The Oil Blue

About

The Oil Blue is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Vertigo Gaming Inc. and was released on August 6, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"The Oil Blue" is a simulation game that puts players in charge of an oil drilling company. You'll need to explore and drill for oil, manage your employees and equipment, and balance environmental concerns with the need to turn a profit. The game features realistic simulation mechanics and a variety of challenges to keep you engaged.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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75%

Audience ScoreBased on 104 reviews

gameplay9 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and engaging time management experience, requiring players to multitask effectively across various oil drilling machines.
The atmosphere and soundtrack create a calming yet intense environment, making it enjoyable to play for short bursts or longer sessions.
Despite its simplicity, the game provides a satisfying challenge as players work to meet increasingly difficult objectives on randomly generated islands.

The interface is clunky and not optimized for modern resolutions, leading to a frustrating user experience.
Repair mini-games can be overly difficult and sometimes rely on luck, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.
The game can become repetitive quickly, with limited variety in tasks and objectives, which may lead to boredom over time.

gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
60%
10%
The gameplay is generally well-received, offering a mix of engaging mechanics and a compelling atmosphere, though some players find it can become repetitive over time. While the micromanagement and task-oriented elements provide a challenging experience, certain design choices, such as unresponsive controls and slow transitions, detract from the overall fluidity. Despite these issues, many appreciate the game's depth and the satisfaction of mastering its systems.
- “The gameplay is good and the aesthetic is genuinely interesting.”
- “Mastering each machine, meeting your deadlines, and balancing your profits, repairs, and oil reserves are core gameplay features that don't grow stale and continue to evolve until the very end of the game.”
- “The game is as engaging as it is entertaining, but you'll come for the gameplay and stay for the atmosphere.”
- “Nice game, but the repairing mechanics are just stupid.”
- “The gameplay type is exactly what I expected (and what is marketed), so I won't say too much about it - although it is bland and clunky, even for a micromanagement/tycoon game.”
- “The gameplay is intended to be frantic and fast, yet there are these bizarre 'artistic' choices made with unskippable, slow pans of screens, fades, or absurdly unresponsive buttons in scenarios where there's no reason for them to act like that.”
music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
66%
13%
The music in the game is widely praised for its peaceful and relaxing ambiance, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. While some users noted issues with audio settings and repetitive tracks, many found the soundtrack to be a highlight, evoking feelings of nostalgia and tranquility reminiscent of films like Disney-Pixar's "WALL-E." Overall, the music is considered a therapeutic element that complements the game's themes and mechanics.
- “The music is peaceful and relaxing.”
- “The soundtrack is pretty decent, going for an atmospheric electronic sound.”
- “A multi-tasking management sim with very calming therapeutic music juxtaposed to the frantic operation of your oil drilling machinery.”
- “Secondly, I’ve had a couple of occasions where the music and SFX wouldn’t work properly.”
- “The tracks play a little too often though, so you may end up playing your own music instead at some point.”
- “The music is suitably disturbing on the opening screen with some nice, more relaxing sounds for the actual days.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
67%
20%
The graphics in the game are generally described as basic yet fitting for the mood, with a clean and moody aesthetic that emphasizes dark colors and static backgrounds. While some players appreciate the stylized look and the nostalgic 8/16-bit art style, others note that the resolution is low and the visuals may not impress those seeking modern HD graphics. Overall, the graphics are serviceable and enhance the game's atmosphere, particularly in the enhanced Steam Legacy Edition.
- “Graphically, the oil blue goes for a realistic yet slightly stylized look that, despite its age, still looks pretty good.”
- “The game in general pulls off the aesthetic well.”
- “Graphics are basic, and while the control panels set the mood, there's just nothing that stands out as special.”
- “The graphics are clean and moody with the game taking place only at night and with dark colors and static backgrounds.”
- “Also, you're running a game that's literally a couple of scripts, with ASCII and graphics based on primitives such as lines, triangles, etc.”
atmosphere
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its chill and serene qualities, enhanced by a decent electronic soundtrack that evokes feelings reminiscent of Disney-Pixar's Wall-E. Players appreciate the well-crafted environment, which combines engaging gameplay with a unique blend of tension and relaxation, making it a perfect choice for unwinding after a long day. Overall, the atmospheric design, including its 8/16-bit art style, significantly contributes to the game's appeal.
- “Atmosphere-wise, the game is pretty chill and serene, and is a great one to relax after a hard and long day.”
- “I can't say enough about how well crafted the atmosphere of this game is, as experiencing it is the truest way to appreciate it.”
- “The music especially makes me feel like I am in the near distant future where the earth has changed and us humans have reverted back to the old ways; the atmosphere is spot on in the oil blue.”
- “The music especially makes me feel like I am in the near distant future where the earth has changed and us humans have reverted back to the old ways; the atmosphere is hit dead on in the oil blue.”
- “Honestly, the atmosphere and tutorials sell it.”
- “It had a strange tense but relaxing atmosphere.”
story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The game's story is minimal and primarily serves as a backdrop for its gameplay mechanics, focusing on the challenges of managing oil drilling operations for profit. While some players appreciate the authentic and engaging environment, the narrative itself is considered thin, with a moral about perseverance and adaptability in the face of challenges. Overall, the story is functional but not a standout feature, primarily supporting the game's core mechanics rather than driving it.
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “The environment of the oil blue, from the sound to the art to the story, is a very welcome experience that is honestly what attracted me to the game in the first place.”
- “It's too bad the story is paper thin and you can't spend your money on anything.”
- “A mission can sometimes be about not making oil but making money in a specific time, which means you have to gain more money... whatever.”
- “A mix of difficulty levels that requires you to master multiple modes of problem-solving, and a story that serves the game well enough to hold it together.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users criticizing the lack of support for modern monitor resolutions, which detracts from the experience. While performance is generally deemed adequate, the failure to optimize for contemporary hardware has led to dissatisfaction among players, particularly those accustomed to modern gaming standards.
- “For people who enjoy hardcore clicker games: 4/10: will gladly drill, baby, drill, but a point had to be deducted for the resolution not being optimized for modern monitors.”
- “Is there anything worse than a developer who sells old games on Steam that aren't optimized for modern computers and/or modern monitor resolutions?”
- “Rendering is if you need more performance but you should be fine.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Overall, user feedback on stability is mixed; while some praise the game as bug-free and commend the developers for their meticulous work, others report minor bugs and express concerns about potential instability with future Windows updates. Additionally, there are reports of unusual glitches that can be exploited, indicating that while the game is generally stable, it may still have some underlying issues.
- “It's completely bug-free.”
- “I would rate this app as slightly buggy and potentially unstable in the future if Windows makes any significant changes.”
- “There's also bizarre and very abusable glitches, like I managed to set all my battery cells in one of the drills to be above 700 each day, while they're clearly intended to be capped at 100.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the high replayability of the game, noting that the machines available in each stage can vary with each playthrough, enhancing the experience beyond merely aiming for high scores.
- “The machines you get per stage can also change with each play, so that adds some good replay value beyond just trying to beat a score.”
- “Excellent replayability.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is noted as both funny and surprisingly engaging, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, players have reported frequent crashes, especially during repair sequences, which can detract from the enjoyment.
- “At first, I only bought the game to make a funny review, but this game is good and deserves some real insight.”
- “Funny and surprisingly engaging game.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the lack of a 'sell all' button for oil, which adds to the repetitive nature of the gameplay.
- “It's simply tedious.”
- “Secondly, there is the tedious feature of not having a 'sell all' button for your oil.”