Don Duality

About

Don Duality is a single player casual management game with comedy and business themes. It was developed by donduality and was released on August 25, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Don Duality is a tycoon game with card mechanics. Send your gangsters to beat out debts, rob banks, steal valuables and launder the money they earn in your establishment. Hire staff for your restaurant and upgrade it

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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71%

Audience ScoreBased on 135 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features a unique dual-management system that combines restaurant ownership with criminal activities, providing an engaging gameplay experience.
The pixel art style and atmospheric music create a charming and immersive environment that enhances the overall enjoyment of the game.
The strategic decision-making aspect keeps players engaged, as choices in both the restaurant and criminal operations have meaningful consequences.

The game suffers from significant balance issues, particularly with the laundering system, making it difficult to progress once a restaurant becomes successful.
Frequent bugs and crashes hinder gameplay, leading to frustrating experiences and forcing players to restart runs without any progress.
The mechanics can feel shallow and repetitive over time, with limited depth and replayability, leaving players feeling aimless after a few hours of play.

gameplay
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
64%
12%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players highlighting significant balancing issues related to its dual currency mechanic that can lead to softlocks and limit playtime. While some appreciate the strategic card mechanics and the casual management aspect, others find the overall gameplay shallow, repetitive, and plagued by bugs, suggesting that the game lacks the depth needed for long-term engagement. Overall, while the game has potential with its unique mechanics and appealing aesthetics, it requires substantial improvements to its core gameplay to be truly enjoyable.
- “Although the gameplay was a blast, some parts, like the event cards and economics, threw me off.”
- “It is a relaxing title, with a nice core gameplay loop which lets you do some relevant clicks per minute.”
- “Gameplay is simple, but at the same time allows you to use logic and strategy to solve problems.”
- “This would be a great game, but unfortunately its primary mechanic centers around balancing two forms of currency. Due to unavoidable balancing issues, you simply cannot play the game for more than an hour or so as it softlocks you with this mechanic.”
- “[❌] [b]limited depth[/b]: while the dual-management concept is fun, the overall gameplay mechanics feel a bit shallow, lacking the complexity needed to sustain long-term play.”
- “Gameplay rules aren't very well defined or explained.”
story
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
83%
10%
The game's story is minimal but serves as a backdrop for its engaging gameplay, centered around building a mafia empire and managing a restaurant for money laundering. While the graphics and mafia theme are well-received, many players feel that the narrative elements, such as the "don's deck" and story cards, lack depth and connection to the gameplay. Overall, the focus is more on the mechanics of missions and resource management than on a compelling storyline.
- “This roguelike game with a mafia storyline and engaging card system is simply breathtaking.”
- “There are some unfinished components - the 'don's deck' was clearly meant to have more content, as there are tabs with placeholders, and the 'story' cards are cute but don't seem to connect to anything in the game; they're just there for fun.”
- “A classic mafia story where we have to build our empire, hire staff in our restaurant business, and launder money through it.”
- “While its graphics are cute and its storyline is very consistent, what I especially enjoy about this game is its balance.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The game's graphics feature a charming pixel art style that evokes nostalgia and complements its gritty, noir-like atmosphere. While many players appreciate the cute and slick visuals, some note a lack of character variability and unfinished areas. Overall, the graphics are generally well-received, enhancing the game's enjoyable blend of card and management mechanics.
- “The game's art style and music create a gritty, noir-like atmosphere that complements the dual nature of your operations.”
- “The pixel art style is a throwback to classic games, and the music provides an apt backdrop.”
- “Beautiful pixel graphics and card mechanics with time management elements.”
- “The gameplay is passable, and once you get the hang of it it's not bad, but the only real draw are the cutscenes which are cute, but there are areas of the game that seem straight up unfinished. In general, I would only recommend it if the idea of a money laundering card-based tycoon game with pixel graphics really appeals to you for some specific reason.”
- “Just cute graphics, easygoing music, and jingling sound effects, but basically zero thought.”
- “The graphics are simple, but do not raise any questions.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
49%
13%
The music in the game is praised for enhancing its gritty, noir-like atmosphere, effectively complementing the pixel art style. While some users appreciate the pleasant and cute soundtrack, others feel it lacks depth and thoughtfulness. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's aesthetic, though opinions vary on its complexity and engagement.
- “The pixel art style is a throwback to classic games, and the music provides an apt backdrop.”
- “The game certainly has the potential to be a great game: great art and music, with mechanics that can be fun.”
- “The music, my friend, is where it's at!”
- “Just cute graphics, easygoing music, and jingling sound effects, but basically zero thought.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring repetitive actions like reopening dialogue cards and switching districts. While the game offers potential for multiple runs, the grinding mechanics can detract from the overall experience, making it feel like a chore rather than an engaging part of gameplay.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You can roll the traits of hires by closing and reopening the hiring dialogue card, but it's quite tedious as you can't close the dialogue with Esc.”
- “This seems unintended as it is quite tedious to change to another district and back to the one you are currently working on again and again as a main gameplay loop mechanic.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it offers limited replay value after a few hours, others appreciate its complexity and strategic elements that encourage multiple playthroughs, particularly in the context of managing resources and responding to challenges.
- “Add to the top that you have to watch the city map every now and then to detect the hostile intrusion to your districts, and you'll have a super-complex game with great replayability.”
- “There is little to no replayability.”
- “Fun for a few hours, but not much in terms of replay value.”
- “Card game mafia sim + mechanics + replayability = hire cooks, waiters, and mobsters to make money.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmospheric art style and music effectively create a gritty, noir-like ambiance that enhances the dual nature of gameplay, immersing players in a captivating mafia world. This engaging atmosphere, combined with a straightforward yet strategic decision-making process, contributes to the game's addictive quality.
- “The game's art style and music create a gritty, noir-like atmosphere that complements the dual nature of your operations.”
- “It's very addictive because of the atmosphere and a simple but thoughtful decision-making process.”
- “Great mafia world atmosphere.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate a significant lack of character development, with many players noting that the characters lack personality and depth, resulting in a less engaging experience.
- “The lack of character development is evident; the characters you interact with don’t have much personality or depth.”
- “Character arcs feel rushed and underdeveloped, leaving players unsatisfied with their growth.”
- “There is a noticeable absence of meaningful choices that impact character development throughout the game.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting numerous bugs that affect basic functionality and a lack of clarity in its mechanics.
- “Extremely buggy on very basic levels of function, making it frustrating to play.”
- “The game crashes frequently, disrupting the overall experience.”
- “There are numerous glitches that hinder gameplay and make it difficult to progress.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its dark yet entertaining tone, with players finding amusement in the game's unforgiving nature and quirky sound effects. The lighthearted storytelling and comedic moments, even in the face of failure, contribute to an enjoyable casual experience.
- “It's quite an unforgiving yet funny game; I adore the badah-badah sounds.”
- “A fine casual game with a soft flow and funny little stories.”
- “My gangsters died on the first day, but it was hilarious! :D”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization system features a variety of card types, including those for actions, purchases, advertising, hiring, and events, which suggests a diverse approach to in-game transactions. However, players express frustration over the necessity of running multiple advertisements consecutively, indicating potential issues with the monetization strategy's balance and user experience.
- “The cards are divided into action (missions), purchase (for restaurant equipment or for your gangsters' room in the basement), advertising, hiring (waiters, cooks, and gangsters), and event cards.”
- “Do I need to run 15 advertisements in a row?”