Life's Playground
- June 12, 2018
- SimProse Studios
Get on SteamLife's Playground is the board game with a unique blend of familiar mechanics from Monopoly, Life, PayDay, combined together with a flavor all its own!
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The mini-games are fun and provide a light-hearted representation of real-life scenarios.
- Some players found enjoyment in the game despite its flaws, indicating potential for fun.
- The music is pleasing and fits the mood of the game, enhancing the overall experience.
- The game is a poorly executed ripoff of Monopoly, lacking originality and significant improvements.
- Technical issues such as low-quality graphics, lack of resolution options, and absence of online multiplayer severely hinder the experience.
- The developer has a questionable reputation, with a history of releasing low-quality, asset-flipped games, raising concerns about ethical practices.
- graphics7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The graphics have been criticized for relying on outdated retro pixel art and stock photographs, lacking customization options or resolution settings. Many users find the visuals uninspired and dull, with bland playing tokens that fail to enhance the overall experience.
“The random pictures depicting life and wealth on the board help with setting the mood, but this is the best feature about the graphics.”
“A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
“There's no options to change the resolution for the game or customize the graphics settings.”
“The graphics are boring, and especially the bland playing tokens that look just like the playing tokens used in the board game Sorry!”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for its lack of innovation, as it emulates the frustrating physical interface of a board/card game without enhancing the core mechanics. Players feel disconnected from the game's mechanics, which detracts from the overall experience.
“The best video games put the players directly against the core game mechanic.”
“So here, we have a board game/card game conversion, and the focus of the developers has clearly been to keep and emulate the annoying physical interface, without bothering to improve on the mechanics or put the players closer to them.”
“The mechanics of the game, and the interface that the players have with that mechanic.”
“We don't love games because of their interfaces, we love them for their mechanics.”
- music5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as pleasing and well-suited to its high-stakes financial theme, despite being minimal. Some players suggest muting the game's sound and opting for their own greed-themed music to enhance the experience. Overall, while the music is a rare highlight for an indie title, its limited presence may leave players wanting more.
“While the game has very little music to speak of, the music is both pleasing and fits the mood for a high-stakes financial setting.”
“While the game has very little music to speak of, the music is both pleasing and fits the mood for a high stakes financial setting, but the player is recommended to mute the game's sound and play some greed-themed music in the background.”
“The music is a rare find for an indie game.”
“On the flipside, the minigames and the cutesy music/sound effects and the altered influences all worked pretty well to entertain me for a bit.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the developers has been heavily criticized for relying on copying and repackaging existing game templates and assets, leading to accusations of producing low-quality shovelware and cash grabs. Reviewers express concern over the ethical implications of their practices, suggesting a pattern of exploiting others' work for profit without adding genuine value.
“These guys do nothing but copy premade game templates and game tutorials, fill out a few things, stamp out basic levels using the construction kit templates, slap on an asset-flipped set of sprites/assets, and dump them on Steam and into cheap, nasty shovelware game bundles as cash grabs.”
“Trying to get paid for someone else's game templates and assets... at best, this is shovelware; at worst, it's a scam/cash grab.”
“Simprose Studios/Trinity Project have shown a repeat pattern of unethically dumping other people's work onto Steam as a cheap, nasty cash grab, through this account or through closely linked/alternate accounts.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players note that the humor in the game often revolves around the absurdity of its economic scenarios, such as the low costs of major constructions, which can leave those without a sense of humor questioning the game's logic. Embracing this comedic element is essential for fully enjoying the experience.
“If players don't take things like $226 airport construction or $267 football stadium construction with good humor, they'll be left wondering why the game's currency isn't measured in millions of dollars.”
“The game's humor shines through in its absurd scenarios, making even the most mundane tasks feel entertaining.”
“I love how the game pokes fun at itself, turning frustrating moments into hilarious experiences that keep you laughing.”
