Influence, Inc.
- May 31, 2022
- Curious Bird
Get on Steam"Influence, Inc." is a strategy-simulation game where you manage a digital influence agency, manipulating social media and news to promote clients and shape reality. Choose your clients and jobs, and consider the impact on public attention and journalism. Reflect on how media is used to influence and shape society, or focus solely on profit.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and engaging experience that highlights media manipulation and societal influence, making it both entertaining and thought-provoking.
- Players can enjoy multiple playthroughs with different endings, allowing for experimentation and exploration of various moral choices.
- The humor and relatable content, along with well-researched themes, create an immersive atmosphere that resonates with real-world issues.
- The game is overly convoluted with a complex tutorial system that can feel overwhelming and detracts from the enjoyment.
- The user interface is crammed and difficult to navigate, making it hard to manage the various systems and mechanics.
- There is a lack of in-game guidance and save options, leading to frustration and wasted time during gameplay.
- gameplay5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a complex and convoluted system of mechanics that can overwhelm players, leading to a stressful experience rather than enjoyment. While some find it fun and addictive, with a compelling gameplay loop that becomes engaging after an initial learning curve, others feel that the numerous tutorials and features make it counter-intuitive. Overall, players may quickly determine their enjoyment of the game within the initial hours.
“Fun and addicting gameplay; you'll be able to tell if you'll enjoy the game or not within the two-hour refund window easily.”
“Content-wise, while it took me some time to get into it, I quickly became hooked by the content and the gameplay loop.”
“It is overly convoluted with tutorials that seemingly never stop because there are so many different systems, mechanics, and little features to learn.”
“I went into the game not expecting it to be so filled to the brim with different systems and mechanics; it became much more stressful to play than it was enjoyable and entertaining.”
“The gameplay loop is frustratingly repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged for long periods.”
- story5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its relatable and engaging core, enhanced by a dynamic soundtrack that shifts with the player's choices, particularly during darker missions. While the narrative is compelling and reflects real-life parallels, some players desire more diverse mission scenarios to enrich the experience. Overall, the story's strength lies in its uncanny realism, making it both relatable and unsettling.
“The setting and core story of the game felt relatable and engaging.”
“Loved how the music changed when I started to take on more... hmm... sinister missions.”
“It would be nice to see some more content in terms of other scenarios with different missions.”
“For all my playthrough, I never ran into a money problem, so accepting quests was never really pushed onto me except in the first few days.”
“But to me, what is the greatest strength of the game is its uncanniness: because every event has parallels with real life, the plot of the game felt both real and terrifying.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its dynamic quality, particularly how it shifts to match the tone of more sinister missions. However, the settings menu is criticized for its lack of options, offering only a basic music and sounds slider.
“I loved how the music changed when I started to take on more... hmm... sinister missions.”
“The settings menu is awful; it consists of literally nothing other than a music and sounds slider, and an option to turn the tutorial off.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a clever, dry wit and subtle hidden jokes that players discover, enhancing the experience. Many reviewers noted that the attention to detail and humorous notes throughout the gameplay add to the enjoyment and make each loop feel rewarding.
“And at least as important, maybe, is the clever, dry sense of humor and the hidden bits that you stumble across.”
“I also particularly appreciated the many details and humorous notes found throughout the trends; they made each new loop rewarding.”
- graphics1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are not its main appeal, as it may not attract players seeking fast-paced action or stunning visuals; however, it is noted for being polished and well-researched.
“While players looking for a fast-paced and dynamic adventure or those searching for dazzling graphics will not be drawn to the game, this is not the main appeal of this polished and well-researched game.”
