Startup Panic is a fun little game in which you run a Facebook style startup. You play the hero, who finally quits their nightmare job working for a cruel corporate firm to start a cruel corporate firm.
Your aim in the game is to grow your corporation from your bedroom to a giant office with all the luxury upgrades. I liked Startup Panic for quite a few reasons but sadly, I couldn’t give it the highest of ratings.
One of the cooler aspects of the game is that you can hire people to work for you and increase their skillsets over time, only for them to leave you when they realise you’re paying starvation wages in your evil socialist sweatshop.
Managing your team’s thoughts, feelings and emotions is important and a big part of the game. If you don’t keep them happy with constant trips and voyages, they’ll leave. Heck they may just leave you anyway.
My favorite part of the game was being able to name people. So when my real life friends abandoned me in game, I remembered that the last time I’d heard from some of them was a few years back. It’s great when games imitate life.
You and your team have two methods of making money. One – designing your super cool website, which shows a real understanding of what’s needed to make a super powerful social media paradise. Or two – doing jobs for unrealistic sums of money that no one in hell would ever be dumb enough to pay.
As a digital marketer and web designer, people will pay you in dust and exposure, and you’re lucky if you get either of those. If you’re wondering why you need money, try reducing your team’s wages to understand one of the things you need it for.
Along the way, you’ll find that you have competition. Rival corporations spring up and use a variety of techniques to annoy and harrass you. Sadly, they are pretty easy to overwhelm and the challenge rating is minimal.
Occasionally people will offer to invest in you. These people can either be really good for you or bad for you. If you’re ever thinking of going into business, be careful who you partner with!
Sadly, I can’t really say much more about the game without ruining the experience for everyone. If you’re thinking about getting it, I wasn’t unhappy with the purchase, however it wasn’t a life changing gaming experience.
Startup Panic is a decent game and worth a play through if you like the style of: Make a decision, watch it play out. Intervene when necessary. Get a pair of weights and you’ll be buff stuff in no time.
To be honest, I expected a lot more from the game when I saw the original trailer. It delivers everything it promises, but sadly, just a tiny bit more.
Kidnapping tends to happen far too often and as much as I enjoy the feature, they could have added a lot more things, random events etc. I also found the constant proposals of alliances with the big names to be annoying and to get in the way of managing things. Don’t call me, I’ll call you.
Overall, I rate Startup Panic as a solid 5 out of 10. What it lacks in replayability, it makes up for in style, understanding of setting up a business and it’s a great play through the first time round.
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