DevLife
- August 21, 2020
- Roman Studio
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"DevLife is a single-player Business Strategy game that offers 5 hours of playtime, where you can experience the IT industry firsthand. Create your character, build your career through four extensive skill trees, and make thought-choices in interactive events that shape your story. Fulfill commissions for external clients, hire employees and lead them to success."
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game has great potential and offers a unique take on the game development simulation genre.
- Players appreciate the core gameplay mechanics, which involve managing a company and hiring employees with specific skills.
- Some users find the game enjoyable and engaging, especially for its price, and are optimistic about future updates.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and a clunky user interface, making it frustrating to play.
- Many players report an unbalanced difficulty curve, with random financial crises leading to quick bankruptcies and a lack of clear explanations for losses.
- The game lacks depth and content, often requiring repetitive grinding for minimal rewards, which can lead to a mundane experience.
- gameplay22 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for its lack of depth and clarity, with many players finding it confusing and poorly explained. The tutorial is notably brief and focuses on search filters rather than essential mechanics, leading to frustration. Overall, the game attempts to blend tycoon and visual novel elements but fails to deliver an engaging experience, with comparisons drawn to better-executed titles.
“Allow me to describe the gameplay:”
“Core gameplay is there - you are a young developer, trying to manage work, learn, and rest patterns.”
“[*] [b]gameplay/story[/b]: this game tries to be a tycoon game with visual novel elements.”
“Barely any gameplay here.”
“The tutorial lasts 2 minutes and is essentially a video explaining how search filters work, which makes some of the questionable mechanics in the game even more confusing since I'm unsure whether it's bad mechanics or me doing something wrong.”
“Even better, don't add random events which can't be skipped or events which ruin the gameplay.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some users criticizing the reliance on common asset packs, particularly the Synty pack, which they feel contributes to a lack of originality and poor visual quality. Others note that while the visuals are reminiscent of typical Unity graphics, they still find them acceptable. Overall, the consensus leans towards disappointment in the game's visual presentation.
“Graphics are very Unity-like, but it's good.”
“I can't be sure which asset pack, but I'm going to guess that this game uses that awful Synty asset pack every other indie game on Steam uses.”
“It seems to be the source of inspiration, not just for gameplay elements but for the awful visuals as well.”
“Because as much as I wanted to like this game, despite skipping past it 20 times on the Steam store - based on graphics and animation alone, there's nothing to like just yet.”
- story8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's story is presented through visual novel elements that include dialogue choices, but many players feel it lacks depth and engagement compared to older titles like Game Dev Tycoon and Game Dev Story. Overall, the narrative aspects seem underdeveloped and fail to enhance the tycoon gameplay effectively.
“When I first played the game, I did sit through a few of these story elements.”
“In 96 minutes I played, this game did less than the age-old Game Dev Tycoon or even Game Dev Story.”
“This game tries to be a tycoon game with visual novel elements.”
“It pops up story elements and gives you dialogue choices.”
- music8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing it as repetitive and poorly executed, while others appreciate its warm and welcoming qualities. Additionally, there are reports of bugs that disrupt gameplay, leaving the music playing inappropriately during certain actions.
“The soundtrack is warm and welcoming.”
“The soundtrack is warm and welcoming.”
“Another indie game with garbage audio.”
“Especially that awful music constantly on loop.”
“Bugs where the screen blanks out with the game locked just playing music when you try to assign skill points to a new employee.”
- stability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, a clunky user interface, and a lack of clarity regarding in-game mechanics, particularly related to financial losses. Many users find it nearly impossible to progress due to these problems, leading to a cautious recommendation until improvements are made.
“The game is buggy, has no overview of why you lose all your money, and is extremely reliant on RNG.”
“Buggy UI, bad tutorial.”
“This game is very promising, but I'm not going to change my recommendation to yes until it's less buggy, as it's almost impossible for me to progress at the moment.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism for being unbalanced and potentially exploitative, with players feeling that it resembles a cash grab rather than a well-supported early access title. Many users report significant bugs and issues that undermine gameplay, leading to frustration and concerns about the game's long-term viability. Overall, there is a strong sentiment that the current monetization model does not justify the experience provided.
“I know it's early access, but this game is so bugged right now. I went from having a company worth $100,000 and a personal account of $43,000, completing all commissions on time and 'fast' with no bonus, but still making money. The company costs $420 a month and personal expenses are $290. The 2008 boom hit, and nothing changed, but the game is over before the year ends. I don't know why, besides a bad unbalanced game. If you check the discussions, you'll see I'm not the only one saying this, but it's still not been addressed. So stay away until the dev earns his reputation and track record, or until the game actually releases, because right now it's just a cash grab and potential abandonware.”
“This game feels like a cash grab. The monetization is so aggressive that it overshadows any enjoyment I could have had. It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to progress without spending real money.”
“The monetization model is incredibly frustrating. It seems like every time I turn around, there's another microtransaction or premium currency that I need to buy to enjoy the game fully. It really detracts from the overall experience.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is excessively time-consuming, with players feeling that years of effort can be rendered meaningless upon release. This leads to concerns about the game's profitability and the sustainability of the company, as the lengthy grind may hinder sales recovery.
“Creating your own jobs - good luck. Ten game years of grinding evaporates on release. It's too long for sales to recoup costs; the company will go broke and shut down prior to becoming profitable due to distribution costs.”
