Do Not Feed the Monkeys 2099 (First Impressions)

Developer: Fictiorama Studios

Publisher: Joystick Ventures

Released: May 25th, 2023

Price: $15 USD

The comeback of a popular series that many have forgotten about over the years. Do Not Feed the Monkeys, the precursor, was an original game. It had its appeal and was quite tough to manage due to the juggling of multiple resources. Finances, conversations, hunger, sleep, and health, to name a few.

It was incredibly difficult when you were trying to focus on everything at once and getting very little done. It seems the latest take on this series seems to be slower paced. Making things more manageable, but also a little more boring.

General Gameplay

If you've played the first game, you'll notice a lot of parallels with this one, with a few extra buttons thrown in here and there that don't do much. However, despite the fact that the original was launched in 2018, this version doesn't feel all that different; in fact, it feels the exact same in every way with the same game engine and aesthetics though a bit inferior compared to the original's distinctiveness.

Management

So the entire purpose of this game is to spy on multiple subjects everyday life.

It's your job as a member of a secret organization, which you got into from your late uncle, who was a high-ranking member. Because you are not your uncle, you must earn your way up the corporate ladder by accomplishing everyday duties and impacting (or not) the lives of others through your monitoring.

The majority of your time will be spent watching people through an unnoticed security camera. You'll have (highlighted) words you need to click to search for information about that issue to use it against them to make money or destroy their lives; it can be very twisted, but that's your choice to make in this game.

Presentation

Good

The game does a decent job of simulating living in an apartment complex with those unpleasant adjacent neighbors blasting music all day and all night long.

The attractive pixel art and diverse styles used in different screens make each time feel different rather than repetitive. Some may have extremely low visuals, while others may be slightly higher definition, overall it's pleasant to look at and see the locations change over time as the game progresses forward.

Issue

Slow build up

So far, it's just too slow and dull until you have more cages; you'll frequently be waiting all day for one or two cages to interact with missing dialog due to work.

I assumed that all of the cameras were linked to a story. However, after a while, I realized that some screens are just there for filler, not actual content, which makes it less enjoyable when there's nothing going on and you have to wait hours, or go to sleep, work, or wait for a delivery / rent payment to arrive. While also missing vital information on one cage that you will have to revisit in an attempt to hear the same dialogue, or it may be too late and the cage will close.

To summarize, the more cages you have, the more you are able to view things. Thus the more you are able to perform on a consistent basis, but the less things you will be able to do for yourself. That is, less sleep, less work, less food, or less  productivity for your employment with the organization. Once you fail, it's over.

You'll be jumping between several digit discussions, hoping to finish them before they naturally terminate while balancing your commitments, it can be frantic!

Conclusion

Needs patience

It can be daunting at first, but with time you'll gain a better understanding of the game, allowing you to make smarter decisions while not wasting too much time on one topic and also better balancing your hunger, sleep and finances.

I'm currently divided between liking this game and being a little frustrated with it. I don't mind management games because are entertaining, but when you add in sleep, hunger, and other meters to manage while also having a limited amount of time to do things in a set order, it becomes burdensome and monotonous.

I'm especially not feeling up to the job of clicking through 15 different cages in the later game to piece together the storylines and promote to a higher rank.

My initial thoughts on this game come to a close with the caveat that, while others may disagree, that is what makes gamers unique. You don't have to share their interests or agree with them and are welcome to critic me on mine.

If you want to catch me on one of my streams or locate me on social media, you may do so at the following locations, I'm always playing something new.

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- Pawkt