Blockbuster Inc. - Prologue | Game Brain

About

WISHLIST THE FULL GAME About the Game Welcome to Blockbuster Inc., the next-generation simulation game where you take the reins of your movie studio and pave your way to the cinematic hall of fame. Create groundbreaking films, nurture the next generation of acting talents, and usher in a new era in the movie industry. Build it, decorate it, manage it! In Blockbuster Inc you choose how your st…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 85 reviews

music3 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game captures the essence of 'The Movies' while introducing modern gameplay mechanics, making it nostalgic yet fresh.
Players appreciate the customization options for sets and characters, as well as the ability to direct and edit their own films.
The tutorial is well-structured, making it easy for new players to understand the game mechanics and get started.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, including crashes and lag, especially when loading animations.
Many players find the gameplay too easy and repetitive, lacking depth in the movie-making process and character interactions.
The user interface and scheduling mechanics are considered unintuitive, leading to frustration in managing employees and their tasks.

gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay has drawn mixed reviews, with some players expressing concerns about bugs and a fast-paced schedule mechanic that feels unnatural. While the game shares similarities with titles like Game Dev Tycoon and Planet Coaster, many believe it has potential for a fun gameplay loop once more options are unlocked. However, the current experience is perceived as shallow, lacking depth in mechanics and content.
- “The gameplay is similar to Game Dev Tycoon and Mad Games Tycoon, but with a movie studio theme.”
- “The gameplay was very familiar to me after playing hundreds of hours of Planet Coaster, Planet Zoo, and the like, so it was very easy to catch on quickly.”
- “The gameplay loop has the potential to be very fun once you unlock more options.”
- “I don't like the schedule mechanic; I think it should be more hands-off as it does not feel natural, and time is passing way too fast for hours in the schedule to matter.”
- “Once the devs improve stability and bug fixes, I'd be really interested to see what their plans are for future content/DLC, because from what I saw (albeit only the first 2 years in the game), it felt very shallow mechanically and content-wise.”
- “If a game is released today, one hundred years after the movies were released, but if it has fewer elements (props, mechanics, rooms, sound, etc.), it will fail - or should.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics in the game have received mixed feedback, with some praising the sharp focus and upgraded UI, while others criticize the overall quality as lacking charm and personality. Users have noted performance issues, including lag even at lower settings, and a general need for polish before the final release.
- “I've played the prologue and it is what you would expect from a game in 2024: sharp focus, great UI (in my opinion at least, I see some reviews knocking it), and for a game like this, serviceable graphics.”
- “Loved the prologue, reminded me of the movies, just all around having better and upgraded graphics/UI.”
- “I'm sure this will be done before release, but the graphics definitely need some polish; they currently feel very low quality even on cinematic.”
- “The building graphics are ugly; they lack any sort of charm and personality.”
- “I'm sure this will be done before release, but the graphics definitely need some polish. They currently feel very low quality even on cinematic.”
- “The game lags at certain points for no reason, even when I set the graphics to the lowest settings.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Overall, users express that while the game is enjoyable, it requires significant optimization to address issues like lag and stuttering, particularly during scene editing. Many reviewers hope for improvements in performance and balancing before the official launch.
- “My dream game idea is coming true! The game is super fun, but it definitely needs more features added, as well as better balancing and optimization, which I hope will be addressed by launch.”
- “The part where it always lags and stutters is when picking animations in the scene editor; I hope this gets optimized.”
- “The part where it always lags and stutters would have to be picking animations in the scene editor; hope this gets optimized.”
- “Performance needs improvement and optimization.”
- “Performance needs improvement and optimization.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
Users express disappointment with the story aspect, noting that the current scene direction lacks depth and coherence, making it difficult to convey a meaningful narrative. They suggest that features like pathing for characters and text-to-speech options could enhance storytelling, but currently, the experience feels fragmented and unsatisfying. Overall, the consensus is that there is no substantial story to engage with.
- “I'm also unsure of what could be added or researched down the line, but text and voice (TTS or mic) would be a massive feature to add. Telling a story isn't really possible right now; it's just a few scenes that you can't really make anything out of. You can't tell a cool story here at all, which is a massive letdown.”
- “No story.”
- “Multi-story buildings.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
Reviewers emphasize the importance of music in enhancing the game's atmosphere, suggesting that incorporating cozy, low-fi tracks could significantly improve the experience. While the current music is generally well-received, there is a call for more variety and thematic alignment to attract a broader audience. Overall, music is seen as a crucial element that can elevate the game's appeal and immersion.
- “Plenty of royalty cozy music out there today, music is almost everything!”
- “Minecraft is super basic but the music is so good, etc. you get my point.”
- “So far I really do enjoy the premise and concepts of the game, the art design is fun, the music is well done, the concepts (while needing more flushing out) are really cool.”
- “You will appeal to a much larger audience if you can decorate. Almost all of the simmers out there would love this if there were more decorations and cute little items to add. Also, it is missing the very basic path towards the different studios; consider adding lo-fi music to create a cozy game vibe!”
- “Plenty of royalty-free cozy music out there today; music is almost everything!”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and time-consuming, particularly due to the inability to efficiently manage characters and the repetitive nature of tasks required for progression. The research and leveling processes are seen as overly grindy, especially during the prologue, leading to a sense of frustration with the game's mechanics. Overall, many feel that the grinding could benefit from improvements to enhance the experience.
- “Researching - RP is a little grindy (at least in the two-year prologue) and could use some fleshing out in my opinion.”
- “And having to do that for every set after you unlock something is tedious at best.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been reported as very buggy, with some users experiencing issues severe enough to prevent them from fully engaging with the content, such as not being able to see the results of their first movie.
- “Very buggy.”
- “Sadly, it was so buggy that I didn't even get to see how my first movie did.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express frustration with the emotional impact of limitations in gameplay, feeling that certain creative options, such as adding windows or paintings to specific areas, are unnecessarily restricted, which detracts from their overall experience.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect is influenced by the extent of advertising and publicity efforts prior to a movie's release, highlighting the importance of marketing strategies in generating revenue.