The Office: Somehow We Manage
The Office: Somehow We Manage is a simulation game that allows players to help Michael Scott and Dunder Mifflin Scranton earn in-game cash. The game features beautiful graphics, entertaining elements that will make you laugh, and a good plot that fans of The Office will enjoy. However, players should be prepared for grinding, annoying ads, and numerous bugs that may affect their gaming experience.
Reviews
- Great art style and character design that captures the essence of the show.
- Fun and nostalgic for fans of The Office, with cutscenes that reference memorable moments.
- Customer support is responsive and helpful in addressing issues.
- Frequent crashes and loading issues, often getting stuck at 100% on the loading screen.
- Progress is often lost, especially during events, leading to frustration.
- The game heavily encourages in-app purchases to progress, making it feel like a cash grab.
- monetization403 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 12 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized for being overly aggressive and heavily reliant on ads and in-app purchases. Players report that while ads are optional, significant progress is nearly impossible without watching numerous ads or spending money, leading many to label it a "cash grab." Additionally, issues with ad functionality, such as crashes and misleading prompts, further detract from the overall experience, making it frustrating for users who prefer a more balanced gameplay approach.
“Fun game with no ads and you can actually gain in-game without spending $$$.”
“It is a well-thought-out game that has some in-app purchases, but it is not a pay-to-win type game.”
“Monetization is okay for anybody who doesn't expect to play more than a few minutes per day.”
“The game is clearly geared towards in-app purchases, with multiple sets of currencies and limited-time events that can only be meaningfully progressed with purchased currency.”
“You will absolutely not complete any events unless you drop money or watch ads.”
“It's a shameless time waster cash grab of a game.”
- stability333 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 99 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and glitches that hinder gameplay. Many players experience issues during the loading screens, often getting stuck at various percentages, and losing progress or rewards due to these technical problems. While some users note that customer support is responsive, the overall consensus is that the game is currently too buggy for a satisfying experience.
“I don't know if there was a recent update to the app, but it runs great now!”
“It still has some bugs, of course; it's still really new, but other than the occasional blank screen when ending an episode, it runs great. Love it.”
“So far it has been pretty good; still a little buggy, but it's been fun.”
“The game freezes at 100% on the loading screen every time.”
“It's a shame, because I still wanted to give it a go despite all the comments about the game being buggy.”
“The game is a buggy mess, constantly freezing and not saving progress.”
- story217 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely based on the original plot of "The Office," which many players find nostalgic and enjoyable, as it incorporates familiar characters and events from the show. However, players have expressed frustration with the repetitive nature of the storylines, bugs that cause progress loss, and the slow pacing of gameplay, which can detract from the overall experience. While fans of the show appreciate the humor and character interactions, some feel that the game lacks original content and can become tedious over time.
“The pros: the character design, writing adaptation, and story events are delightful.”
“I love how they follow the plot of the show and relive some of my favorite moments from the series.”
“The story is word-for-word the office, and leads to some nice trips down memory lane.”
“The story is boring, no original content; it's just the episodes of the show rehashed and simplified.”
“The story elements are just rehashing of the TV episodes, which isn't interesting if you've watched the show multiple times.”
“The missions are buggy and don't feel rewarding enough later on unless you drop mega bucks in real life.”
- gameplay123 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily characterized as a repetitive and simplistic idle experience, often requiring players to watch numerous ads or make in-game purchases to progress. While some users appreciate the humor and character integration from the show, many express frustration over the lack of depth, frequent paywalls, and technical issues that hinder enjoyment. Overall, the gameplay is seen as unbalanced and tedious, with a significant emphasis on waiting rather than active engagement.
“I really love this game; I even like the grinding mechanic, so I have something to focus on when I'm bored but not too demanding.”
“While the gameplay is basic, it's still enjoyable.”
“Enjoyable characters and fun gameplay.”
“You cannot progress even slightly without watching hundreds of ads and even then you are constantly bombarded with 'special sales' to buy 5 minutes of gameplay for ~$10.”
“The gameplay is redundant, there's an obvious push for very expensive (and not very rewarding) microtransactions, the updates cause the game to crash quite frequently, and every time there's an event you have to watch the same stupid tutorial every single time without any way to skip whatsoever.”
“Gameplay is 1% strategy, 14% waiting, and 85% watching ads.”
- music83 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 90 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game primarily consists of a repetitive theme song that plays during loading screens, which many players find nostalgic but ultimately frustrating due to its constant looping and lack of variety. Users express a desire for additional background music and sound effects during gameplay, as the absence of these elements contributes to a feeling of emptiness and boredom. Overall, while the theme song is appreciated, the game's audio experience is marred by technical issues and a lack of engaging sound design.
“Just hearing the intro song is relaxing and nostalgic of sorts.”
“I love the music, sounds, dialogue, art and look of the characters, and graphic design, and all the direct references to some of the great and best moments in the episodes.”
“The theme song plays on a nice loop.”
“The game completely freezes except for the looping intro music.”
“Just sits there playing the opening music over and over again.”
“It gets stuck on the initial loading screen and the theme music plays over and over.”
- humor82 mentions
- 98 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the references and cutscenes that capture the essence of the original show, "The Office." However, some find the gameplay repetitive and the jokes less impactful without the context of the series, leading to a sense of boredom. Overall, while the humor resonates with fans of the show, it often falls flat in the game's execution, overshadowed by its idle mechanics and monetization strategies.
“The cartoons are hilarious and on point.”
“Funny lines and in the spirit of the office.”
“It's charming, funny, and acts just like the show.”
“I legitimately skipped every single bit of dialogue because of how stupid and unfunny it was, unlike the show.”
“Just click the buttons they tell you to click, then read unfunny dialogue, then click the buttons they tell you to...”
- graphics64 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the cute art style and faithful representation of the show's characters and moments. However, numerous players report significant issues, including glitches, placeholder icons, and slow loading times, which detract from the overall experience. While some find the graphics enjoyable and well-executed, others express frustration over the technical problems that hinder gameplay.
“The art style is 10/10.”
“Graphics are great.”
“I love the graphics, and the jokes are cute but mostly just repeated from the show.”
“The graphics are often not working and you see placeholder icons or double items.”
“The artwork is horrid, none of the characters look relatively close to their show counterparts.”
“Chunks of the graphics are skewed bizarrely and unreadable on my device.”
- grinding38 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with many players feeling that progress is slow and often requires excessive time or money to advance. While some enjoy the grinding mechanic as a way to focus their gameplay, the overwhelming sentiment is that it becomes a chore, especially with high costs for in-game purchases and frequent crashes. Overall, the grind detracts from the enjoyment, making the game feel more like a tedious task than a fun experience.
“The grind is still very rough and tedious; on top of that, now when you switch between the office and events, the game crashes and you have to reboot.”
“The game gets grindy very quickly and progress becomes really slow for people who aren't willing to spend money on in-game currency.”
“Very grindy... graphics and animation are good as they match the show, but having to wait hours, days, weeks to progress takes away the fun of it and makes progressing a chore.”
- optimization13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 46 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting long loading times, poor performance, and significant bugs, particularly on Android devices. While some players note that the game runs smoothly at times, the overall experience is marred by these optimization issues, leading to frustration and diminished enjoyment. Many feel that the game has potential but requires urgent improvements in its performance.
“It runs smoothly, no real glitches.”
“Game runs smoothly and you get to unlock favorite characters.”
“Please fix it because there's a really solid office idle game here, but the performance is dreadful.”
“Game is not optimized (takes forever to load and requires a very strong data connection).”
“Overall app performance is poor.”
“Bad optimization, it takes forever to start the game or load another episode.”
- character development6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is praised for its delightful design and writing, with many players appreciating the character designs and cut scenes that pay homage to the original show. While the overall gameplay is considered average, the charming character interactions and visual aesthetics stand out as highlights.
“The character design, writing adaptation, and story events are delightful.”
“I love all the character designs; they are perfect, and I also love the cut scenes that play through just like on the show. What a great way to pay tribute to the show!”
“The character design is nice, and the little scenes in between the objectives are fun too.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game elicits strong reactions, with some players expressing deep sadness and connection, while others feel frustrated and disengaged due to a lackluster storyline. This dichotomy highlights the game's potential to evoke powerful feelings in some, while leaving others feeling disappointed.
“I cried when the show ended, lol.”
“How freaking heartbreaking.”
“The immediate paywall and boring storyline made it a real snooze fest; I can't remember the last time I hated an app so much.”
“The emotional depth was lacking, leaving me feeling disconnected from the characters and their struggles.”
“I expected a gripping narrative, but instead, I was met with clichés and predictable outcomes that failed to evoke any real feelings.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is characterized by a blend of awkward silence and ambient sounds, creating a unique and calming environment. The episodic nature of the experience, combined with a cozy office vibe, contributes to a soothing atmosphere that many find conducive to relaxation and sleep.
“After each episode, the awkward silence of typing and ringing fills the atmosphere.”
“Episodic and that lovely office atmosphere that helps me get to sleep!”
“After each episode, the awkward silence of typing and ringing floods the atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere feels lifeless and uninspired, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“Despite the setting, the atmosphere lacks any real tension or immersion.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players express concerns about replayability due to the high cost of automation upgrades, which detracts from the intended gameplay experience. Additionally, frequent connection issues further hinder the game's replay value.
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making it feel repetitive after just a few playthroughs.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to replay the game.”
“The limited variety in gameplay mechanics leads to a lack of replayability.”