Idol Manager

What starts as a challenging and potentially exciting management sim, Idol Manager fails to keep your attention in the long term. Once you overcome those early financial hurdles and the money starts rolling in, the challenge ends, making for a stale simulated day-to-day experience.

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"Idol Manager" is a simulation game where you manage a talent agency and guide the careers of young pop stars. Oversee their training, hiring, and promotion, while dealing with their personal lives and the scrutiny of the public eye. Balance the highs and lows of the entertainment industry to lead your agency to success.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,251 reviews

story88 positive mentions

stability31 negative mentions

Idol Manager offers a captivating blend of management simulation and storytelling, keeping players engaged with its unique mechanics and character interactions.
The game features a charming art style and well-written dialogue, providing a surprisingly deep narrative that explores the complexities of the idol industry.
With mod support, players can customize their experience, adding variety and enhancing replayability.

The game suffers from significant bugs, including game-breaking issues that can corrupt save files and freeze gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience.
The early game can be excessively punishing, with a steep learning curve that may frustrate new players and lead to frequent bankruptcies.
Some gameplay mechanics feel shallow and repetitive, leading to a lack of long-term engagement once players have mastered the initial challenges.

story
290 mentions
30 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The game's story is a compelling blend of strategy and narrative, immersing players in the challenges of managing an idol agency while navigating complex relationships and societal issues. While some players find the story engaging and well-written, others note that it can feel repetitive or disconnected from gameplay, with progression sometimes hindered by gameplay mechanics. Overall, the narrative offers depth and emotional investment, making it a standout feature for those who appreciate storytelling in management simulations.
- “The story is well grounded and captivating, and you have to deal with real challenges and choices an idol agency must deal with: public opinion, cancel culture, mental and physical health of your idols, training, relationships, a good behind-the-scenes team, organizing concerts and tours, money investment, sometimes getting a loan for boosting your marketing and sales, finding the best idols, retiring your best ones and maybe putting them as fellow managers when the time comes...”
- “What surprised me the most is the story; I wasn't expecting much of it here but I loved it.”
- “The story is really great, and the game projects a very similar outcome of what a starting idol group may encounter.”
- “The story is... improvable.”
- “The game does have a main storyline, but it's broken up by somewhat arbitrary challenges, which hit a wild wall surprisingly early on, where your goal goes from getting into the top five singles releases to getting the number one single, which leaps to requiring well over 150,000 sales.”
- “The story is pretty lightweight and doesn't interfere too heavily with gameplay.”
gameplay
173 mentions
31 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Idol Manager is characterized by its engaging and addictive mechanics, offering a unique blend of management simulation and storytelling elements. While many players appreciate the depth and charm of the game, some criticize its repetitive nature and lack of complexity in certain mechanics, particularly in late-game scenarios. Overall, the gameplay loop is enjoyable and provides a solid foundation for fans of the genre, despite some rough edges and a steep learning curve for newcomers.
- “With its clever mechanics and dark undertones, Idol Manager excels at making each playthrough unique.”
- “The gameplay loop is satisfying, and I enjoy any type of management game system.”
- “Juggling the idols' schedules, managing relationships, and handling unexpected events keeps the gameplay dynamic and engaging.”
- “The actual management mechanics are boring.”
- “Concerts, which you would think would be one of the most dramatic focuses of the game, become almost instantaneously dull because there are a grand total of merely three or four things that can go wrong at a concert, ever, with identical mechanical effects.”
- “The gameplay loop is quite repetitive after the first few hours.”
music
142 mentions
13 % positive mentions
82 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the upbeat and catchy tunes that enhance the idol experience, while others criticize the repetitive and limited soundtrack that can become grating over time. Many users express a desire for more dynamic song options and the ability to create unique tracks, reflecting a deeper engagement with the idol music production process. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, it lacks variety and depth, leaving some players wanting more.
- “The soundtrack deserves special mention for its catchy tunes that encapsulate the energy and excitement of the idol world.”
- “Whether it's the upbeat melodies during successful performances or the more reflective tunes during downtime, the music enhances the overall experience.”
- “At the end of the day though, and perhaps even true to the real life representation, the core successful part of the idol agency business is still producing music for fans to consume.”
- “The music is almost non-existent, despite a fitting track in the main menu.”
- “You'd expect an idol game to feature some quality music, but unfortunately, this game uses pretty short repetitive samples.”
- “Listening to the same music over and over for hours just drives me mad.”
graphics
50 mentions
38 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their stunning visuals and charming art style, featuring a mix of solid 2D artwork and pixel art that effectively captures the essence of Japan's idol industry. While the aesthetics are engaging and contribute to the overall experience, some players noted that the visuals can become repetitive over time, and there are occasional bugs affecting the graphical execution. Overall, the art style and character designs are considered a highlight, enhancing the game's appeal, especially for fans of anime and management genres.
- “The game graphics and execution of the concept are on point, but the game can initially be quite challenging and the tutorial is not as helpful as it should be.”
- “With its engaging gameplay, charming aesthetics, and attention to detail, this game stands out as a must-play for fans of simulation and management genres.”
- “Graphics are a mix of pretty solid 2D artwork and charming pixel art.”
- “The game is playable but I would say that 25% of the experience is purely bugs, either with your progress or visuals.”
- “Visuals, while very nice, become repetitive after some time.”
- “What else... I'd say, graphics for head figures is sub-par; I would expect something better.”
stability
31 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay, including freezing issues and game-breaking errors. Many users express frustration over the lack of updates from the developers, suggesting that the game feels abandoned and unfinished. While some players find enjoyment despite the bugs, the overall consensus is that the game's stability is a major concern, making it difficult to recommend.
- “This game has a lot of unfulfilled potential; I can see what they were trying to do, but overall the entire thing feels unfinished and buggy.”
- “However, the developers have basically abandoned this game in its entirety; no updates have been pushed in years, and it's extremely buggy - I just lost about 4-5 hours of progress to a bug.”
- “But at its current state, I absolutely cannot recommend it; it has an insane amount of game-breaking glitches that even starting a new save does not fix. It's been years, and the devs have yet to update the game and have not even addressed the situation; their social media has gone completely quiet, and I fear a bug fix will not come in the near future.”
optimization
25 mentions
12 % positive mentions
76 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally smooth on low-spec systems, but players report occasional lag during late-game scenarios with heavy activity, as well as minor hiccups when navigating extensive menus or loading large discographies. While the core gameplay loop can feel tedious due to repetitive clicking for performances and promotions, the overall experience is enriched by well-crafted character interactions and engaging music. However, some players express concerns about the game's optimization and urge for improvements to streamline management tasks.
- “Happily planning to play more... to get more achievements, finish the story mode, and try to max my performance and promotion levels.”
- “To succeed you will need to understand the main loop of doing promotions/performances while your singles are being developed, and getting a photoshoot deal every other time.”
- “Right now, the way to succeed at this game is: hire high-quality idols + daily promotion + concerts = victory, and you can largely ignore the game's other, less efficient systems, except where needed to level up your performance or promotion.”
- “Performances and promotions, for example, are just nebulous once-a-day buttons you have to constantly monitor to click at each daily opportunity, which sends the pace stumbling since you can't just cruise while waiting on processes to finish. They do nothing but hand over a lump sum of money or fans.”
- “I love this game, I see more pros than cons, but I can't recommend a poorly optimized or hastily made game, let alone trust the developer.”
- “I wish I could enjoy playing it, but the gameplay loop mostly is just tedious clicking on performance or promotion and occasionally getting to have some fun with sub-events.”
humor
23 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever and unexpected moments, with players enjoying the witty dialogue and satirical takes on the music industry. Many found the random events and character interactions to be genuinely funny, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience. The game's ability to blend light-hearted humor with darker themes adds a unique charm, making it both entertaining and engaging.
- “Good game, it's easy to understand how to play and the story catches me, and quick small stories are funny.”
- “The story-line allows you to go in several different directions, and there are several really funny moments that happen every once in a while.”
- “Dialogue is smart, witty, and occasionally hilarious.”
grinding
20 mentions
0 % positive mentions
5 % neutral mentions
95 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often feeling like a chore rather than an engaging part of the experience. While the story mode offers some distraction with objectives and cutscenes, the repetitive tasks of producing singles and managing concerts can lead to frustration and a sense of monotony. Many reviewers express a desire for a more balanced gameplay loop that minimizes the grind and enhances enjoyment.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It's a classic example of a 'difficulty wall' instead of a 'difficulty cliff', or it would be if the problem truly was difficulty instead of just patience and ridiculous amounts of grinding.”
- “I wish I could enjoy playing it, but the gameplay loop mostly is just tedious clicking on performance or promotion and occasionally getting to have some fun with sub-events.”
emotional
20 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its deep character development and heartfelt narratives, which can lead to significant player investment and attachment to the idols. While some players find the emotional engagement rewarding, others feel it can be overwhelming or lead to feelings of loss when characters graduate or face challenges. Overall, the game successfully blends lighthearted moments with poignant storytelling, leaving players with a mix of joy and sorrow.
- “The personal stories of each idol, their struggles, and triumphs add an emotional layer to the game.”
- “I did not expect to become as emotionally invested in this game as I did.”
- “The story has more depth than I expected and the scenes are so emotional.”
replayability
19 mentions
42 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
Overall, the game exhibits high replayability, with many users highlighting its addictive nature, multiple endings, and diverse content that encourages repeated playthroughs. While some mention moderate replay value, the presence of randomly generated elements and various routes enhances the experience, making it engaging for players. However, a few users note that replayability may be limited in its current state without mods.
- “Tons of content and great replayability keep you playing non-stop, losing track of time.”
- “It is fun, addicting, entertaining, it has immense replay value, and most of all, it's been made by people who clearly know what they are doing from the groundwork up.”
- “There's a lot of replayability here, with different people to recruit, cool live events to host, television, radio, and internet shows to manage, scandals to handle, etc.”
- “It is worth 20 dollars, but its replayability is very low in its current state.”
- “Now multiply them and that would be this game's replayability.”
- “Multiple routes so there is replay value even after finishing up one route.”
monetization
17 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for its reliance on random chance and poorly designed systems, making it difficult for players to achieve profitability. Players often find themselves going bankrupt despite their efforts in managing promotions and advertisements, as the mechanics feel unbalanced and repetitive. There is a call for more diverse revenue streams and upgrades to enhance the gameplay experience, as current options like ads and photoshoots are seen as ineffective and frustrating.
- “Even if you have two secretaries working at the same time, you risk waiting a long time before you find the photoshoot or the advertisement your boss wants, so in the meantime, you go bankrupt and can't ask for more money unless you satisfy his request.”
- “Impossible to be profitable, no matter how many performances you do or ads, money just goes down the drain.”
- “I had 4 billion and gambled it all away with advertisement contracts until I was almost negative 100 billion.”
character development
5 mentions
60 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
Character development in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the vibrant and diverse character designs and find the development somewhat engaging, others criticize the repetitiveness and blandness of the story. The dialogue is noted for its light-hearted moments, though some players find certain parts awkward and unskippable, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The character designs are vibrant and diverse, capturing the essence of the idol industry.”
- “If you're bored and want to burn some hours or distract yourself, this is a good game to do it with. It has a good gameplay loop, nice aesthetics (multiple mods that help with how the idols look), a decent storyline (made me cry), and somewhat great character development.”
- “The character development was decent and some of the light-hearted dialogue was funny.”
- “However, while the management part has been very fun to experience, the game seems to fall short when it comes to character designs. I don’t like the style of them, and they are very repetitive, and the story feels a bit bland.”
- “The character development was decent, and some of the light-hearted dialogue was funny, but some was just... weird and unskippable ('skip' in the game is just 'read faster').”