STONKS-9800: Stock Market Simulator
- July 17, 2023
- TERNOX
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Stonks-9800: Stock Market Simulator" is a retro-themed game where you play as an 80s Japanese businessman, tasked with growing your profits through stock trading, real estate investment, and company management. Your decisions can lead to success or failure, and engaging in shady activities is an option. Mini-games like pachinko and horse racing betting add to the experience. Watch your health and avoid overworking to prevent hospitalization, and aim for the top in this text-based game.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Linux
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Reviews
- The game is highly addictive and offers a fun and engaging gameplay loop, making it easy to lose track of time.
- The retro aesthetic and music perfectly capture the vibe of 80s Japan, enhancing the overall experience.
- The developer is actively updating the game and responding to community feedback, showing a commitment to improving the game over time.
- The game can feel repetitive after a while, especially once players accumulate significant wealth and resources.
- There are several bugs and performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems, which can detract from the experience.
- The social mechanics and relationship-building aspects feel shallow and could use more depth and meaningful interactions.
- gameplay104 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by an engaging and addictive core loop centered around trading mechanics, enhanced by a retro aesthetic and frequent updates. While players appreciate the fun mini-games and the character interactions, some find the early game slow and the social mechanics cumbersome, with calls for deeper gameplay and more complex systems. Overall, the game shows promise with its solid mechanics, but there is a consensus that further refinement and expansion are needed to fully realize its potential.
“A few bugs, as expected from an early access game, but it's aesthetically pleasing, with enjoyable and addictive gameplay.”
“This game is fantastic, the music slaps, the gameplay is pretty good, and the mini games are fun.”
“Very fun gameplay loop already and I'm excited to see it keep developing.”
“It's really hard to gauge how happiness or comfort or stress actually affect your gameplay, and it was fairly trivial to keep them managed.”
“The social mechanics of the game are also vestigial; hanging out with people is slow and cumbersome, and you don't get that many benefits out of it, it seems.”
“Fun game with a great aesthetic, but as of right now there isn't much depth in the gameplay and what you can do, but I'm looking forward to what it becomes in the future.”
- graphics70 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their nostalgic 80s vaporwave and retro Japanese aesthetic, featuring pixel art that evokes early computer graphics and chiptune music. Reviewers highlight the game's visually pleasing art style and engaging soundtrack, which enhance the overall experience and complement the addictive gameplay. Despite being in early access, the aesthetic quality is noted as a significant draw, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of retro visuals and stock market mechanics.
“This game has a great 80's CRT aesthetic and is good for anyone who likes numbers going up.”
“There's just so much good to say: the game perfectly balances the financial aspect with an equal amount of personality, and it's all topped with an utterly glorious aesthetic that's very clearly the result of both immense passion and extensive research.”
“The aesthetic is simply beautiful and the gameplay is engaging.”
“It emulates early Japanese PC graphics and city pop-type music and does a fairly good job at it.”
“Game has a real vibe, old school MSX graphics, Game Boy camera photography, and chirpy 80's Japanese chiptune that would feel right at home in SimCity on the Super Nintendo.”
“Old-school pixel graphic stock market game set in 1980s Japan goes hard.”
- story60 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game is currently in early access and lacks a fully developed story mode, which many players are eagerly anticipating. Users express excitement for the future addition of a story mode, hoping it will enhance the gameplay experience with more complex narratives and character interactions. While the existing free play mode offers some engaging elements, players recommend waiting for the story mode to fully enjoy the game's potential.
“Very much looking forward to the full release with story mode.”
“There's also a story mode version in the pipeline, so I have high hopes that this game will get better over time.”
“I am absolutely looking forward to seeing the future additions of mini games, additional gameplay events, and an entire story mode (especially if it means I get to see more of Amy and her wonderful dialogue).”
“Its just an 8-bit Yakuza apart from no convoluted story or twists.”
“That being said, I'd probably recommend waiting for the story mode if you don't want to just dump 16+ hours into it without any real closure or purpose.”
“Game is still in early access, so it is missing its story mode.”
- music58 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality, nostalgic retro feel, and ability to enhance the overall aesthetic experience, with many players enjoying the seasonal variations and addictive soundtracks. However, some reviewers noted a lack of variety, leading to repetitiveness over extended play sessions. Overall, the soundtrack significantly contributes to the game's charm and appeal, making it a standout feature for many players.
“This game is fantastic, the music slaps, the gameplay is pretty good, and the mini games are fun.”
“The crt monitor effects meant to mimic an old 80s desktop computer, along with the phenomenally addictive music (I love the main menu theme so much that I always listen to it for several minutes before I start) make this into a truly unique and artistic experience that sets it apart.”
“Another big plus is different music for each season and they are all good!”
“It tends to get a little repetitive at times once you've played long enough hearing the same songs again and again.”
“Other than a lack of music variety (in my opinion), I think it's a good game, highly recommend.”
“More variety of music tracks.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is praised for its accurate and comedic portrayal of a Japanese businessman's life from 1980-2000, blending immersive storytelling with lighthearted moments. While some players find the stress mechanics less amusing, the overall tone remains engaging and educational, offering insights into life and class systems. The humor is described as both funny and easily digestible, making the experience enjoyable.
“It accurately and humorously depicts the life of a Japanese businessman from 1980-2000.”
“Immersive yet still funny and easily digestible.”
“Very nice and funny game, definitely teaches you a lot about life and class systems.”
- stability10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
The game is described as having several minor bugs and glitches, particularly in its early access state, but none are considered game-breaking. Users have reported issues like save corruption and chart glitches, indicating that while the game is enjoyable, it could benefit from improved stability and additional features like mod support. Overall, the stability is seen as a work in progress, with room for enhancement.
“While not bug-free, even though it's early access at this point, no bug I've encountered is game-breaking.”
“It's a lot of fun to go from having ten bucks in your account to a trillion, but it's fairly buggy and even had a save corruption on me one time. There's not a lot of replay value. What I would suggest to the devs to make the game better is to add mod support and provide a dialogue option when talking to Amy to make the interaction more engaging instead of just spamming the button over and over.”
“A little buggy in places.”
“Not very complicated mechanics, but a few minor glitches.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players express that grinding in the game is a time-consuming endeavor, often feeling like it requires an excessive investment of time, akin to needing a "second life." While building friendships through grinding can eventually lead to some benefits, the process is seen as tedious and offers limited rewards beyond basic interactions.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Either you get a random friend at each shareholder meeting, or you can build a friendship through grinding to call them.”
“While it will at least not require grinding and happen over time, it offers you nothing else than being able to walk with her.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "stonks-9800" is characterized by a wholesome and joyous experience, particularly through its retro anime and dating sim elements. Players feel uplifted while engaging in lighthearted stock market antics and enjoyable side activities, making it a delightful choice for fans of the genre.
“Just wholesome, joyous, stock market skulduggery with little side activities popping up as you go along.”
“So if you like the retro anime/vn vibe, stat management, or wholesome dating sims, then stonks-9800 is worth your money.”
“Will make you feel wholesome while going on vacation with your secretary.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players note that the game, currently in beta and early access, is demanding on performance, particularly on the Steam Deck. While there are suggestions for improvements, the overall optimization remains a concern that could benefit from further development.
“This game is surprisingly taxing on performance on the deck.”
“I know that this is in beta, early access, but I have some recommendations that I genuinely believe can enhance this game's performance.”
“You would think that by taking a reasonably sized shareholding in a company, you would be presented with choices that could influence that company's performance.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is heavily influenced by the stock market mechanics, allowing players to amass significant wealth through strategic investments, particularly in media and advertising companies. Players can experience rapid financial growth, leading to a focus on accumulating wealth rather than spending it on luxury items.
“My saved game seems to really favor the media and advertising companies, so when the market dips a ton (even though no real event highlights this) and I buy up all those companies' stocks, I'm suddenly a billionaire, making half a billion yen in monthly dividends, but not wanting to spend it on luxury because I want to make more.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players express concerns about the game's lack of replayability and depth, noting that while the initial gameplay is enjoyable, it suffers from bugs and save corruption issues. Suggestions for improvement include adding mod support and enhancing dialogue interactions to increase engagement.
“My only complaint is the lack of replayability and depth.”
“It's a lot of fun to go from having ten bucks in your account to a trillion, but it is fairly buggy and even had a save corruption on me one time. There's not a lot of replay value. What I would suggest to the devs to make the game better is to include mod support and to give a dialogue option when talking to Amy to make the interaction more engaging instead of just spamming the button over and over.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players consistently highlight the game's immersive atmosphere, noting that it effectively draws them in to the point of losing awareness of their surroundings. This captivating environment enhances the overall gaming experience.
“The game has an atmosphere that makes me forget what is happening around me.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is enhanced by its nostalgic retro computer-style designs and an outstanding original soundtrack, which together evoke a strong sense of connection and immersion, even for players with limited familiarity with its inspirations.
“Even though I've had minimal experience with a lot of the game's inspirations, I found myself nostalgic for the retro computer-style character designs and the absolutely immaculate OST that nails it in all regards.”
