Evil Bank Manager

About

In "Evil Bank Manager" , become a ruthless capitalist during the era of geographical discoveries and industrial revolution. Manipulate, conspire, and control money to gain influence and wealth. Experience well-designed gameplay with a complex economic system, offering numerous hours of engaging strategic simulation.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 886 reviews

gameplay46 positive mentions

grinding21 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and engaging concept of managing a bank and influencing global events through economic means.
Once the mechanics are understood, the gameplay can be quite fun and addictive, providing a satisfying sense of progression.
The graphics and soundtrack create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.

The game becomes repetitive after a few hours, with limited depth and variety in gameplay mechanics.
The tutorial is poorly designed, leaving players confused about key mechanics and how to effectively manage their bank.
The user interface is clunky and can be frustrating to navigate, especially as the game progresses and the number of actions increases.

gameplay
189 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
65%
11%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a steep learning curve and a lack of depth in mechanics, leading to repetitive and formulaic gameplay after initial learning. While some appreciate the core economic concepts and find the game engaging once the mechanics are understood, others criticize the poor user interface, unclear tutorials, and a lack of strategic variety, resulting in a tedious experience over time. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant improvements in mechanics and user guidance to enhance player engagement.
- “The gameplay is fairly simple to get, falls under the category of easy to grasp, hard to master, in my opinion.”
- “Very compelling game, mechanics are relatively simple but allow for subtle nuances when seeking mastery.”
- “I like the gameplay a lot - I love this genre in general, actually.”
- “Many mechanics are discongruent and unintuitive.”
- “The gameplay essentially boils down to 'make lots of money by reinvesting your cash', which is fine, but there's not a lot of mechanical depth to this - there are a few different ways to make money, but 1 or 2 are objectively better than others, so the gameplay is very formulaic and repetitive.”
- “The gameplay starts to feel like a chore while you try to desperately min-max and your turns share the same loops.”
graphics
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
47%
6%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the pleasant and atmospheric visuals, while others criticize them as generic or outdated. Many users note that the graphics are not the main focus of the game, which is more about strategy and gameplay, but there are calls for improvements in performance and display settings. Overall, while the graphics are described as decent or nice by some, they are also seen as lacking depth and variety by others, leading to a somewhat polarized reception.
- “The graphics are beautiful.”
- “The game has some really beautiful environments and the graphics are really well designed and laid out.”
- “Very atmospheric game and good graphics.”
- “The art style is generic and looks cobbled together.”
- “The graphics are limited to two scenes for the most part: the 'capitol' screen and the world map.”
- “Graphically, it doesn't really have much in the way of graphics.”
music
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
44%
12%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its quality and atmospheric fit for the theme, while others criticize its repetitiveness and lack of variety. Many suggest that the soundtrack, although enjoyable, could benefit from additional tracks and sound effects to enhance the overall experience. Overall, while the music is appreciated by some, it may not sustain interest over extended play sessions.
- “The music is surprisingly good and probably the best part of the game.”
- “The upbeat soundtrack kept me hooked.”
- “Good music, especially European tracks - not quite suitable for the time period, of course, but pleasing to the ear.”
- “The sounds are limited to mere clicking and a loop of background music that's dependent on whether the player is eastern or western.”
- “The background music does little for the game, so the player is advised to mute the music and play some sort of music that has a theme of war or greed.”
- “As there's not a great deal of eye candy, in the UI or otherwise, the soundtrack gets repetitive an hour in, and there's no innate satisfaction to playing the game without the numerical mechanics making any sense.”
replayability
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
65%
17%
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding it fun and engaging due to various victory paths and strategies, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking depth. Many reviewers note that despite some potential for replay value, the game ultimately falls short and requires additional features or updates to enhance its longevity. In summary, while there are elements that could support replayability, the consensus leans towards it being limited and in need of improvement.
- “Again, considering a relatively low budget, this game design was executed into a great fun, always well replayable versions of lesser or more aggressive strategy scenarios.”
- “I can see the game having a ton of replay value.”
- “Simple, fun, and has tons of replayability.”
- “For a strategy game, it isn't all too deep and doesn't have much to offer in terms of replay value.”
- “It sucks that the developer considers the game complete when it lacks so much depth and replayability value.”
- “The only fun part is the learning curve, but as soon as you understand what to do, it's very repetitive and does not have any replay value.”
grinding
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and repetitive, particularly in the late game where strategic depth diminishes and actions become a monotonous cycle of button-mashing. Many reviewers note that the lack of balance and meaningful gameplay leads to a sense of boredom, with the interface complicating the experience further. While some enjoy the initial strategic elements, the enjoyment wanes as players are forced to grind through unchallenging tasks for extended periods.
- “The issue with EBM is that, beyond the early game, the gameplay loop becomes insanely tedious.”
- “But after a while, the gameplay invariably becomes a very tedious grind of repeated button-mashing because that's just what needs to be done to pass the turns and the bulk of optimal actions don't require any thought whatsoever; poor game mechanics definitely contribute to this, especially in the late game.”
- “Extremely tedious, entirely without a sense of achievement, and there's absolutely zero reason to replay it.”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
72%
17%
The story in the game revolves around managing a bank during the Renaissance, where players embark on missions to grow their influence and control over the economy. While the initial premise is intriguing, many reviewers find the narrative execution lacking, with missions that feel repetitive and unimpactful, ultimately leading to a sense of disappointment in the overall experience. Despite this, some players report becoming engaged with the gameplay mechanics, even if the story itself does not deliver a compelling or immersive experience.
- “In short, the plot is as follows: you found your first bank and choose a country where you start your activity.”
- “I thought that the game is not worth the money, but after I went into it, I got interested in it, passed quest after quest.”
- “Pff, it's not as fancy as it sounds, it's basically a resource strategy game that is somewhat based on EU3 and EU4, except you only control parts of the economy and don't even get to do much except invest money and loan money. Somehow, someone found a way to make some obscure function from EU4 into a game. You 'win' it by doing some bland missions that don't add anything to the game experience itself... and it only lasts 300 turns until the year 1570 AD or so, and then the game is over. Waste of time and money.”
- “You can try to influence wars or declare them, send your guards on missions to disrupt other banks, send spies to provoke revolutions, but it's all half-baked and boring and never feels impactful.”
- “That's the only way other similar games keep your attention for so long, is by throwing in a bunch of randomness and story flavor.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
89%
33%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive depiction of the dark middle ages, enhanced by detailed graphics and a calm, atmospheric soundtrack. Players appreciate the balance between streamlined gameplay and the evocative setting, which collectively create a sense of nostalgia and simplicity. Overall, the atmosphere is described as both engaging and reflective of the historical period.
- “In this age of technology, it is very nice to dive into the atmosphere of the dark Middle Ages, where everything was simpler and more honest.”
- “Streamlined gameplay, good balance, atmospheric graphics.”
- “The music in the background is kind of monotonous, but atmospheric, calm, and creates a sense of the Middle Ages.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth and detail that would make the world feel alive.”
- “Despite the potential for a rich environment, the atmosphere is disappointingly bland and fails to engage the player.”
- “The game’s atmosphere is underwhelming, with repetitive visuals and sounds that do little to immerse you in the experience.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
89%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with users reporting various bugs, particularly related to farming outputs and country lists becoming problematic with larger numbers. While some players find the overall experience smooth and enjoyable, others highlight significant glitches and inconsistencies, especially in gameplay mechanics like wars. As the game is still in early access, many reviewers express hope for improvements in future updates.
- “It seems bug-free; you can get into a nice flow in the UI, and the graphics are nice.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes, allowing for an uninterrupted gaming experience.”
- “I've experienced no glitches or performance issues, which makes for a very stable gameplay.”
- “The game is a bit buggy; farms are supposed to produce grain twice a year, but most years they won't produce anything at all.”
- “I'm pretty sure the wars are buggy and just change randomly.”
- “For example, the lists of countries become very buggy when there are more than 8-10 of them...”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its cheeky, cynical take on real-world financial systems, with players finding amusement in the absurdity of scenarios, such as a bank with minimal capital outpacing larger competitors. The game cleverly mocks institutions like central banks and the IMF, leading to laugh-out-loud moments, especially for those familiar with the industry. Overall, the humor is both sharp and entertaining, enhancing the gameplay experience.
- “Excellent simple and precise logic and hilarious cheeky cynical humor sticking precisely to the real historical origins of financial affairs.”
- “It was also hilarious to see #1 investing in wars to the tune of 100 times that of others, while as a player you are limited to at worst 1/1000th of the investment.”
- “Having worked in the industry, I find the mockery of the central bank system, IMF, loan collateral raiding, 'diplomacy,' and starting and funding wars hilarious.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly for some players, others experience significant performance issues, particularly on lower-end hardware. The user interface is criticized for being limited and unintuitive, with poorly explained tutorials and menu layouts that detract from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, the game offers interesting challenges, though players may need to tolerate some rough edges due to its low-budget nature.
- “Although the interface is rather limited, and the tutorial needs better explanations regarding later stage play needs for the game and what specific details mean (such as the problem of getting caught on both sides of a war), the game runs smoothly and presents some interesting challenges.”
- “The game needs optimization; it doesn't run very well on my laptop, and I can run EU4 at 60fps, so this should run fine, but I get like 20 frames. However, it doesn't affect gameplay that much, so it's fine, to be honest.”
- “It's a good game, but the concept of it is held back by some faults in execution, specifically very bad program optimization and limited user interface.”
- “The only negative is that it is a low-budget title, so some roughness needs to be tolerated, such as occasionally unintuitive and unoptimized menu layout, poorly worded help text or sometimes complete lack of it.”
- “The game needs optimization; it doesn't run very well on my laptop, and I can run EU4 at 60fps, so this should run fine, but I will get like 20 frames. It doesn't affect gameplay that much, so it's fine, to be honest.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game initially appears superficial, but it ultimately evokes a sense of regret for underestimating it, highlighting its ability to convey wholesome values. However, players note that it doesn't evoke strong feelings of richness or power.
- “What initially seemed like a shallow, cheap game quickly made me feel bad for how quickly I judged it.”
- “Good game, teaching wholesome values.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy of the game is perceived as a potential cash grab, reminiscent of mobile and web games that heavily rely on microtransactions. However, the gameplay quality has encouraged some players to engage despite these concerns.
- “I see this more as a mobile/web cash grab game based on the gameplay; if it were one of those nickel-and-dime types with microtransactions, I would have never even tried it.”
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, constantly pushing players to spend more money to enjoy the game fully.”
- “It's frustrating how much the game relies on microtransactions, making it hard to progress without spending real money.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers express a desire for enhanced role-playing options and deeper character development, suggesting that these elements could significantly elevate the game's overall experience.
- “The character development in this game is truly immersive, allowing players to shape their heroes in unique ways.”
- “I love how the choices I make impact my character's growth and relationships with others in the game.”
- “The depth of character customization and progression adds a rich layer to the gameplay experience.”