Flat Eye

This game might have been poignant in 2012, but the themes and issues addressed are as played out as they are heavy handed. It's about as deep as a puddle. A 12-year-old child could have created this game. There's also a ton of virtue signalling. You can tell this game was created by people whose soul political goal is to be as woke as possible. Pronouns are prominent when they're highly unnecessary. Clearly pushing an agenda we've all heard before. It would be interesting if it was unique. At this point, it's the opposite.

Went back to this years after dropping it and realizing why I did in the first place. Narratively interesting but mechanically really really boring.

Pushes and pushes and pushes its themes and story by talking directly at you with cutscenes Fun at very first but gameplay loop becomes grindy and unfun quickly

Boring. A game that plays itself off as an automation game but has very little automation. The gameplay consists of a repeating loop: Build stuff, repair that stuff, refill that stuff, talk to annoying "special" customers, move on to the next day. If you manage to "do well" you get stars, and the stars allow you to very slowly unlock new technology so that you can do the repeating loop...more, I guess. I put 3 hours into the game, and I'm done. The characters are annoying, their individual story lines supposedly some kind of wry observation on technology in our lives blah blah blah, but all it really just breaks down to is a series of characters whining about their problems. Supposedly there's something about time travel in there too, but I honestly just don't have the time or patience for this. It's not a *bad* game, per sè, it's just...nothing. At $18.99, I *can't* recommend it. I got it through a Humble Choice bundle, so the actual price I paid was probably only around $1, and...yeah, it's definitely worth that. Otherwise, no. Buy it on a steep sale, if you buy it at all.

Flat Eye approaches management simulation from a noticeably different direction, using the operation of a futuristic roadside station as the foundation for a story about artificial intelligence, biotechnology, privacy, consumerism, and corporate control. Developed by Monkey Moon and published by Raw Fury, it begins with responsibilities that seem relatively ordinary: keep the business operating, earn money, maintain its reputation, and satisfy corporate expectations. The situation becomes increasingly strange as advanced technologies are introduced, gradually transforming an everyday service station into a testing ground for inventions that challenge conventional ideas about humanity and technological progress. The basic management loop involves expanding the station with new modules while balancing income and operational demands. Progress opens access to an extensive collection of futuristic services, many of which initially sound absurd but connect directly to the game's larger themes. Cloning technology, artificial wombs, organ-related services, memory manipulation, advanced toilets, teleportation, and other inventions can eventually become part of the facility. These additions…

Cool game, I just wish I could increase the text size so I could read it more comfortably, that is the only draw back I see so far. It's running a convenience store, but with a lot of things to manage that you don't expect.