AdVenture Capitalist | a Review
originally published on 02/10/2023;
Hello everyone, I am the anti-capitalist worker agent, G.E.M.Simov, a man so bent on destroying capitalism I've infiltrated the great capitalist ranks and am about to tell you their secrets, as I review "AdVenture Capitalist".
Simple review details - I rank games on an out of 10 basis, granting up to 3 points in 3 categories, as well as a last, single point from my own self, depending on my experience with it.
In addition to that, this is an IDLE game. Those are barely proper games and so I will put in less effort with reviewing them than I would otherwise.
Gameplay
Important for friends of the idle game - this one sucks really bad, because it does not allow for a hard reset - the Player can't navigate the menus and delete all their progress to properly start at the beginning. That's a flaw, right off the bat.
So, AdVenture Capitalist is a menu game. There is no game field, no Player Character, no movement, and almost nothing. All that's present are a number of menus, which all feature things for the Player to purchase with the Currencies they've got.
Currency number 1 is Dollars. Dollars are earned through Properties, which cost Dollars to purchase and upgrade. The Player starts with a Lemonade Stand and can upgrade all the way to an Oil Company.
This game is a weak idle game, in the sense that it does not award the Player with Currency for clicking (or tapping), but necessitates that the Player clicks for any of their passive income to show up. As an example, the Lemonade Stand produces some Dollars, but only when it is clicked, and only after a second of time passes. The same applies to the Newspaper Delivery, though it gives the Player money after two and a half seconds, and then the Car Wash, which does so after five seconds, and so on and so forth.
The process of clicking can be automated through the use of the Manager mechanic. Managers are a one-time purchase that automates a specific Property, taking away most of the Player's engagement with the game. There are also Managers who make certain Properties cheaper.
The Player can still multiply their Properties (by purchasing them again and again), and every few purchases there is a breakthrough, which decreases the amount of time required for Currency to be provided to the Player.
Then, there are Upgrades, which improve a property's yields. There are also general Upgrades and Angel related Upgrades. Nothing special, nothing that changes Gameplay - just sit and watch, occasionally purchasing something.
The reset mechanic appears reasonably quickly - it's Investors. Resetting gets rid of Managers, Upgrades and Properties, safe for 1 Lemonade Stand. It awards Angels, which passively increase profits by a certain percentage, but can also be used as a Currency to purchase special Managers and special Upgrades.
Now, onto the real meat of this idle game - the premium Currencies. This game features a Gold Bar currency that explicitly allows the Player to pay and win - including in competitive settings, such as the "funky" events that get hosted every so often and feature some neat Reward.
The game desperately wants the Player to buy something. Whether it be a removal of advertisements for the mobile versions, or just Gold Bars for the PC version, it wants the Player's money. The mobile version is especially egregious, because it literally forces the Player to watch an advertisement. The PC version is less invasive, but only barely.
Now, let me mention the Rewards before I condemn this game. The Rewards are, as anticipated, other means of provoking the Player to spend money. They take the shape of clothing and badges, with each being improvable by obtaining that same article a number of additional times. They provide bonuses to certain Properties, so the Player is incentivized to get as many of them as possible. They are obtained by opening loot boxes. Shocker.
That's not all - the mobile and PC versions feature different mechanics, with the mobile version having far more means of sucking the Player dry of their money.
There are also two additional modes of play that replicate the primary gamemode almost perfectly, though they do allow for the acquisition of another, special Currency, which, in turn, allows for the purchase of various things. Unfortunately, the rate at which this Currency is earned is dreadful.
So, this menu-only game that barely features any gameplay, has three mechanics, at most, and is bogged down by the classic idle game sin of: starts off swift and engaging, slows down and becomes tedious and bothersome while selling means of speeding things up.
This is exploitative and lacking in every other department. 0/3
Presentation
This game does not look good, because it isn't even a game. Things are presented in a number of menus, which menus are designed reasonably competently, but the fact that there are icons spread all over, which icons are exclusively icons and they neither lead to anything, nor do they provide additional information when clicked or hovered over.
In a "game" like this, which is exclusively based around information, it is vital that the Player is given information.
In addition to that, the visuals are reminiscent of caricatures. The only redeeming quality would be the Managers, who are essentially references to pop culture, and did elicit a: "that's neat" from me.
The music and audio are barely passable, with the former being very reminiscent of the most inoffensive elevator music out there.
Overall, it's nothing special. In fact, it's not even decent. 1/3
Story
There is no story. 0/3
Legendary Point
Does this idle game get the legendary point, so craved and wanted by all and none at the same time?
A thing like this? No, I don't think so. 0/1
Conclusion
1/10. This might be a worse game than Football Manager Handheld 2012 for the PSP. It's absolutely abysmal, there are far better "number go up" games out there. It is terrible, and I would not recommend it to anyone.
The Wall of Shame is too good for it, but I shall hang it upon that wall. What an experience, I wish I could refund the time I wasted!