WORLD END ECONOMiCA episode.01
- June 17, 2014
- Spicy Tails
- 30h median play time
Get on SteamIn "World End Economica episode.01," players follow the story of a young man, Hal, who aims to earn a fortune on the moon. He invests in various ventures, navigating a complex economy while also uncovering a conspiracy that threatens his plans. The game is a visual novel with decision-making points that impact the story's outcome.
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Reviews
- Engaging story with strong character development that keeps players invested.
- Well-written narrative that effectively combines economics with personal struggles.
- High-quality artwork and a fitting soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
- The game is linear with no choices, which may disappoint players looking for interactivity.
- Translation issues and typos detract from the reading experience.
- Pacing can be slow at times, especially in the beginning, which may lead to boredom.
- story447 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of "World End Economica" is a linear, kinetic narrative centered around a young man's journey in the stock market on a colonized moon, blending themes of economics with character development and personal growth. While the pacing starts slow and is heavy on financial jargon, many reviewers found the character arcs and emotional depth engaging, culminating in a satisfying conclusion that leaves room for future episodes. However, some criticized the writing quality and translation issues, which detracted from the overall experience.
“I was definitely satisfied with the ending, by far the best part of the story, which suits well the themes touched and is a far cry from your usual happy and cheesy ending all too common in the visual novel world.”
“The story itself is interesting, full of ups and downs.”
“A fantastic story that will bring you on a roller coaster of emotions.”
“The story is linear, with no choices provided, and a single ending.”
“The story itself is fairly lengthy, around 15+ hours of reading, though I feel that often it is rather boring and/or unnecessarily long.”
“The story is dragged out with a lot of pointless fluff text, lack of background, no voice acting and very limited paperdoll display.”
- music107 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the story, while others criticize its repetitive nature and poor looping, which disrupts immersion. Many users noted that the soundtrack, although occasionally enjoyable, lacks variety and can feel generic or mismatched with the narrative. Overall, while the music has its moments, technical issues and a limited selection detract from the overall experience.
“The soundtrack is also wonderful.”
“The music and setting are super important for an immersive story, and I was quite pleased with what Sekai Project and Spicy Tails did!”
“The music helps set the mood of how the story was presented.”
“Music is okay, but feels generic, sometimes does not fit with the story at hand, and suffers from lack of variety.”
“The music loop was not done properly; you can hear very obvious breaks in the background music because at the breaks, it loops back to the start of the song instead of the part where the music is supposed to loop.”
“The poorly looped, repetitive music and unimpressive effects (expect lots of black screens and PowerPoint 2002 style animations) don't make the experience any better.”
- graphics50 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally described as decent, with well-drawn character artwork and some excellent environmental visuals, but they suffer from low resolution (1280x720) and a lack of variety, leading to frequent black screens with minimal visuals. While some players appreciate the art style and find it pleasing, many express frustration over the limited amount of artwork and backgrounds, suggesting that the visuals do not fully complement the storytelling experience. Overall, the graphics receive mixed reviews, with a consensus that improvements in variety and resolution could enhance the visual appeal significantly.
“It is definitely a buy if you like deep stories and very nice visuals.”
“The mood music is spot on, and some of the artwork is breathtaking, both visually and emotionally.”
“The artwork is well done and pleasing to the eye.”
“Totally linear, no voice acting, half the time you're looking at a black screen with no visuals besides the text.”
“The story was slow-paced and uninteresting with poor dialogue, unlikeable characters, bad visuals, and random and constant black screens.”
“For a 'visual' novel, much of the visuals are just a black screen with text at the bottom.”
- character development24 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally well-received, with many reviewers noting significant growth in key characters, particularly the protagonist, who evolves from an irritating figure to a more relatable one. However, some critiques highlight issues with pacing and infodumps that can detract from the overall experience, making the development feel slow or convoluted at times. Overall, while there are mixed opinions on the depth and execution of character arcs, many players appreciate the gradual and meaningful progression of relationships and personal growth throughout the story.
“Of course Hasekura-sensei doesn't disappoint, and the more the story progresses, the more character development you see.”
“The protagonist, Hal, starts out as an incredibly irritating brat who only thinks about money, but the character development he receives throughout the story is really good, and you can clearly see him growing as a person as the story progresses.”
“I personally quite liked this visual novel; the length of the visual novel was surprisingly but satisfyingly long, and I would recommend this visual novel if you enjoy reading stories with good character development and setting.”
“The poor character development of the main character seems to exist more as a way to juxtapose how the main character was at the start of this game to how he exists at the start of the sequel.”
“Thus, change can seem to be missing in their character developments.”
“It's not the best visual novel out there; in fact, it's fairly clichéd at times with some poor character development, but that doesn't mean it's awful, and the story, characters, and relationships get a lot more development and depth added to them as the story nears the conclusion.”
- emotional19 mentions
- 95 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is described as a powerful and immersive experience, often likened to an emotional rollercoaster that evokes strong feelings, including sadness and introspection. Players appreciate the depth of flawed characters and realistic motivations, which contribute to a compelling narrative that resonates deeply, though some may find the emotional intensity overwhelming or the lack of character customization limiting. Overall, the game's ability to elicit genuine emotional responses is a standout feature, making it a memorable experience for many players.
“To avoid spoilers I won't go into much detail, but I'll say this: the game is an emotional rollercoaster, which will have you on the edge of your seat multiple times throughout the entire volume, with characters that are all flawed, act on realistic motivations, and come into conflict for believable reasons; definitely one of the best reads I've had in years.”
“By the end of the story, I was sucked in by the emotional and character themes that were presented so many times at the beginning I thought of them as set dressing until they became very, movingly real during the end portion.”
“While I don't want to give any spoilers, the story was heart-wrenching.”
“Maybe there is, but I'll never know, because I've been slogging through an unending chain of incredibly boring storylines.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay aspect of this title is entirely linear and lacks any interactive elements, such as choices or decision-making, making it a purely narrative experience. Users express disappointment over the absence of gameplay mechanics, emphasizing that it is more akin to a sound novel than a traditional game. Those seeking interactive gameplay should consider looking elsewhere, as the experience is focused solely on storytelling.
“I would complain so much about soundtracks in the early gameplay, and surprisingly the soundtracks got better, but I cannot say the soundtracks are great.”
“I made the mistake of assuming that, despite this being labeled a 'visual novel', there would be at least some aspect of stock market-based gameplay.”
“Note that this is more like a sound novel; there are no decisions, routes, or other types of gameplay as far as I can tell.”
“However, keep in mind that as it is a visual novel, it is a solely narrative experience and there's no gameplay, so if that is not what you are looking for, you should probably look elsewhere.”
“Completely linear, no gameplay, no choices to make or even dialogue options.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a dynamic blend of action and storytelling, contrasting with the more tranquil vibe typically associated with a traveling merchant. The use of music and visuals in the visual novel format enhances the emotional tone, creating a rich and immersive experience that captivates players. Overall, the setting is praised for its fantastic and engaging atmosphere.
“I had a few times I just relaxed and listened to the atmosphere.”
“- fantastic setting and atmosphere”
“Of course the manner of telling the story is significantly different, as a visual novel introduces music and accompanying CG to maximize the tone of the current atmosphere and situation.”
“Instead of the relaxing atmosphere of a traveling merchant, they went with an action-packed story about investments.”
“Of course the manner of telling the story is significantly different, as a visual novel introduces music and accompanying CG to maximize the tone of the current atmosphere and situation but with less words to further balance the narration of the story by giving personality to the CGs and sprites, while the words supply the story itself, unlike a light novel where the artworks are introduced at the start of reading, but it just introduces the setting and vibe of the story being told, with the descriptive narrative giving most of a light novel's shine.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is polarizing; while some players appreciate its rational and believable approach, finding moments that evoke genuine laughter, others criticize the writing for its pervasive misogynistic comments and awkward sexual tension, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the humor can be hit or miss, with some players enjoying its integration into the plot while others find it annoying.
“There's some spice in the plot, I like it. It's not about fan service or over-exaggerated stuff - things are rational and believable (despite some hiccups which don't matter much), with a comfortable amount of humor in it.”
“I had moments where it made me laugh, or thoughts of mine would seemingly match the novel itself.”
“This visual novel style game had me both laughing and crying, extensively.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game experiences several technical glitches, attributed to its development on the Ren'Py engine, which can lead to visual issues and limited options. Overall, players report a lack of stability due to these persistent bugs.
“This game suffers from a number of technical glitches.”
“It's developed using the Ren'Py engine, which can be hit-or-miss due to various visual glitches and a lack of engine-supported options.”
“Bugs and glitches are prevalent throughout the game.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is perceived as a cash grab, with users feeling that it lacks meaningful player interaction and choices, making it more akin to a poorly produced anime than a true gaming experience. This has led to concerns that marketing it as a game is misleading.
“This feels like a cash grab. Without any choices in the game to make, it would have made a better anime. However, with production value as spotty as this, it might fail even harder than that.”
“As a game, no, it's not so much a game. There's no interaction you do as the 'player'; you are the reader. In this sense, advertising it as a game might be misleading.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability, allowing players to revisit the story to catch foreshadowing and better understand complex elements after their initial playthrough.
“The replay value is high, allowing players to catch foreshadowing of later events and to revisit complex points after gaining a better understanding of the jargon.”
“Each playthrough offers new insights and experiences, making it a game you can enjoy multiple times.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes ensures that no two playthroughs feel the same, enhancing the overall replayability.”
“The replay value is low; once you've experienced the story, there's little incentive to go through it again.”
“After finishing the game, I found no reason to replay it, as the choices felt inconsequential and didn't change the outcome.”
“While the game has a great story, the lack of meaningful choices makes replaying it feel pointless.”
