Welcome to Goodland

About

Welcome to Goodland is a single player simulation game with drama and business themes. It was developed by Big City Lab and was released on April 28, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

This is the police + Ozark TV Show = Welcome to Goodland An ordinary salaryman is forced to work under a merciless Mexican cartel. Stay alive for as long as you can, get enough money for your new bosses, make tough decisions, acquire businesses and find allies you can trust. But in this cutthroat world, will you be able to keep to your humanity?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 21 reviews

story4 positive mentions

gameplay4 negative mentions

Intriguing storyline with multiple possible endings that keeps players engaged.
Offers a unique blend of narrative-driven gameplay and strategy management, reminiscent of shows like Ozark.
Simple mechanics that are easy to understand, making it accessible for players new to the genre.

Frustrating micromanagement and a steep learning curve that can lead to a stressful experience rather than fun.
Repetitive gameplay with limited quality of life features, making tasks feel tedious and unengaging.
Bugs and crashes, particularly with the task system, detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
67%
19%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding the core mechanics too simplistic and repetitive, while others appreciate the fun and engaging aspects of time management and strategy. The choose-your-own-adventure element adds depth, but many users struggled with understanding the mechanics and balancing the gameplay. Overall, while it may not revolutionize the genre, it offers an enjoyable experience for those who appreciate its unique approach.
- “While on my first playthrough, I didn't respect the choose-your-own-adventure aspect of the game. It was only after replaying and seeing how my stats change based on what I say in the opening scene that determines my strategy going into the core gameplay.”
- “It doesn't hold your hand from the beginning, and I am a huge fan of RNG. I know that mechanic doesn't sit right with people, but I love it and think it's implemented fairly in Welcome to Goodland.”
- “The game has simple mechanics, but they are very hard to master.”
- “Game is not very good from the gameplay standpoint and the concept of money laundering was not very well researched by the developers.”
- “Admittedly, at first I kind of gave up on the game and it's been a rough couple of weeks for me, but ultimately I powered through and looked up some videos only to find that no one quite understood the gameplay mechanic or how to balance it.”
- “Way too repetitive gameplay.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The story aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and well-developed, particularly praising its intriguing narrative and branching paths. However, others criticize it for being slow or lacking depth, suggesting that the absence of voice acting detracts from the experience. Overall, while the story has its strengths, particularly in character development and immersive gameplay, it may not resonate with everyone.
- “In the end, you can role play as you'd like and experience for yourself the branching paths of the storyline.”
- “It's a pretty solid story and conversation-driven criminal drama with immersive gameplay.”
- “Never played anything like it before, but I enjoyed the story and how my character was developing rapidly into this criminal mastermind in a small town.”
- “Not a deal breaker, but the story would have only benefitted even from some amateur voice actors instead of utter silence.”
- “For all intents and purposes, this is a fictional location, set in a storyline that's as fictitious as its characters.”
- “I'm pretty early in the story so not sure how much replayability this offers, but overall the writing is competent and there are some choices that affect your stats and how the story progresses.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The graphics in the game are described as simple yet well-executed, with a pleasing art style that evokes a nostalgic aesthetic reminiscent of "This Is the Police." While some users find the visuals unimpressive, they are generally considered acceptable and complement the overall experience.
- “In my opinion, Welcome to Goodland has a sort of 'This Is the Police' aesthetic that I've missed.”
- “The playstyle is easy to understand, the story (from what I gathered so far) seems really interesting, the graphics are simple yet well done.”
- “The artwork is pretty good too.”
- “The graphics are underwhelming and lack detail.”
- “The art style feels outdated and doesn't match the game's theme.”
- “The overall visual presentation is disappointing and could use significant improvement.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, leading to an overall lack of enjoyment from the very beginning.
- “This game is just not fun to play from the very start - it's tedious and repetitive.”
- “The grinding feels endless and lacks any real reward, making it a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.”
- “I found myself stuck in a loop of monotonous tasks that drained the fun out of the game.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Players note that the game offers replayability through multiple endings and meaningful choices that impact stats and story progression. However, some users feel uncertain about the extent of replay value early in the game, despite acknowledging the competent writing.
- “The game offers great replay value through multiple endings.”
- “I'm still early in the story, so I'm not sure how much replayability this offers, but the writing is competent and there are choices that affect your stats and how the story progresses.”
- “I'm pretty early in the story, so I'm not sure how much replayability this offers. Overall, the writing is competent, and there are some choices that affect your stats and how the story progresses.”
- “The game has replay value through multiple endings.”
- “While the initial playthrough is engaging, I don't see much incentive to replay the game once I've seen all the content.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits stability issues, with users reporting bugs, particularly in the task system, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “Kinda buggy around the edges too.”
- “The game has a buggy task system.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game successfully creates a unique atmosphere that blends chill management elements with a subtle dark undertone, appealing to players who enjoy immersive single-player experiences.
- “Overall, a good single-player game for all people who like chill management games (with a hint of dark atmosphere).”
- “Fair play to the game devs for capturing this atmosphere in such an original way.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by a blend of black comedy and dialogue reminiscent of shows like "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul," offering a sharp and edgy wit that resonates with fans of those series.
- “There's dark humor and conversations clearly inspired by 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul'.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in "Welcome to Goodland" features a repetitive soundtrack, and players note a lack of diverse sound effects, which may detract from the overall auditory experience.
- “Apart from a rather repetitive soundtrack, there aren't many sound effects in Welcome to Goodland.”