Design log

Developed as a solo for the Historically Accurate Game Jam with an "Industrial Revolution" theme. In this 2D game, you take control of the family's struggling textile factory and have 45 years to make it run as you see fit.

Despite presenting itself as a text-based management game, this is a satirical take on capitalistic exploitation. It is impossible to fail and go bankrupt unless the player actively tries to, showcasing how easy it was for workers and labour to be exploited. 

The game has no defined objective. 

It is never explicitly stated that the ultimate goal is to make money, yet one could quickly assume it is, given the context of the game and the values of the world we live in. However, when finishing the game for the first time, a player enters an online leaderboard where money made has no value at all, and they are ranked instead based on how the workers were treated, using a hidden metric called Happiness. 

If the game is then played again, changes in Happiness related to player actions will now be visible on the UI, although the player can never enter the online leaderboard again.