| Flat Eye | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Monkey Moon |
| Publisher(s) | Raw Fury |
| Engine | Unity [1] |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Business simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Flat Eye is a 2022 business simulation game developed by Monkey Moon and published by Raw Fury. Players manage a gas station in a dystopian version of Iceland.
Players manage an Icelandic gas station that is part of the fictional Flat Eye conglomerate. A single employee handles all the tasks in the gas station. As players make more money, they can install technologically advanced devices and services to exploit their customers, such as an AI-powered self-help booth that sells customers' personal data. Devices can interact with each other, such as a smart toilet that covertly sends information about customers' health to the self-help booth. The employee is responsible for upkeep of the devices, which frequently break down. These repairs can injure or kill the employee, after which players can hire a replacement. Players must also manage the energy needs of their devices. Special customers, with whom players can interact, occasionally enter the store and discuss the dystopian state of world affairs. Players must meet quotas to pass Flat Eye's performance reviews. [2]
Monkey Moon was inspired by Theme Hospital and Dungeon Keeper . Setting Flat Eye in a gas station came from a desire to let players meet a wide variety of people from different backgrounds. The developers' also drew from their experiences in working in retail. The management elements were designed to focus more on fun than complexity, as Monkey Moon felt that modern simulation games had become too complex. Although players are given quotas and their efficiency is summarized using graphs, Flat Eye was designed to not have a game over state. [3] Raw Fury released Flat Eye for Windows and macOS on November 14, 2022. [2]
Flat Eye received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [4] Although PC Gamer felt it did not live up to its potential, they said it was still interesting for its focus on showing the negative traits of capitalism that are usually glossed over by other business simulation games. However, they disliked how unsubtle some of the anti-capitalist sentiment is. [2] Rock Paper Shotgun praised the narrative elements and called Flay Eye a "compelling and thoughtful exploration" of the negative aspects of capitalism. [5] Hardcore Gamer, who praised the dialogue and satire, called it "a sweet and savvy twist on simulation games". [6]
Kerbal Space Program (KSP) is a space flight simulation video game developed by Mexican studio Squad for Linux, macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. In the game, players direct the space program of a species of green humanoid aliens known as "Kerbals". The game features a pseudorealistic orbital physics engine, allowing for various real-life orbital maneuvers such as Hohmann transfer orbits and orbital rendezvous.
The Sims 4 is a social simulation game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released in North America on September 2, 2014, for Windows, a macOS version was released in February 2015, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were released in November 2017. It is the fourth major title in The Sims series, following The Sims 3 (2009). The game was moved to a free-to-play model on October 18, 2022, monetized by the purchase of various paid downloadable content packs that have been developed since its release.
Outer Wilds is a 2019 action-adventure video game developed by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game follows the player character as they explore a planetary system stuck in a 22-minute time loop that resets after the sun goes supernova and destroys the system. Through repeated attempts they investigate the alien ruins of the Nomai to discover their history and the cause of the time loop.
Enter the Gungeon is a 2016 bullet hell roguelike game developed by Dodge Roll and published by Devolver Digital. Set in the firearms-themed Gungeon, gameplay follows several player characters called Gungeoneers as they traverse procedurally generated rooms to find a gun that can "kill the past". The Gungeoneers fight against bullet-shaped enemies, which are fought using both conventional and exotic weapons. Enter the Gungeon features a permadeath system, causing the Gungeoneers to lose all obtained items and start again from the first level upon death. Between playthroughs, players can travel to an area called the Breach, where they can converse with non-player characters and unlock new items randomly encountered while playing.
Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives, commonly referred to as simply Job Simulator, is a virtual reality simulation video game developed and published by Owlchemy Labs for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Apple Vision Pro, Oculus Quest, Oculus Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3, in which players participate in comical approximations of real-world jobs. A sequel, Vacation Simulator, was released in 2019 and has a completely different premise.
VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action is a 2016 visual novel developed by Venezuelan studio Sukeban Games and published by Ysbryd Games. The game was initially released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on June 21, 2016, and ports were later released for PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, with the Vita port developed by Wolfgame and published by Limited Run Games. The game puts the player in the role of a bartender at the eponymous VA-11 Hall-A, a small bar in a dystopian downtown which attracts interesting customers. Gameplay revolves around making and serving drinks to patrons while listening to their life stories.
Oxygen Not Included is a survival simulation video game developed and published by Klei Entertainment. After being released on Steam's early access since February 2017, the game was officially released on July 30, 2019.
Orwell is a series of episodic simulation video games by indie developer Osmotic Studios in which the player assumes the role of a state operative and monitors surveillance sources to find national security threats.
Cosmonautica is a video game that blends aspects of life simulation and space trading. Players take control of a spaceship and crew it with characters, each of which has their own needs and skills. By acquiring credits through missions, players can expand and customize their ship. It was released via early access on PC in 2014, and the retail version was released in July 2015 for Microsoft Windows, iOS, and Android.
Cook, Serve, Delicious! is a restaurant simulation video game released in 2012, developed and published by Vertigo Gaming. The player controls the menu and running of a restaurant, with in game currency being awarded by correctly filling customer orders. Directed by David Galindo, it had art from Sara Gross and music from Jonathan Geer. The game was released on 5 October 2012, for PC, and for Steam after a period on Steam Greenlight from 8 October 2013. It was later ported to iOS and Android. Cook, Serve, Delicious! drew inspiration from Japan-only 1999 game Ore no Ryouri.
Parkasaurus is a dinosaur zoo construction and management simulation video game developed by Washbear Studio. It entered Steam Early Access on September 25, 2018, and officially released on August 13, 2020. The player is tasked to create a dinosaur zoo by building and designing dinosaur exhibits. The game was also released on the Nintendo Switch on April 28, 2022.
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3 is a restaurant simulation game developed by Vertigo Gaming. It was released for Windows via Steam early access in January 2020, and was fully released on October 14, 2020 alongside versions for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with a version for Amazon Luna releasing on October 20, 2020. It is the sequel to Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker is an action-adventure simulation video game developed by Blackbird Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment. In the game, the player works as a ship breaker by exploring and dismantling abandoned spacecraft in search for useful materials, while at the same time tackling the labor relations issues within their employer. The game was released on Windows via early access in June 2020, and was released in full in May 2022. The game received generally positive reviews upon release. Versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S were released in September 2022.
Not For Broadcast is a full motion propaganda simulator developed by British video game studio NotGames and published by tinyBuild. The game released with its first episode in early access on 30 January 2020. The full game, including the third and final episode, was released worldwide on 25 January 2022. The game was released for Windows, Meta Quest 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Tails Noir is a noir role-playing indie video game developed by EggNut and published by Raw Fury. It was released for Microsoft Windows in June 2021, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in October 2021, and on Nintendo Switch in February 2022. A prequel, titled Tails Noir Preludes, was released in February 2023 on Windows.
Moonscars is a 2022 platform game developed by Black Mermaid and published by Humble Games. The game was released on September 27, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. In the game, players control a warrior named Grey Irma, who searches for her maker, the Sculptor. The game received generally positive reviews on release.
Megaquarium is a business simulation game developed and published in 2018 by Twice Circled.
Potion Craft is a video game created by Russian independent developer niceplay games and published by tinyBuild in 2022. Described as an "atmospheric management simulator set in a medieval fantasy world", Potion Craft is a management simulation game in which players operate a store producing and selling potions using alchemical ingredients. Upon release, Potion Craft received praise from critics for its novel and intuitive crafting mechanics, and was nominated for several awards at the 2023 Independent Games Festival.
Industries of Titan is a city-building video game developed by Brace Yourself Games. Players build a colony on Saturn's moon Titan. It includes elements of real-time strategy games, but these can be disabled.