Game Dev Studio
- March 12, 2018
- spnidel
- 15h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Game Dev Studio" is a single-player strategy game with stunning mechanics and pretty visuals. In this game, you run your own game development studio, where you can design game engines, hire employees, and create multiple teams to work on various projects. The game features non-linear progression, allowing you to expand your office space by buying new buildings. With various skills, attributes, and knowledge on topics, employees can contribute to making awesome games. Keep your employees engaged, and make sure to update your game engines to reach greatness in the gaming industry.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Strategic buyouts allow players to acquire competitors and leverage their studios to develop new games under their brand.
- The game offers flexibility to customize office spaces and granular control over employee placement, enhancing the management experience.
- The game features a deep and engaging gameplay experience, with multiple mechanics that allow for a personalized approach to game development.
- The absence of real-life counterparts for consoles leads to confusion with numerous unclearly defined platforms, making it hard to identify target audiences.
- Game of the Year outcomes are erratic, often resulting in defeats to obscure companies, regardless of the game's quality or commercial success.
- The tutorial is lacking, and the user interface can be frustrating, making it difficult for new players to grasp the game's mechanics.
- graphics50 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the nostalgic pixel art and simplistic design, while others criticize the low-quality visuals and poor user interface. Many agree that while the graphics may not be cutting-edge, they are sufficient for the gameplay experience, which is often described as engaging and deep. Overall, the aesthetic is seen as charming by some, but a significant number of players feel that the graphics detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“The graphics are certainly appealing, feeling very Stardew Valley-like.”
“The art style is honestly beautiful and reminds me a lot of 8-bit NES games.”
“Challenging without being frustrating, decent graphics with a slight retro vibe, and lots of replay value.”
“Gameplay is really great but the poor UI and low-quality graphics really ruin the game.”
“Its 1990s aesthetic isn't a bad thing, but the sprites are of rock-bottom quality.”
“The personnel problems, the UI, and the off-putting graphics were just too much for the extremely well-done game development aspect to overcome.”
- gameplay48 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its depth, consistency, and rewarding mechanics, often considered superior to similar titles like Game Dev Tycoon. However, many players express frustration with the poor user interface and graphics, which detract from the overall experience. While the game offers enjoyable features and replayability, some feel that certain mechanics lack depth and clarity, leading to a mixed reception.
“One of the things I love is that it's consistent. In comparison, Game Dev Tycoon is quite inconsistent; you can train your developers and have the best combo, and have supposedly the best sliders, and yet your game can be terrible. In this game, if you train the devs and get a combo with good mechanics, the game will be consistently good.”
“The gameplay is incredibly rewarding.”
“Overall, this game is very enjoyable and with the number of gameplay features to learn, it offers much replayability!”
“The main mechanic of the game is incoherent, inconsistent, and overall garbage.”
“It's particularly disappointing that the really great parts of the game are ruined by a clunky interface and game mechanics that feel half-finished.”
“Although there probably is an endgame to this with producing a console, I never really got that far because what seemed to be depth in gameplay is really only a shallow clicking game with little management.”
- story21 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect received mixed reviews, with a score of 5/10, highlighting that while it offers more depth than similar titles like Game Dev Tycoon, it still falls short in execution. Players appreciated the inclusion of a story mode as a tutorial, but criticized the lack of intuitive gameplay elements and the randomness of scenarios. Overall, the narrative experience is seen as a decent addition, but it could benefit from more engaging and cohesive storytelling elements.
“There are a few story scenarios, two notable ones being one where your publisher has kicked you to the curb and one where you must make a highly successful console.”
“But if you wanted to put some kind of story or single-player 'experience' into a sim game, this would be the way to do it.”
“It provides deeper story than Game Dev Tycoon with equally fun gameplay.”
“Story: 5/10”
“I can't make the box art, write a blurb for the story, or make a dozen other tiny decisions that would help each game feel like something I actually... uh... 'made'.”
“I think the developers had the wrong idea of tutorial when they created story mode.”
- replayability11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game offers a mix of replayability, with some users noting it can become repetitive without mods or significant updates, while others highlight its depth and complexity as key factors for replay value. Mod support significantly enhances replayability, allowing for extensive customization and new content, which keeps the experience fresh over time. Overall, players appreciate the challenging gameplay and variety of choices, contributing to a strong replayability rating, especially with mods.
“It's deep, complex, and has a ton of replay value.”
“Also, the mod support will ensure that this game will have replayability for years, if no real competition flourishes in the market.”
“Of all the game dev sims I've played, this one provides the most depth and replayability through the vast amount of choices you are given, and with the recent workshop update, anyone who knows even a lick of Lua can pretty much add anything they want to the game.”
“I don't see much replayability without mods or unless the game gets some big feature updates in the future.”
“However, with mods, it is clear that it is far more replayable.”
“I don't think this is one that you will master in an hour and become bored with; it's unforgiving and I love it for that - replayability is strong.”
- monetization9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 56 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with users expressing frustration over the limited effectiveness of in-app purchases and the high costs of advertising. While some appreciate the variety of advertising options, there are concerns about the balance between quality game development and the pursuit of quick profits through microtransactions. Overall, players feel that the monetization strategy could be improved to enhance user experience and profitability.
“I wish I could actually customize more in depth with in-app purchases and such.”
“It's very rewarding to watch your bank account increase beyond electronics' wildest dreams with microtransactions!”
“Wish I could actually customize more in depth with in-app purchases and such.”
“In-app purchases are practically useless, though.”
“I do think that advertising is ridiculously too expensive; testing your game doesn't seem to work, and it takes way too much time to get new themes and genres.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while it offers depth and flexibility in management, it can become tedious, especially when managing multiple studios. The navigation and object placement mechanics are often seen as convoluted, leading to frustration, though some appreciate the potential for automation in future updates to alleviate the grind. Overall, the management side is enjoyable but can feel overwhelming and repetitive as the game progresses.
“Grinding in this game feels rewarding and engaging, unlike many others I've played.”
“The grind is balanced perfectly, making it enjoyable rather than a chore.”
“I appreciate how the game incentivizes grinding with meaningful rewards and progression.”
“Menus are convoluted and tedious to navigate; tools are unintuitive (to move objects you need to be in... demolition mode?).”
“Cons: the game got tedious when you have 2-3 teams constantly making games; I hope something like automated project development will be implemented in the future.”
“I'm going to try to replay it and see if it's solid now that it's 'finished,' but it was tedious to play from the start, and the only hope of it being a good game was if it improved by its completion.”
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as chill and pleasant, complementing the visuals without being particularly memorable. While some reviewers found the soundtrack enjoyable, others considered it standard and not a standout feature of the game. Overall, the music contributes positively to the atmosphere but lacks a lasting impact.
“The music is chill synth, and the graphics, which some have complained about, were a-ok with me (I'm still scarred by mad games' tubercular potato design).”
“The music and aesthetic are very pleasing to the eye and ears; I have not encountered any crashes or bugs so far.”
“The pixel art is pretty to look at, and the soundtrack is nice.”
“While the music doesn't disrupt the mood, it's not very memorable.”
“Graphics were sub-par; the music was standard; gameplay was terrible; world design was nothing special.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is highly praised, with users reporting excellent performance even on low-end hardware. Many reviewers highlight it as "top notch," indicating that it runs smoothly across various systems. However, some suggest the addition of performance-enhancing environments could further improve the experience.
“The performance was great.”
“Performance is top notch.”
“It is also very well optimized and runs well on my toaster of a laptop.”
“It would be nice to see performance-enhancing environments, similar to those in other games, or employees striving for a minimal standard for the environment.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its engaging and interactive atmosphere, effectively immersing players in both their game development studio and the broader world. Despite some bugs, the overall ambiance contributes positively to the gaming experience.
“Fun and surprisingly atmospheric.”
“The game has managed to create an interactive atmosphere both in the immediate scope of the player (in the player's game developing studio) and the world in which the player interacts.”
“The game has a nice atmosphere despite having many bugs.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is characterized by minor graphic glitches and some bugs, though it benefits from daily bug fixes since its release. Many users appreciate the implementation in stylized game development, despite acknowledging the presence of these issues.
“Some minor graphic glitches.”
“A little buggy, but gets bug fixes daily since release.”
“Granted, it is buggy, but we will get to that aspect.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game excels in character development, featuring well-defined personalities and unique specialties that enhance player engagement and investment in the characters.
“But where it exceeded both was its interest in character development with more detailed personalities and specialties.”
