Initiation

About

Initiation is a single player management game. It was developed by Königsborgs and was released on April 21, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Don Duality Initiation is a Prologue version of the game where you will experience a thrilling 9-day journey to the top. Send gangsters to collect debts, rob banks, and launder money through your restaurant.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 103 reviews

gameplay12 positive mentions

monetization1 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of mafia crime and restaurant management with engaging card-based strategy gameplay.
Addictive and fun, with charming pixel art style and an appealing mix of humor and thematic elements.
Promising concept with various criminal activities, random events, and resource management that keep gameplay fresh and interesting.

Lacks clear explanations and tutorials for many game mechanics, causing confusion about currencies, police attention, and game systems.
High randomness (RNG) impacts strategy negatively, sometimes causing frustrating deadlocks or unfair game overs.
Limited content and replayability in the current version; gameplay can become repetitive and overly difficult without sufficient strategic depth or player control.

gameplay
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
37%
13%
The gameplay features an intriguing blend of deckbuilding, resource management, and strategy with engaging core mechanics, but is often criticized for its lack of clear explanations, short playtime, and repetitive loops. While the concept and thematic elements are praised, many find the mechanics clunky, insufficiently polished, and frustrating due to unclear systems like police attention and laundering. Overall, the game shows promise but needs more depth, clarity, and refinement to fully realize its potential.
- “Despite its straightforward gameplay, the game provides an enjoyable and engaging experience.”
- “The gameplay involves sending out your gangsters to collect debts, rob banks, and launder money through your restaurant, while also managing your resources and making strategic decisions.”
- “Good game, addictive gameplay with interesting tasks, nice pixel graphics and style.”
- “Those are probably things you can figure out by spending more time in the game or by digging into the Steam forums, but the gameplay loop got so repetitive within half an hour (2 games) that I don't really want to spend more time just to learn the basic mechanics of the game.”
- “I don't see many roguelite mechanics in the game besides the fact that it uses cards, however the makeup of your deck and what you have access to seems completely random and it isn't ever explained how you get new cards, how to remove cards, how to strategize in any way other than what order you click the randomly assigned cards.”
- “The tutorial is a quick 'here's how you interact with the cards' rundown, but it misses the mark on everything else: police attention, skirmishes, arrest, that flipping slot machine mechanic, laundering percentages, income/wages for your crews, even the currency to buy permanent boost cards.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
29%
21%
The game features charming, well-designed pixel art with a cute and comedic style that many players appreciate. While the visuals are engaging and contribute to an immersive experience, some users noted minor graphical glitches and desired more character variety and dynamic activities. Overall, the graphics are praised for their appeal and complement the game's addictive gameplay.
- “Cute art-style with some comedy sprinkled in-between.”
- “Also the beautiful pixel visuals of the game are most appealing.”
- “The graphics is very cute with a great concept/theme and interesting mechanics.”
- “I think the only issue I could list is a minor graphical issue; I noticed a card popped up as 'event_03' or something like that.”
- “I really liked the artwork, but I wanted different sprites for the characters I chose; also, the fact that new runs don't let you choose your employees is bad, and not being able to fire them is also bad.”
- “[0.3] graphics”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
43%
The story is generally engaging and intriguing, focusing on a 2D crime narrative about rising to become a mafia boss. However, some players find the police mechanics frustrating, which can detract from the experience. Overall, it is praised for its captivating plot that enhances the thrilling gameplay.
- “From the outset, the game pulls you in with its engaging story and interesting mechanics.”
- “The combination of engaging mechanics, an intriguing story, and well-designed gameplay make it a must-play for anyone looking for a thrilling gaming experience.”
- “An interesting 2D crime story about how to become a mafia boss.”
- “The police get on you after a few days whether or not you do any of the gangster missions and, if you hit the slot machine enough to get an 80% chance at not being thrown in jail, the police show up again less than a day later because the bar only drops back a few ticks.”
- “All of my guys failed their missions.”
- “[0.1] game story”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the music and sound in the game generally well-integrated, enhancing the overall atmosphere and experience.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's monetization centers around managing and expanding your restaurant by purchasing additional tables and investing in advertising, emphasizing growth through in-game spending.