For the People

65%
Game Brain Score Based on 142 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
For the People Game Cover
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In "For the People," become a state official responsible for rebuilding an industrial center amidst the formation of a new totalitarian regime. Face challenges such as a deepening social crisis and economic deficit, and work towards a stable and prosperous future for the county. Your success as a young specialist will determine the glory of the Union.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

65%
Audience ScoreBased on 142 reviews
story20 positive mentions
music3 negative mentions
  • The game features an interesting and original story set in a fictional USSR-analogue, providing a unique political narrative experience.
  • The art style and music contribute to an immersive atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience of managing a city in a socialist regime.
  • The game offers multiple endings and replayability, allowing players to explore different choices and their consequences.
  • The resource management system is poorly explained and feels unintuitive, leading to confusion about how to effectively allocate resources.
  • The writing is often lackluster, with grammatical errors and a tedious amount of text that can detract from the gameplay experience.
  • The game is very short, with many players feeling that it lacks depth and meaningful choices, making it feel more like a demo than a full game.
  • story81 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it compelling and immersive, particularly in its exploration of life in a socialist city, while others criticize it for being poorly translated, lacking depth, and feeling disjointed. Many reviews highlight the tediousness of uncovering lore through reading rather than natural integration into gameplay, leading to confusion about character motivations and plot progression. Overall, while the themes and setting are appreciated, the execution leaves much to be desired, with a desire for a longer, more engaging narrative and clearer mechanics.

    • “The story and cold war-esque setting were the stars of this game.”
    • “The story is compelling and the characters are memorable.”
    • “An engaging, immersive story about life in a socialist city.”
    • “If you want to play this, be very patient and make plenty of saves and reloads because the stories make no sense. Guides are in Russian and it makes you read a bunch of paragraphs that give you false (poorly translated) leads, resulting in a story that lacks compelling elements and insight into the consequences of your choices.”
    • “The plot is not much, so it feels like the developers tried to bite off more than they could chew; many of the storylines are underdeveloped, forced, and boring.”
    • “Most of the decisions don't make any sense, and the branching of the main story is very limited.”
  • gameplay45 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a mix of compelling narrative and complex mechanics that often feel opaque and poorly explained, leading to frustration among players. While some enjoy the unique elements of decision-making and social management, many find the linear structure and additional mechanics cumbersome, resulting in a gameplay experience that can feel clunky and unbalanced. Overall, the game offers an interesting premise but struggles with execution, leaving players divided on its effectiveness and enjoyment.

    • “Very interesting and original story and gameplay mechanics.”
    • “The game is above average, it contains about 4 hours of pretty fun gameplay.”
    • “Interesting gameplay with a necessity to balance interests between those of different factions.”
    • “The game is very short and the gameplay mechanics are poorly explained, if at all.”
    • “However, this game just feels clunky mechanically; it does not explain its mechanics well (if at all) half the time it is a guessing game.”
    • “This gameplay element is not enjoyable, and it feels like a filler.”
  • graphics22 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the unique cold war aesthetic and distinctive art style, while others find the visuals to be bland and lacking engagement. The overall atmosphere is praised for its coherence with the game's themes, but the simplistic graphics may not appeal to everyone. Despite some criticisms, many players enjoy the artwork and feel it enhances the storytelling experience.

    • “The game's art style is brilliant.”
    • “Love the overall atmosphere created by witty writing, distinctive art style, and music.”
    • “The artwork is amazing.”
    • “I also don't know if the colorless gray aesthetic is really necessary to have in a game about a city bureaucrat; it's not like I actually want to feel more bored reading reports in a room.”
    • “With lackluster visuals and hand-holding, the game didn't engage me.”
    • “Graphically, its rather simple and bland nature provided a convincing aesthetic.”
  • atmosphere9 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive qualities, blending a tense yet humorous tone that reflects life in a socialist state. The combination of witty writing, distinctive art style, and acceptable music enhances the overall experience, effectively capturing themes of corruption and oppression while providing a unique and engaging environment.

    • “The music and sound, while not very noticeable, is acceptable to good and adds to a mostly tense atmosphere, while giving closure to the endings.”
    • “Love the overall atmosphere created by witty writing, distinctive art style, and music.”
    • “It fits the game perfectly, and it manages to provide the right atmosphere.”
    • “Fill your lungs with the industrial atmosphere of a people's state, free of its former imperial oppression.”
    • “Thumbs up for capturing the atmosphere, corruption and life-destroying maliciousness of a government driven by left-wing ideology.”
    • “As a c-party member, I recommend this game to anyone who is curious about 'what is the atmosphere of living in a socialist country.'”
  • music8 mentions

    The music in the game is generally described as low-key yet effective, enhancing the tense atmosphere and providing a fitting backdrop to the gameplay. While it may not be overly prominent, it contributes positively to the overall experience, with players appreciating its role in creating ambiance and closure during endings.

    • “The music and sound, while not very noticeable, are acceptable to good and add to a mostly tense atmosphere, while giving closure to the endings.”
    • “I love the overall atmosphere created by witty writing, distinctive art style, and music.”
    • “The music and sound, while not very noticeable, is acceptable to good and adds to a mostly tense atmosphere, while giving closure to the endings.”
    • “The low-key soundtrack adds to the ambience.”
    • “As for the soundtrack, it got me right from the main menu.”
  • replayability7 mentions

    The game offers a moderate level of replayability, featuring multiple endings that encourage players to revisit it. However, some users note that its short length limits the extent of replay value compared to other titles. Overall, while enjoyable, it may not provide enough incentive for extensive replay.

    • “Lots of replay value.”
    • “Designed for some replayability.”
    • “I suppose the game's rather short and its replayability is rather minor, but oh well, I got what I came for here.”
    • “Yes, it is replayable, but not to the same extent as 'Papers, Please', for example.”
    • “+ over five possible endings providing some replayability.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often irrelevant, particularly in the context of the story and character relationships. While some elements are enjoyable, the repetitive nature of reloading for different outcomes can feel unnecessary and frustrating, leading to a sense of fatigue after the initial playthrough. Overall, the grinding is perceived as a cumbersome experience that detracts from the narrative.

    • “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
    • “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
    • “You could reload to choose option B and see how that changes your scores, but that would be really tedious and from what I saw, the scoring didn't always make sense.”
    • “It is all 'sovietesque' and so tedious to read.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The game is praised for its lighthearted atmosphere and clever humor, particularly evident in the amusing letters that provide comic relief without directly tying into the main story. Reviewers highlight the well-written dialogue and the overall humorous tone, making it an enjoyable experience.

    • “It has a lighter atmosphere than Beholder and more funny sentences.”
    • “Reading the letters was my favorite activity, as they were humorous in nature and did not relate to the main story much.”
    • “The game is very well-written; it has humor and atmosphere in it.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted through the poignant letters received by the city government, reflecting the deep concerns and sentiments of the community. However, the narrative emphasizes the tension between these heartfelt issues and the city's obligation to prioritize stability and production, leaving personal matters to be addressed by society at large.

  • stability1 mentions

    Users report significant stability issues, particularly with the mouse cursor freezing or lagging when moved quickly, and the inability to enable a hardware cursor leads to the game failing to start.

    • “The mouse cursor freezes or lags if you move it faster than a snail's pace, and you can't enable the hardware cursor, or the game won't even start.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
    • “I experienced constant frame drops and stuttering, which ruined the overall experience.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users praising its smooth performance and efficient resource management, while others report occasional frame drops and stuttering, particularly on lower-end hardware. Overall, the game's optimization appears to be a work in progress, with potential for improvement in future updates.

    • “The optimization in this game is outstanding, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end hardware.”
    • “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the performance settings, making it easy to customize for the best experience.”
    • “The game's optimization ensures that loading times are minimal, keeping the immersion intact without frustrating delays.”
    • “The game runs poorly on even high-end systems, making it frustrating to play.”
    • “I experienced frequent frame drops and stuttering, which ruined the immersion.”
    • “The optimization is so bad that loading times are unacceptably long, even for simple tasks.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

4hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
4-4hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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