Release Date: 23/03/2015 (Steam date)
Played On: Win
Available On: Mac / Win / Unsure?
Time Played: 5h 10m
Progress: Completed
Developer: Jetdogs Studios / Zoom Out Games
Publisher: Jetdogs Studios
Does every game need to be pushing the limits of the medium and creating original and innovative experiences? Clearly the answer is: no. In a world where the big budget games show up every year with the latest and greatest in technical fidelity, and countless little indie projects are released every single day with weird and wonderful takes on what a video game can actually become. I now attempt to answer the question, whether or not there's still room for a game that doesn't do a whole lot of anything at all.
These kind of games are nothing new, in fact they even have their own genre. I wasn't aware that "time management" was actually a genre in itself, but I never bothered focusing on these kind of games in the first place. It was only recently that I was talking to a friend about time management games, as she spends hours upon hours playing them. Intrigued as I was, I had a look through my Steam library and found a few games that I picked up in a bundle once upon a time that fit the theme. After trying them out and playing through the first three in a series, I can safely say that these games actually have a some merit and should not be ignored.
The series that taught me about this genre is the 12 Labours of Hercules series, of which I played the first three. Usually I stick to a single game per post, but when I'm talking about these games, I'm basically talking about the three that I played. After all, they aren't any different from each other, so just about everything in this post will apply to just about any title you find in the series. Although, please note that the screenshots used in this post are only from the first game, as I didn't know if I would make it through all three when I initially recorded the graphics.
Anyway, the thing that actually fascinates me about these games is that we rarely hear about simple arcade-like experiences that do little in the way of innovation or technical advancement. There's plenty being written about the genius behind truly innovative and original little indie projects, with good reason as they often push the boundaries of what we think a video game can be, but still take us on incredible journeys and tell fantastical tales.
Unsurprisingly, there's also a lot of discourse on the big budget blockbusters that get released amidst a swell of marketing and relentless advertising. These games are often far from pushing the envelope, but they show off what's possible with huge amounts of money and large teams of creators. As I write this, the world is going ape over The Last Of Us Part II, which by all accounts sounds like it's as generic as its predecessor, while remaining super impressive and engaging from a technical point of view.
It's no mystery then that these ends of the spectrum manage to pull a lot of the focus in the gaming landscape, after all they represent the creativity of artistic developers, as well as the limits of our mechanical abilities. Without a doubt these are interesting talking points and will continue to be relevant coverage for most gaming outlets, but what if that's not the whole story?
Many games are released each and every day, but they never receive even a glimmer of attention from the media. The truth is that this lack of attention is often warranted, as the sheer quantity of games being released is often in direct opposition to the amount of quality games that deserve anyone's attention. It's just the nature of the beast, but it also means that there are a number of perfectly fine games and genres that simply go unnoticed. They often cater to the fan base of players who look for those titles in particular and seek out the series that they've been enjoying for a long time.
This is the impression I got from my friend who had been a big fan of time management games for years, She purposely looks for new time management games to play, and continues to find more as she exhausts her library. In a way, these games remind me of the surge in "hidden object" games that seem to have flooded Steam in recent years. Simply because these are genres that contain a lot of games that people are obviously buying and playing, but they are genres that are largely ignored by the mainstream gaming media.
So what is a time management game anyway? I didn't quite understand the genre, but quickly discovered that I had already played a bunch of these games already. If you've ever played a game like Diner Dash, or that Pet Salon game, then you're already on your way. 12 Labours of Hercules and its ilk might be a little different to those games, but they share the space for many good reasons. Not least of which is that they all require a lot of quick thinking and light planning to really conquer.
There's a bit of a story going on in 12 Labours of Hercules, which is loosely based on the original stories of Hercules himself, but it really doesn't matter either way. The story is told like a children's picture book, but really it's only there to provide a basic bit of context and to bookend the transition from one act to another. The actual gameplay and mechanics of this time management game has very little to do with Hercules or any of his labours.
In fact, if you haven't noticed from a few screenshots already, every level in these games looks almost identical to the last. The setup is the same and the goals change very little, making this one hell of a repetitive experience that does little more than ramp up the difficulty a little as time goes on. There's no twists and turns, or progression through research to be found here. You're tasked with beating every level in the game, and that's as deep as it gets.
The levels themselves consist of a series of pathways that form a kind of labyrinth needing to be solved. Along each path are resources and obstacles that block your progression, but will require resources to clear in order to proceed. It's a simple puzzle of collecting enough resources to allow you to overcome blocks and obstacles, while ensuring that you don't corner yourself by running out of resources that you should have spent removing barricades instead of upgrading less important elements.
Thus, a little bit of the gameplay loop might go something like this: you start by sending out your workers to collect resources that are lying on the road near your home base. The workers gather lumber and food from the ground and stockpile it back home, until running out of options and being blocked by a large boulder lying in the road. In order to remove the boulder you will need to assign a worker to the task, as well commit a certain number of food and lumber to getting the job done. If you have all the materials needed in your storage units, you can assign a worker to get to work and open up more options beyond the obstruction.
However, maybe you got greedy early on and spent all your food and lumber clearing obstacles that led to a dead end filled with gold coins instead. Now you don't have the resources required to get past the boulder and reach the food and lumber on the other side. At this point you have no choice but to restart and rethink the order of which you gather and spend resources. Perhaps it's smarter to open a path to a few key areas, like the farm that will spawn a free food resource on a regular timer. This way you will never run out of any resource that is continually being produced at a location that's already accessible.
Now consider that you have a time limit to complete certain main objectives on the map, which often include clearing out all the obstacles and defeating all the enemies. Although sometimes it's possible to complete the main objectives without actually clearing the entire map, which is where the management aspects begin to creep in and raise their enticing heads.
Before we get to that though, there are a number of variables on each level that will dictate how to approach the puzzle and clear everything in an efficient manner. In fact, not all obstacles are created equal, as some paths can be blocked by monsters such as minotaur and phoenix. These monsters won't budge for anyone other than a special gorgon unit, who needs their home repaired before they will help you out. Seeing this on a level means that you'll probably head directly for the gorgon's nest and attempt to repair it quickly. Then you can use the gorgon to clear out monsters while your workers work on other things and bring in more resources. After all, the gorgon doesn't work for free and will need to be paid if you want them to clear your way.
Other than workers and unique creatures on each map, the final weapon in your arsenal is a small group of magical powers that will change the entire map for a short amount of time. These range from a spell that makes all workers move twice as fast, to one that doubles all the resources you collect while it's active. Clearing paths and defeating monsters will fill up a bar on the side of screen that gets used when a spell is triggered, so I often found myself saving up enough juice in order to unleash a boon at the precise time when it would be most beneficial.
That all might sound a little complex when it's written down in text, but believe me it's not. These are some of the easiest games to understand and get the hang of, but they manage to be compelling and entertaining all the same. Colour me surprised that something so simple and repetitive could suck me in with vim and vigour. After talking to my friend, I fired up 12 Labours of Hercules and smashed my way through every level in those first three games without ever feeling like it was a grind or a chore.
Instead, what I was left with was a small sense of accomplishment and achievement. Of course it's nothing compared to the joy of finally beating a hard boss in Bloodborne or something, but being able to beat the clock and figure out how to conquer each and every level in these games brought with it a little tingle of success.
As it happens, the genre "time management" seems entirely apt for these games, as the whole point and challenge is derived from needing to make decisions about the efficient use and distribution of resources. It's not about understanding a deep narrative with multiple plots weaving through each other, as characters reach arcs of triumph and fall into the troughs of despair. It's not about having your mind blown every five seconds because something awesome and unbelievable is happening on screen. This is all about making simple decisions and reaping the rewards of them being the right ones.
I don't think there's any mystery why games like 12 Labours of Hercules fail to gather any attention in the media, as they end up being exactly what's written on the tin. However, I think they could do with a bit of an update to their image. After all, these are the epitome of 'casual' gaming, which is to say that you're able to casually dive in and out with ease. While challenging in parts and requiring a little bit of strategy, this is definitely a genre that can be dipped into at any time of the day, no matter what your mindset.
Hence why I now put it to you that casual gaming shouldn't be something that gets looked down on with derision and judgement. In fact, if this is what casual gaming has to offer, I think I'm due for a little more because my time with 12 Labours of Hercules taught me that sometimes it's fun to keep things simple. Much like the hidden object genre, these games are under no illusion that they are catering for a particular audience who don't want to mess around with overcoming complexity and long-term challenges. These are games for those that like a short little hit of accomplishment, with the smallest input possible. Who are we do deny that audience a bit of entertainment and fun?
So perhaps 12 Labours of Hercules will never be at the top of any hardcore gamer's library, but it's definitely at the top of my friend's, and it's now a genre that I'll keep an eye out for in the future. I always say to other gamers that gaming should be fun and that it's something to be enjoyed, so it's nice to find a pocket within gaming itself where the entire point is to entertain and then move on. These games don't outstay their welcome and they offer enough challenge to be engaging, while keeping things simple enough to be easily understood and overcome.
Plus, this is a genre of relatively cheap gaming experiences, so I feel like there's an entirely valid place for these more casual video games within the bigger picture. Variety is the spice of life, so maybe try a bit of a milder flavour once in a while.