SweatShop

About

SweatShop is a single-player strategy game with a clothing production theme. As the owner of a sweatshop, you must hire staff, sell products, and expand your shop to increase profits. The game features 53 Steam achievements, good music, but is also reported to have bugs. Your goal is to oversee production, buy upgrades, and catch bonuses to build a successful clothing business.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

33%

Audience ScoreBased on 109 reviews

music8 positive mentions

stability20 negative mentions

The game has a unique concept that addresses serious social issues, making it thought-provoking.
The music is well-received and adds a nice atmosphere to the gameplay.
It can be a fun time-waster for those who enjoy clicker games, especially if you appreciate the theme.

The game is plagued with numerous bugs, including crashes and save issues, making it nearly unplayable.
Gameplay is repetitive and lacks depth, leading to a tedious experience over time.
There is a lack of clear instructions and tooltips, making it difficult for players to understand the mechanics and upgrades.

music
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
56%
12%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its nostalgic 1930s style and describing it as relaxing and fitting for the game's atmosphere. However, some find it repetitive and generic, with frustrations over the lack of a separate volume control for music, leading to a less enjoyable experience for those who wish to adjust it independently. Overall, while the music is often highlighted as a strong point, it is not enough to elevate the game's overall reception.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “Concept, graphics, music: 10 out of 10.”
- “A dollar's worth of fun, great music!”
- “The old 1930's music is peculiar but gets repetitive after a while.”
- “The music is a monotonous short obnoxious loop.”
- “Can't turn off the music; other achievements are literally impossible to get because of the bugs.”
stability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs that render it nearly unplayable, including frequent crashes, broken mechanics, and issues with achievements and upgrades. Many players describe it as "extremely buggy" and "unoptimised," leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from overall enjoyment. Despite some redeeming qualities, the overwhelming consensus is that the game's stability issues significantly hinder gameplay.
- “My complaint about the game is that it is so buggy that it is unplayable.”
- “But currently it's impossible to play it - it's buggy in all possible ways: multiple crashes, broken runners, problems with reset, and even progress erasing.”
- “In fact it is so buggy, the game cannot be played as it should and it's impossible to obtain more than half of the achievements.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The gameplay has been criticized for its repetitiveness and lack of variety, leading to a tedious experience for players. Additionally, numerous bugs and technical issues, such as disappearing characters and improper achievement unlocks, have further detracted from the overall enjoyment. While some players found aspects of the gameplay enjoyable, the overwhelming consensus points to significant flaws that hinder the experience.
- “Overall, show how upgrades actually affect gameplay.”
- “10/10 gameplay”
- “The game can feel repetitive after a while, and there isn't much variety in the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is also just as tediously unenjoyable and repetitive as the name suggests.”
- “But the amount of bugs, both with gameplay (walkers disappear) and achievements (double workers is unlocked before sewing machines, but I had 40 sewing machines already) changed my mind.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The graphics are characterized by a basic, dark minimalist voxel aesthetic, reminiscent of a claustrophobic version of popular games like Crossy Road and Minecraft. While the simplicity aligns with the game's clicker genre, the limited resolution options detract from the overall experience.
- “Concept, graphics, music: 10 out of 10.”
- “The graphics are basic, and the sound effects are minimal.”
- “The look and animation is dark minimalist voxel aesthetics -- like a claustrophobic Crossy Road or a depressed Minecraft.”
- “Very simple visuals attached to the Unity engine. While simplicity should be good for a clicker, this game only has 3 supported window resolutions: 640x480 (too small), 1280x800 (already too big for me), and 1920x1080 (even bigger). Is it really that hard?”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is tedious and repetitive, likening it to a more monotonous version of cookie clicker. Players find the gameplay unenjoyable, with excessive focus on farming t-shirts rather than engaging mechanics, leading to boredom early on. Those who enjoy grinding may find some appeal, but many feel it lacks depth and variety.
- “The gameplay is also just as tediously unenjoyable and repetitive as the name suggests.”
- “It is a simple farming game, but instead of farming fruit from trees, you are farming t-shirts from underpaid and overworked shop laborers.”
- “I got bored of it in the first few minutes; it's just a more boring cookie clicker with less stuff and more money needed in-game and farming.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The story emphasizes resilience and the unpredictability of life, highlighting the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity. However, some users feel that the narrative is overshadowed by limited progression, drawing comparisons to Molleindustria's works that critique labor exploitation and economic injustice.
- “The moral of the story is that you never know what life has in store for you. If I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “The best comparison of all is probably to the works of Molleindustria, which focus on labor exploitation and economic injustice, often casting the player in the role of management. Games like Tuboflex, Tamatipico, and especially To Build a Better Mousetrap and Phone Story.”
- “There's no story to make up for the fact that progression is extremely limited.”
- “The best comparison of all is probably to the works of Molleindustria that are focused on labor exploitation and economic injustice, and often cast the player in the role of management: games like Tuboflex, Tamatipico, and especially to Build a Better Mousetrap and Phone Story.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers express disappointment in the lack of humor, particularly in relation to the expected dark themes surrounding Asian sweatshops. The absence of any comedic elements, even those that could have added depth to the gameplay, leaves players feeling unsatisfied.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is characterized as a relaxed yet gritty environment reminiscent of a 1950s sweatshop, evoking a sense of nostalgia and historical context.
- “It has a chill atmosphere of a sweatshop in the 50s or something.”