Startup Panic

About

Startup Panic is a single player casual strategy game. It was developed by Algorocks and was released on January 20, 2022. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Startup Panic" is a challenging simulation game where you quit your job to build your own startup, starting from a bedroom programmer to a global corporation. Compete with rival CEOs, navigate the tech bubble, and avoid hacking and kidnapping threats. Grow your office, manage resources, and make strategic decisions to lead your startup to success.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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50%

Audience ScoreBased on 107 reviews

gameplay9 positive mentions

grinding9 negative mentions

The game has a charming art style and engaging writing that keeps players entertained.
It offers a fun and addictive gameplay loop, especially for fans of management and tycoon games.
The game provides a sense of progression and challenge, making it enjoyable to strategize and grow your startup.

The game suffers from significant bugs, including broken achievements and unresponsive mechanics, which can frustrate players.
The motivation system is poorly balanced, leading to tedious micromanagement and frequent interruptions for employee vacations.
Gameplay becomes repetitive and lacks depth, with many features feeling underdeveloped or ineffective, diminishing long-term engagement.

gameplay
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
63%
9%
The gameplay is characterized by a simple yet engaging loop that can be both fun and challenging, particularly for fans of management games. However, it suffers from bugs, balance issues, and vague mechanics that can lead to frustration, especially regarding motivation and project requirements. While the game offers replayability through retirement routes, many players find the experience becomes repetitive and lacks depth as it progresses.
- “A really entertaining and challenging game, once you understand the mechanics of it.”
- “The mechanics are simple yet impactful; it's challenging enough that you really enjoy the learning curve, and it's staged out well.”
- “The basic gameplay loop is simple but enjoyable and relaxing, with soothing music and easy-on-the-eyes visuals.”
- “I really fun game if not for the frustrating motivation mechanic.”
- “Coming to the full game, however, more cracks show in the underlying gameplay mechanics.”
- “There are multiple retirement routes, so you're supposed to replay the game but I'm not sure how much replayability there is because the story wasn't very good and the gameplay was boring and repetitive.”
story
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
73%
12%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding charm in specific quests, particularly the ghost quest, while others criticize it for being intrusive and repetitive. While the narrative elements aim to enhance the gameplay experience, many feel they often detract from it, leading to frustration with linear progression and unclear objectives. Overall, the story is seen as decent but lacking depth, with some enjoyable moments overshadowed by a sense of monotony and poor integration with gameplay mechanics.
- “I was way more invested in the ghost quest than other story beats in the game because the dialogue between the player and the ghost was super charming.”
- “The story was also charming, and I really like how the game encourages you to treat your employees well (something I'd like to see more often in real life).”
- “Some of the milestones make sense within the story and add fun.”
- “This game's story gets in the way of playing the game.”
- “However, instead, it's jamming the story in your face.”
- “Many game elements lack any significance, with the storyline simply imploding into a constant loop of reaching 65% market share, at which point a previously defeated rival takes the entire market (insert random reason here) and the cycle begins anew.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming pixel-art style that is both aesthetically pleasing and well-implemented, contributing to a cute and engaging overall vibe. While the visuals are generally well-received, some users noted issues with the user interface being bulky and obstructive, which can detract from the experience. Overall, the art style enhances the gameplay, making it enjoyable and relaxing, despite some minor usability concerns.
- “The overall art, aesthetics, and the dialogue of this game I thought were well done.”
- “The art style is absolutely gorgeous and very well made and implemented.”
- “The pixelated graphics are cute and clean, with furniture you acquire having unique animations.”
- “Some translations contain issues with syntax, visuals, or vocabulary.”
- “The UI is a bit bulky in the 'ongoing tasks' section and can cover more of the office than is appropriate, blocking your primary visuals and making the viewable area need to be widened a little bit to allow you to move the camera some more.”
- “The biggest issue is that the 3 sliders for development projects (technology, usability, and aesthetics) seem to be useless and the results of the project depend almost entirely on the stats of the employees that worked on it.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some enjoy the charm and fun of the gameplay loop, many express frustration with its repetitiveness and tedious micromanagement, especially in the late game. The grind can feel overwhelming and boring, leading to a desire for improvements to reduce the monotony. Overall, the enjoyment of the game is often overshadowed by the grindy nature of managing resources and staff.
- “And despite having a pretty easy and grindy (but also fun) gameplay loop, it becomes frustrating and at some points impossible to beat because of random contexts that you can do nothing about.”
- “So I wanted to play further, but it just got too tedious and boring because literally you're just making money to send people on vacation. The idea is interesting, but the follow-through in reality was a miss for me.”
- “I hope the devs improve the gameplay to feel less grindy and repetitive.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players finding it soothing and enjoyable, enhancing the overall experience. However, some users feel that certain tracks can be annoying, indicating a mixed reception. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point, contributing to the game's relaxing atmosphere.
- “The music gets me into the zone too.”
- “The basic gameplay loop is simple but enjoyable and relaxing with soothing music and easy on the eyes visuals.”
- “This game provides a dose of all the old game dev tycoon games updated with better mechanics and a chill soundtrack.”
- “Music is okay, nothing more than that.”
- “The only real thing I don't like about it is the annoying background music.”
- “The soundtrack is chill, but it doesn't stand out.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The game is considered very replayable, with potential for enhanced replayability through additional mechanics introduced via retirement. However, some users feel that other games in the genre offer greater depth, challenge, and replay value.
- “The game does have replayability, so it would benefit well from additional mechanics introduced through retirement.”
- “The other games have more depth, replayability, and challenge.”
- “Very replayable.”
- “The game does have replayability, but it would benefit from additional mechanics introduced through retirement.”
- “Other games offer more depth, replayability, and challenge.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Players have noted that the game's optimization is lacking, particularly in menu navigation, which is cumbersome and lacks keyboard shortcuts. Despite achieving a high level of completion, many feel that the effort does not yield sufficient rewards, leading to a repetitive and unsatisfying experience.
- “In one playthrough, I bought every piece of office furniture, maxed out all employees, and optimized every feature to a perfect 10/10. It felt like there was no reward for achieving that (effectively 100%ing a playthrough).”
- “The optimization options in the game allow for a deep level of customization, making each playthrough feel unique and rewarding.”
- “I love how the game encourages you to optimize your strategies, leading to a more engaging and satisfying experience.”
- “The menus are not optimized, making navigation tedious and frustrating, especially without keyboard shortcuts.”
- “The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to long loading times and frequent frame drops.”
- “There's a lack of optimization in the graphics settings, which makes it difficult to achieve a smooth gameplay experience.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the monetization aspect requires significant improvement, particularly in enhancing motivation mechanics, streamlining gameplay for replayability, and providing clearer explanations of advertising practices in different countries.
- “The monetization system feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “I find the in-game purchases to be overpriced and not worth the value they provide.”
- “The constant push for microtransactions detracts from the overall gaming experience.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users appreciate the stability of the game, noting that while no programming is entirely bug-free, the ongoing revision loop enhances the experience by allowing for continuous improvement of employees. This aspect is seen as rewarding and contributes positively to overall gameplay.
- “In programming, code is rarely ever bug-free and perfect, so this revision loop is great to see and rewarding as you improve your employees.”
- “The stability of the game is impressive; I rarely encounter any bugs, which makes for a smooth experience.”
- “I appreciate how the developers continuously work on updates to enhance stability, ensuring a reliable gameplay experience.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by entertaining and funny dialogue, particularly for those who engage with it, contributing to an enjoyable casual simulation experience. However, some players feel that the humor alone may not be sufficient to elevate the overall enjoyment.
- “The dialogues are funny and entertaining, making the experience enjoyable.”
- “I still enjoyed it for a good amount; the humor in the dialogues adds a nice touch to the casual simulation.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the emotional aspect of the game to be heartwarming and enjoyable, highlighting its wholesome elements that resonate well with simulation fans. The inclusion of "startup panic" adds a fun and uplifting experience, enhancing the overall emotional engagement.
- “This was a really cool and wholesome touch.”