issue, the appeal might be in question. Currently, my budget sits comfortably in the billions, rendering the remainder of my session a cakewalk. It got to the point I was no longer struggling financially. After hitting my stride and breaking through, well, it sped up. When I’d begin a run, the initial flow of money ran at a molasses pace.

In a rather unique spin on difficulty spike, what we have here functions in reverse. Gameplay is limited, with your one real task being to ensure that the business you’re running generates hard cash. The Management Simulator genre is a niche one, only recently seeing a resurgence of sorts on consoles. I resorted to fast-forwarding through the discourse due to the outlandish girth, missing pivotal plot beats.Ī video game reference or insane animal abuser? It’s fascinating, too, but again, it’s held back by poor localization. Sure, if you squint and focus on the general subject matter of the words, it’s possible to gather the gist of what’s happening.

At a certain point, a deviation appears and lets you align with a specific character. That’s not a favourable result, especially because, eventually, it introduces branching paths. I’m a nerd when it comes to narrative, and yet, even I groaned. Not only that, but I wouldn’t sit and mash on the A button to get on with proceedings and back into the gameplay. By shortening sentences, the punchlines get a boost to their impact the entertainment factor would increase. The quality of the literary prowess is subpar, but there’s cleverness. I know I’m a broken record at this juncture, but the writing is holding it back from enthralling the player. The thing is, a rework of the text is a necessity to achieve something truly extraordinary. That piqued my interest and compelled me to continue. Hell, the plotline mentions prostitution or using one’s body to gain business favours. It also explores behaviour that could occur within the group, such as instances of bullying or blackmail. Idol Manager does a superb job in nailing that world and presenting the harsh realities faced by these women. I have heard of various ordeals that may befall someone that is, though – ranging from stalkers to a girl’s fame is dependent on her being single. Now, I’m no idol, and I sure as hell don’t look good enough to be one – plus being a male doesn’t help. I wonder if I’d be given ¥50,000 for my bath water. You know, amid this vocabulary clutter, there’s an obscene tale waiting to burst out. Well, unless, of course, you’re not taking part in the main storyline. It creates a bland cast that babbles incoherently about nothing of substance. Much like the dialogue, however, that silliness is never fully realized because it suffocates under meaningless verbiage. I smiled and nodded with approval several times. I say that because, in a surprising discovery, there’s some potentially funny banter. Somebody missed that memo, though, and the characters are mostly devoid of personality. The spice and liveliness typically get added in afterwards. It’s a regurgitation of words meant to place the notions floating in my head on paper. If I’m being blunt, the script resembles a rough draft of a coverage piece or even a chapter of a novel. Sadly, that’s just the beginning of the issues I encountered. As for missing words, well, that isn’t as rampant as I expected, but grammar takes a minor hit. It’s evident that localization wasn’t a task given to a native speaker. It then becomes a tiresome slog to have to scroll through frivolous exposition that could be condensed. If, like me, you’re a literary snub that sits and reads the visual novel sections, that all quickly becomes apparent. Only, the wording is slightly different to give an illusion that it’s not actually the same idea. It goes off on these long-winded tangents that often repeat a point it’s trying to convey. So, it’s fairly ironic that my main hindrance with Idol Manager is that very thing. I’ve heard many critiques about my reviews, targeting length and my habit of over-explanations.

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