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Tuesday, 28 November 2017 05:50

Party Hard Tycoon Early Access Review

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Party Hard Tycoon, the title that allows you to have the party life you may have always wanted without ever having to leave the comfort of your own home or put on pants.

Isn't it great? Party Hard Tycoon, developed by Pinokle Games, allows you to create, decorate, plan, run, over-hype, and manage your own themed parties. The themes range across the board — really — from a Vodka party to a Zoo Party. They even have themes for gamers, too, complete with arcade cabinets to fill your venue.

The goal of Party Hard Tycoon is to throw a party, make bank, and tons of fans who are waiting for your next mid-week hip-hop party with a light show and a live zebra. Okay, maybe not that specific of a party, but your objective is to become renowned for your party planning and managing abilities, being able to get creative with more than just themes but appropriate decorations depending on the theme and location.

The tutorial is brief and more of an overview of information in the form of various texts. They give you the rundown on how to plan a party and the basic mechanics of the game, and then off you go to plan your first soirée. At first, as you try to figure out which speakers you will be using, and what type of food you will be serving, all the information and numbers are a bit overwhelming. Soon after, your guests arrive, bringing with them an abundance of thumbs pointing up, thumbs pointing down, and the occasional "This party needs more hype."

The art style and music stay true to its predecessors, Party Hard and Party Hard 2 [EN: YouDontSay.jpg]. Each of the characters fit into the weird yet intriguing universe, while keeping to a simple pixel art style. The music fits the party vibe but there is nothing particularly standout about it. Your parties do come to life as your guests walk around, interacting with one another and everything you placed in the venue.

Partying Hard or Hardly Partying?

It’s quite addicting to see an event give you a huge profit, and improve your gear and accommodation, along with tons of content — you know there’s a lot for you to learn and invest in. At first, you expect a little more information to come — and a little bit arrives —  but you may still feel a bit lost. Party after party gets thrown; from some, you make a substantial profit, others you barely break even. There are tons of unlockables, from personnel to help hype, serve, and coordinate your event, to different locations and themes. After you start getting into the groove of putting together events and attempting to increase hype while balancing it (to not over crowd the venue) you still may feel a bit lost.

There is a lot of content in this game, which is great, and it is quite fun to figure out what combination of themes, venues, and decorations work — namely, whether or not to go with a live zebra or a live horse. But after playing for awhile, it becomes clear that the strategy to further your party planning career is a bit unclear. The numbers continue moving up and down, and you don't know why things went worse or better: you just have numbers related to how many people loved it or were disappointed. Which can be frustrating when you are looking to better your planning and increase profit.

The Verdict

Party Hard Tycoon has a lot promise, as it is still in Early Access. In its current state, it is incredibly fun, but you may feel stagnant after a couple hours of gameplay. However knowing that there will be more content and updates means this game will only improve and be refined. So, keep an eye on it. There’s already tons to do and figure out — not to mention that it stays true to the retro art stylings of the Party Hard universe.

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Alexander Esperanza

A.W. Esperanza is self-proclaimed coffee addict, with nothing but coffee, adrenaline, and the hope of a new, life-consuming MMORPG to keep him going. You'll frequently find him at his desk with a breakfast burrito and cup of lukewarm coffee within arms length. As a born again nerd, he enjoys competitive gaming, Magic the Gathering, and being immersed in the gaming community.

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