Summer Sale
- June 1, 2016
- Ductape studio
- 1h median play time
Get on Steam"Summer Sale" is a mock game on Steam that satirizes the popular winter sales of the platform. In this game, you can buy and collect every game in the store without actually losing money. Customize your game's appearance with different colors and widget locations, all without any microtransactions. Experience a never-ending winter sale in any season. However, it's important to note that this game is purely fictional and not an actual game that you can play.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game is a humorous parody of Steam sales, providing some laughs and relatable moments for players familiar with the platform.
- It's very cheap, often available for less than a dollar, making it an easy choice for achievement hunters looking for quick completions.
- Some players found it entertaining for a short period, appreciating the absurdity and meme references throughout the game.
- The gameplay is extremely shallow and repetitive, with many mini-games being poorly designed and unplayable.
- Numerous bugs and technical issues plague the game, leading to crashes and frustrating experiences for players.
- Many reviews describe it as a waste of money, with some players feeling cheated by the lack of content and quality, suggesting it should have been free.
- humor90 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is polarizing, with some players finding it amusing and clever, particularly in its parody of Steam and gaming culture, while others criticize it as low-effort, repetitive, and lacking in genuine comedic value. Many reviews suggest that the humor quickly wears off and is not worth the price, with some describing it as a collection of outdated memes and jokes. Overall, it seems to appeal primarily to those who enjoy niche, community-driven humor, but fails to resonate with a broader audience.
“A very funny idea for a game that makes fun of other games.”
“This game is hilarious and every game you buy within is a minigame parodying its AAA version.”
“I have to say, some of the jokes are actually funny (for example, when going on the mockup internet browser you can download 'free games' and you go to a mediafire mockup where fake ads will display something like 'click here for dowloadz moar ram!!!').”
“From the first look at the game, it appears filled with unfunny jokes, memes, and other pointless things that were funny 2-3 years ago.”
“From the first look at the game, it appears filled with unfunny jokes, memes, and other pointless things that were funny 2-3 years ago.”
- gameplay32 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title is widely criticized for being shallow, buggy, and unengaging, with many users reporting significant issues such as crashes and a lack of rewarding mechanics. Most players note that the game offers only a brief experience, often around 20 to 30 minutes, and is perceived as a cash grab with minimal effort put into its design. Overall, it is not recommended for those seeking a fulfilling gameplay experience.
“In Valve's summer sale game, most of the minigames are a lot more fun and entertaining as they vary from a variety of genres, and have a lot of great storylines, gameplay mechanics, and much more.”
“It's currently just 79p on the Steam store and comes with 6 rather quick and easy achievements which offers you around 90 minutes of gameplay.”
“- wonderful gameplay”
“The gameplay is horrible, there's bugs all over the place, the game crashes, and it's a terrible grind.”
“This title is pretty much a quick cash grab with barebone mechanics, bugs galore, and little to no humor.”
“Ductape Studio's summer sale game is mostly joke simulator minigames with terrible gameplay and missable achievements.”
- music24 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 42 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising it as "absolutely stunning" and the "best soundtrack ever," while others criticize it as "terrible," "repetitive," and "annoying." Many users noted the soundtrack's short loops and lack of variety, leading to frustration and a desire to mute the game entirely. Overall, the music seems to evoke strong reactions, ranging from relaxation to irritation.
“Absolutely stunning soundtrack”
“- best soundtrack ever”
“- the music is great”
“The game’s sound effects and soundtrack are again, just pure awful; mute this game asap.”
“The music is terrible, the 'games' are worse than any other collection of minigames I have experienced, even at this price range, and the main 'game' is purely designed to anger people.”
“The background music sounds at first to be about a 3 second loop, but it does change up to a slightly different 3 second loop every once in a while but is still horrible.”
- graphics22 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising them as "incredible" and "the best graphics ever," while others criticize them as lackluster, comparing them unfavorably to Atari 2600-style visuals and even flash games. Overall, the consensus suggests a significant disparity in quality, with many players expressing disappointment in the graphical presentation and user interface.
“Incredible graphics”
“Best graphics ever.”
“Amazing graphics”
“Atari 2600-style pixel graphics, no clear gameplay.”
“The game doesn’t have a graphical look, nor does the UI do it any favors either.”
“I've honestly seen better graphics in my toilet after a particularly spicy meal.”
- stability18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- -6 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by significant stability issues, with numerous reports of bugs affecting gameplay and achievements. Players have experienced lost progress and malfunctioning features, leading to frustration and a lack of enjoyment. Overall, the game's stability is described as severely lacking, detracting from the overall experience.
“The game is completely bug-free, providing a smooth experience.”
“I haven't encountered any bugs, which makes the gameplay incredibly stable.”
“The stability of the game is impressive; it's entirely bug-free.”
“One more thing, the achievements are buggy; I bought all the games in-game, but I only got 2 achievements.”
“The first achievement is buggy, so I messed it up and can't complete my achievements anymore. (Don't buy many games on your first try; buy only one to get the achievement.)”
“Buggy, lost my progress.”
- story12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The story is praised for its well-written main character's backstory and the overarching moral about perseverance in the face of adversity. While the story mode offers extensive gameplay hours, some users note a lack of replayability. Additionally, the variety of genres and engaging storylines in minigames contribute to an overall positive narrative experience.
“In Valve's summer sale game, most of the minigames are a lot more fun and entertaining as they vary from a variety of genres, and have a lot of great storylines, gameplay mechanics, and much more.”
“Morale of the story: replayability = 0”
“The story mode truly has an infinite amount of hours of gameplay.”
“Well written main character's backstory.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game has been universally criticized for its lack of replayability, with reviewers noting that it offers no incentive to play again due to minimal content and poor quality. Many players expressed frustration over the inability to delete saves, further diminishing any potential for replay. Overall, the consensus is that the game provides a one-time experience with no meaningful value for repeated play.
“And that's only the idea of the game; this game does not serve any replay value whatsoever.”
“Morale of the story: replayability = 0.”
“It has no replay value, very little content, and what content it has is boring, low-quality, and full of terrible attempts to be humorous.”
- monetization12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game is heavily criticized, with players describing it as a blatant cash grab that features intrusive and humorous fake ads that obscure gameplay. These ads not only disrupt the experience but can also lead to game-breaking bugs, forcing players to restart or delete their save files. Overall, the monetization approach detracts significantly from the enjoyment and functionality of the game.
“This title is pretty much a quick cash grab with barebone mechanics, bugs galore, and little to no humor.”
“As you play, the game also shows you fake ads in the bottom right corner which obscure your ability to see what's coming at you. If you close too many ads, it brings you to the 'door 10' update screen which you have to sit at for a few minutes while it slowly counts up. This also has the side effect of breaking the store so you can't buy more stuff until you restart the game, and it corrupts your save. When you do restart, you end up with no cash and no games, so you're actually better off deleting your save file and starting from the beginning than continuing from there.”
“This is a dumb game; it's not fun at all, the mini-games are boring, the games are barely playable, it's just a quick cash grab. Go spend your money on something—nay, anything but this.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that while grinding for achievements can be tedious, it is relatively short, taking a maximum of 75 minutes to complete. This brevity is seen as a positive aspect, allowing players to quickly finish the game and move on without investing excessive time.
“But the only upside is that you don't need to spend literally hours getting the achievements for this game, and after a maximum of 75 excruciating minutes of being in-game and grinding the money for the 'games' in this, you'll finally be done with all achievements, and can finally close down the game and uninstall it and never look back again.”
