There is a surprising amount of work that you and your staff will have to do, split between doing things that are financially rewarding and things that you need to maintain the wellbeing of your idols. Furthermore, dictating their personal lives through restrictions is uncomfortable.The thing that piques my interest with Idol Manager is that the developers seem to have a genuine interest in painting the idol industry as something that brings joy to a lot of people, but has a number of less glamorous elements to it - the exploitation, the scandals (and non-scandals), the fact that a lot of these idols are still just kids and bullying is a real thing that you will need to address.
Their anxieties are a liability to the business. Women, some as young as 12 years old, are business assets.
There is, however, an elephant in the room. I’ve played a few management games in my lifetime but little offered such a deep dive into a unique entertainment industry.
You can mitigate potential issues by setting rules when it comes to social media usage, public appearances, and dating.Īll of these different gameplay elements come together to create an incredibly fascinating management experience. Some are prone to scandals and fits of jealousy. Some idols are shy, while others are outgoing. These women also have traits that impact the business and group dynamic. Stats can be improved by spending time with your idols, fulfilling their Wishes, and caring for their mental and physical health. Each randomly generated woman has stats that determine their individual skill and what they bring to the group. You can hire talent by holding local, regional, and country-wide auditions, spending upwards of a million yen to find the best girls. With money being so precarious in the early game, however, every unplanned expense feels like a mistake.Īs much as Idol Manager focuses on the day-to-day aspects of management, the idols are what truly keep the business afloat. Promotion and performances are something you need to do anyway to advance your idol’s skill and success. I made a lot of expensive mistakes before I realized what was happening. In Idol Manager, tapping the Up or Down button costs 12,000 yen each time. Decades spent playing video games have led me to expect the D-Pad to let me scroll through blocks of text or navigate hotspots. I really didn’t like how the game maps promotion and performance events on the D-Pad. Interfacing with screens and menus isn’t terrible on a PlayStation controller but takes getting used to. Add in the ongoing expenses that drain your finances month over month, and Idol Manager has the potential to get downright stressful.Īll this information is presented through a user interface that shows the game’s mouse-and-keyboard roots. There’s so much data on hand that it can feel pretty overwhelming. For example, “Sexy” dance moves and “Happy” lyrics may play well with young adult males but they can alienate your group’s hardcore female fans. Your audience’s gender, age, and devotion to the group determine what sells or flounders.
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