MachiaVillain

There are a ton of great ideas here, and I particularly dig this whole concept of a management game that's about a production line for silent slaughter rather than cash-generation as such, but the best stuff can struggle to breathe through the excessive micro-management. The stereotype-heavy gags and iffy translation make things more of a drag than they deserve to be too. It's well worth persevering with MachiaVillain despite this - it has bravely declined to take the easiest Theme Monster road, and a wealth of curious possibilities do spin out of its unusual crafting/people-eating setup.

MachiaVillain is a game that could so easily have been a complete mess. While the central premise is undoubtedly great, the flash-game art style and cheesy voice-overs give it a low budget feel which is so rarely good for a simulation game. Luckily, smart systems and a forgiving tutorial segment make the game way better than it has any right to be, and when it finds its feet, it’s truly a joy to play.

MachiaVillain's unique take on the management sim genre is hard to put down, but not all that glitters is gold (or in this case, not everything that glitters grants Prestige).

MachiaVillain is a game about building, cleaning and being a successful con artist. Cleaning up is probably just as important here as in Viscera Cleanup Detail. Why? Because unsuspecting victims get a little bit scared when they see the severed head of previous victims of your cabin in the woods. Or, more accurately, cabin where the woods used to be.

The power to be evil was inside you all along.