One of the more popular genres of iOS games is known as time management. Most people think ofFarmville when they think of these types of games, and it’s certainly one of the more popular titles in the genre. However, many gamers would not exactly describe Farmville as “good”. If you are looking for a time management game that actually brings something exciting to the table, check out Middle Manager of Justice.
This game is made by Double Fine, the team behind Xbox classic Psychonauts. Tim Schafer is the genius behind the brand, and his reputation in the gaming industry speaks volumes. When I noticed that this team had made a time management game for iOS, I knew it would be worth a second look.
As expected, the game is packed with personality, which makes the simple gameplay feel like something much greater.
Gameplay
In Middle Manager of Justice, you play as a character tasked with managing a branch of super heroes. You will be performing all sorts of assignments with the ultimate goal of making your super hero branch the best in the world.
Gameplay involves recruiting new heroes, training them, keeping them happy, upgrading your facilities and sending those heroes out to fight crime. Each of these tasks is accessed through the various menus in the game, and navigating is a smooth and painless process. The tutorial at the beginning of the game introduces you to the main concepts so you will know what you are doing without issue.
The fights can be handled in one of two ways. First, you can click Watch and actually manage the fight yourself. You can also click Delegate to send you heroes to fight automatically. The game will let you know your chances of success, and I found that by managing the fights manually, I could win fights even with low chances. When your branch grows, and you have a lot more heroes, performing each fight manually is incredibly inefficient.
The biggest thing that separates this game from the competition is that you can play it all the time. Instead of setting up things that take hours to complete, every task in Middle Manager of Justice is quick, so you can play the game as much or as little as you want.
To put it simply, this game is just fun. It takes the best parts of the genre and strips away some of the annoying aspects to create a game that is simple and effective. Double Fine’s production adds a sense of character that you will not find in other games of this type.
Audio & Visual
The cartoon art works perfectly for this type of game, and anyone accustomed to Double Fine’s work should feel right at home with Middle Manager of Justice. It’s usually the addictive gameplay most gamers look for, but Double Fine has clearly chosen not to neglect the visuals either and the developers clearly took the time to make sure the game looks great.
The sound is also quite good. The music is not at all distracting, and even adds to the overall experience. The same goes for the sound effects. In-game dialogue is not voiced, which is understandable as some of it is repeated, and a lot of it is just general talk between the heroes and the bad guys. Even without voiced characters, the written dialog is done well, and is actually quite funny in multiple instances.
Game Life
Like most of these games, there is plenty of fun to be had if you get sucked in. You can essentially play this game forever, and it’s free, so you certainly cannot complain. There are in-app purchases, but you can play the game as much as you want without ever spending a dime. Spending real money on these items speeds things along and they are nice to have, but they are by no means a necessity, which is exactly what I hope to see from this type of game.
Conclusion
Generally, I avoid time management games like the plague. The only reason I was willing to give this one a chance is because Double Fine made it. I am glad I did, because I spent quite a few hours playing with it, and I had a fantastic time. Now that I am done writing this review, I am going to play it more, which means it has obviously sucked me in a great deal. That probably explains why it’s on our Best Of iPhone Games page, along with our other favorites.
Have you played Middle Manager of Justice? Are you a big fan of Double Fine and Tim Schafer? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments, below.
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