As an avid enjoyer of the management simulation game genre, I was eager to get my teeth into Dearbnb upon receiving the demo for trial. It boasted bright, colourful graphics and relaxing vibes from the outset as I prepared my first home for rental. With mini-game mechanics and ample opportunities for managerial growth, it became fast apparent that this demo is only a fraction of what Dearbnb has to offer.
Begin Your Venture
You take on the role of a landlord as you clean and decorate your first home in the slums. There are some requirements that you need to meet before renting out a property, but otherwise, you can decorate it however you please.
Each item you place will increase the value and appeal of your properties, giving you more leverage when haggling over rental prices. This mechanic felt a little redundant, as new tenants offer way below what the property is worth, forcing me to haggle until the price was closer to its value. Once you have agreed on a price, it’s time to wait out their contract and get started on your next business venture.
Freedom To Grow
Dearbnb seems to allow players considerable freedom in how they expand after the initial introduction to the mechanics. Although much of the map is currently locked, awaiting the full release, it’s up to you which properties you purchase and how you develop them. You have associated staff, maintenance, and utility bills to manage, but the stakes were reasonably low. At least, for as much as I played the demo.
The demo has two businesses, a pizzeria and a coffee shop, and some properties in “The Slums” for you to play with. Even with the limitations of the demo, there was enough to keep me busy for several hours as I settled into the core gameplay loop of renovate, rent and waiting for my money to roll in.
A Bright Future
The colour palette is rather saturated and cartoony, but not so much as to become overstimulating. It’s colourful and mixes well with the rounded decorative items. Navigating the menus was simple and intuitive, and I liked the simple designs. This is backed up by relaxing music that gives cosy, dissociative vibes, but there are a few quirks in there too.
Firstly, the tenants have randomised avatars that were often utterly ridiculous, with many having clown noses or dummies in their mouths. You can then watch over your tenants as they go about their daily lives and use the facilities. It’s a little silly, but on par with playing The Sims without the micromanaging. I found that Dearbnb doesn’t take itself too seriously, and I enjoyed falling into the gameplay loop. It wasn’t without its faults, however.
A Manager’s Duty
Dearbnb has a lot of potential, but I can’t quite decide where it lands on the management-sim spectrum. It involved several degrees of micromanagement, but was quite happy to be left running while tenancies ran out. My shops ran themselves for the most part, so I could leave my game idle to save up for my next big purchase if I wanted. Yet, the game paused when I tabbed out, unless I had it in windowed mode. I think this will become less of an issue once the management options open up, but I can only comment on what I have already played.
There are so many decorative items to unlock that I doubt I would get bored with them very easily. Although I did have some issues placing items where I wanted. The keybinds were just not what I expected, and I kept tilting instead of rotating items. Similarly, I wouldn’t mind a grid or snapping mechanic. However, I can imagine these would be things I would learn over time.
You can add windows and change wallpaper and flooring, but I didn’t see any way to add interior walls to any of the larger properties, which felt like a missed opportunity. There are flats with interior walls, though, so maybe that was the challenge of that room type. Even so, I hated putting toilets in all the kitchen/bedroom studios and longed for dividing walls.
Book Now
Dearbnb is going to appeal to a lot of players, myself included. The demo teases a game with a huge map for players to explore and take control over, with even mechanics and upgrades already in the works. If you like Two Point for their sense of humour, but find they get too stressful, then Dearbnb may just be the game for you.
Developer: Gameshaft Studio
Publisher: Gameshaft Studio, GrabTheGames
Played On: Steam
Code Provided By: Dearbnb Team
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