Academia: School Simulator

Academia: School Simulator is a medium commitment simulation experience, meaning that it’s engrossing without overwhelming. Gamers do not have to worry about coming tweaks or the introduction of entirely new mechanics because the game is content complete. The title also has a very extensive set of mods that can introduce variety when a player feels like a master of the core experience. The game also served as a gateway to thinking and reading about the education process and its modern institutions. Academia features plenty of exaggerations and abstractions, required to make the gameplay palatable and the overall experience fun. But it also illuminates issues, like limited resources, that exist in the real world. It took Squeaky Wheel a long time to deliver this gem of a game and I’m already curious to see what element of reality they plan to turn into a management simulation in their next title. Review code provided by the publisher.

86%Game Brain Score

gameplay, graphics

story, grinding

87% User Score Based on 1,604 reviews

Critic Score 84%Based on 5 reviews

Platforms

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About

Academia: School Simulator is a single player economy city builder game with economy and business themes. It was developed by Squeaky Wheel Studio Inc and was released on January 28, 2021. It received positive reviews from both critics and players.

Academia : School Simulator is a management game that lets you design, construct, and manage the high school of your dreams! As the school Principal, watch your students as they get bullied, find love, flunk exams, and basically just try to get through the roller-coaster ride that is high school. Will you offer the best teachers and facilities or cheap out and build giant classrooms with a 1:100 s…

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,604 reviews

gameplay29 positive mentions

grinding22 negative mentions

Engaging sandbox mode allows for creative freedom in building and managing a school.
The game features a charming art style and humorous elements, making it enjoyable to play.
Regular updates from the developers show commitment to improving the game and adding new content.

Gameplay can become repetitive after a few hours, with limited long-term objectives.
The user interface can be clunky and lacks some quality-of-life features, such as the ability to move objects easily.
The game currently lacks depth in student interactions and events, making it feel shallow compared to similar titles.

gameplay
134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
72%
6%
The gameplay of this title has been described as a mix of engaging mechanics and shallow content, often compared to "Prison Architect" but lacking depth and complexity. While players appreciate the easy-to-learn mechanics and initial fun, many feel that the gameplay becomes repetitive and limited after a few hours, with a need for more features and variety to sustain long-term interest. Overall, it offers a comfortable experience for management sim fans, but its current state may not justify the price for some players.
- “Its detailed simulation and engaging mechanics offer a deep and satisfying experience for fans of management games.”
- “The art style is simple but appealing; and the gameplay is straightforward with either scenario goals in mind, financial grants to fulfill, or achievements to unlock as a means of guidance.”
- “The devs have managed to adapt the mechanics of Prison Architect really well into making a school, but it’s different enough to be unique and worth playing in and of itself.”
- “The gameplay is rather grindy.”
- “This game doesn't have that hook that 'Prison Architect' has because the student AI isn't really complex and the gameplay is almost non-existent.”
- “Features are very sparse, gameplay is honestly rather same-y and tedious, and there's as much variation as a straight line.”
graphics
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
67%
8%
The graphics of the game are often compared to those of "Prison Architect" and "RimWorld," featuring a charming, simplistic, and clean art style that appeals to many players. While some appreciate the cute visuals and polished look, others criticize the graphics for being too basic and lacking depth, suggesting that they may not be groundbreaking but serve the gameplay well. Overall, the aesthetic is generally well-received, though opinions vary on its execution and complexity.
- “Amazing visuals and overall a really good game to play.”
- “The graphics are a bit more clean looking than Prison Architect.”
- “The game’s art style is a charming, cartoony vibe that screams indie.”
- “But this is by far the worst; the game is not interesting, its graphics are not appealing, and I do not recommend anyone to buy this game.”
- “The graphics are simplistic and clean, the soundtrack is a little forgettable, and the interface can be a little obtuse.”
- “Totally uninspired, boring execution, and bad layouts and graphics.”
music
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
68%
15%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and obnoxious, leading to a sense of frustration over time. While some appreciate the lively and pleasant aspects of the soundtrack, others feel it lacks memorability and can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the music serves as background noise but could benefit from more variety to enhance player engagement.
- “The music and sound effects were above average as well and worked well for the game; they set the mood as calm and relaxed, similar to something that you might hear in a game like Stardew Valley.”
- “Great early access tycoon game, great if you played Prison Architect, with a cute art style and fantastic music and lighting.”
- “It is fun and the music is lively.”
- “The music is obnoxious, and the entire game feels slower and stiffer.”
- “The biggest dealbreaker for me was that the music is pretty awful, as it loops over and over without respite.”
- “While not offensive, the music can get repetitive, and the notification sounds might drive you a little crazy over time.”
story
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
82%
9%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and structure, with many players noting the absence of a dedicated story mode or engaging narrative elements. While some appreciate the potential for player-driven storytelling through gameplay, there is a strong desire for more content, missions, and character development to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the consensus is that the game could greatly benefit from a more fleshed-out storyline and dynamic challenges to keep players invested.
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “It's very early access, it really needs a tutorial or prompts to grants and tasks and a loose storyline would be cool showing what students are going through along with teachers etc. even events with rival schools such as sports events.”
- “In my opinion though, they could add a little more content to the game such as adding a story mode to it, and maybe some fleshed-out characters.”
- “☐ worst story ever”
- “No story mode, very basic tutorial.”
- “In my opinion though, they could add a little more content to the game such as adding a story mode to it, and maybe some flesh-out characters.”
grinding
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, with many describing it as tedious and repetitive, especially in the late game where progress often hinges on completing grindy achievements. While some enjoy the initial fun and potential for creativity, the overall sentiment leans towards the gameplay becoming monotonous and slow, particularly when resources are low or when managing multiple schools. Despite these criticisms, many still appreciate the game for its enjoyable elements, suggesting that future updates could alleviate some of the grind-related issues.
- “For me it was more tedious than fun.”
- “After the initial fun of unlocking tech, it's all mindless grinding.”
- “It seems to just involve grinding and even though I have had multiple playthroughs throughout development, I always end up forcing myself to play it.”
replayability
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
57%
17%
The reviews on replayability are mixed, with some players finding the game highly replayable and enjoyable, while others criticize it for lacking depth and variety, leading to low replay value. Many appreciate the ability to improve with each playthrough, but several note that the game's limited content and mechanics hinder its long-term replayability. Overall, while some users see potential for replayability, others feel it falls short compared to similar games.
- “Highly recommend, replayable, very fun.”
- “Great replayability value.”
- “Replayability is high for me since every school I start is better than the last one as I learn from mistakes.”
- “Not nearly as much depth as it wishes it had - the replay value is pretty low since nothing very interesting ever happens.”
- “There's little to no replay value, and there's not a lot of variation in the directions that one can take with their school.”
- “Honestly, all in all, I'm unhappy with this game's failure to have replay value.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is frequently highlighted as a strong point, with players enjoying the absurdity of student antics, such as pooping in bushes and engaging in food fights. Many find the game amusing due to its quirky mechanics and the funny interactions between characters, although some note it doesn't reach the comedic heights of similar titles like Prison Architect. Overall, the game offers a lighthearted experience filled with entertaining moments that keep players engaged.
- “It's quite addicting and can be funny at times.”
- “The game is funny as far as the students and what they be doing (pooping in the bushes if your bathrooms are too dirty lol) all in all it's a very good game and you will wonder what happened to those 2 hours you had when you first turned it on.”
- “I had some funny situations happen while I was playing so this game is great for fun and giggles.”
stability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
82%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed, with some players reporting a bug-free experience while others encounter various glitches and technical issues, particularly in its beta state. Many users acknowledge the presence of bugs, especially graphical ones, but express hope for improvements as the game develops. While some find it enjoyable despite the glitches, others note that certain bugs can significantly hinder gameplay.
- “Plays great, bug-free.”
- “The game so far is not buggy, and I had no lags. I hope that other people support this game for new content!”
- “Academia: School Simulator from developers Squeaky Wheel is an adorable simulator and relatively bug-free from the time I've played it.”
- “Not sure if it's just buggy, but I definitely find it ridiculous.”
- “It will either shut down or it freezes.”
- “A long while ago, I made a comment in the earlier stages of this game's development about its glitches that made the game unplayable for longer periods of time.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly for many players, some experience performance drops, especially when scaling up with more students or placing large structures. Users have noted occasional stuttering during extensive building tasks, indicating that further optimization could enhance the experience. Despite these issues, the game remains stable and enjoyable for those who appreciate its strategic elements.
- “Nice little game, good performance, stable, very relaxed.”
- “Runs smoothly.”
- “The workers are considerably more responsive and though I feel they could still decide what their next task is more quickly, their performance at least means building even the basics of the school won't take a week in-game.”
- “The performance was okay, although my prison was quite small and it was still dropping into the 30s on occasion, so I worry about how well it scales.”
- “Once you have everything unlocked and start adding more and more students, there are also some performance issues, and the game speed slows down substantially.”
- “Better optimization of building, especially while placing down large amounts of, let's say, grass. When I place down a large area, I get a stutter for a second, and I have a previous-gen CPU (Ryzen 3600 @ 4.1GHz), which should be more than enough.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The character development in the game is praised for its originality, featuring unique character designs and visually appealing sprites. Additionally, players appreciate the wide selection of randomly generated names and character designs, enhancing the customization experience.
- “The character design is original and the sprites are visually appealing.”
- “There's a wide selection of randomly generated names and character designs.”
- “The character development feels shallow, with a limited selection of random names and designs that don't allow for meaningful customization.”
- “I was disappointed by the lack of depth in character development; the options for names and designs are too random and uninspired.”
- “Character development is lacking, as the game offers only a narrow range of generic names and designs that fail to create a unique identity.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a wholesome and engaging experience, reminiscent of a more relaxed version of "Prison Architect," where players find enjoyment in the managerial tasks while fostering a sense of care and connection within the gameplay.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a desire for a dynamic school atmosphere that can be positively influenced by elements like plants and decorations, while negatively impacted by issues such as bullying and uncleanliness. This suggests that the game's environment could benefit from interactive features that reflect the overall mood and well-being of the school setting.
- “I would like to have a feature that the school atmosphere could be improved with plants, posters, swings, etc., and maybe factors like bullying and unclean places could decrease it.”