From crafted adventure to no so relaxed cruising during this Tiny Teams. Cruise Control is being developed by No More Robots, bringing a business management game on a cruise liner. Though this is a game where money is not a thing, as some light roguelike elements are here to replace the need for currency. Thanks to Yogscast Games, I got a code to Cruise Control’s demo to see what I think.
The Mediterranean is the first area, with the goal being to serve the needs of guests. To do that, I build rooms and items. Cabins are where guests will sleep, the buffet where they will eat, and bathrooms for when they really need to go. Guests are split into categories, such as paddlers and gamblers, with rooms and items such as casinos and pools to serve them. Only once their particular need has been served will they leave the ship when it pulls into the next port.
There are a limited number of rooms and items I can place to start. At each port, I get a choice between three random additions. These include additional rooms and items, but also adding to my janitors or mechanics, or adding an extra floor. The top of the HUD showing how long to port will also show what needs I’ll need to cater for when more guests arrive. With certain stops, there’ll be an event which will boost the numbers of those guests.
Rooms are a specific size, so there is a need for space management. Fortunately, rooms can be moved, edited, or even sold to regain a placement. Which can then be used for another room. The same goes for items, too. At each new star, new things get added to place. More guests will start arriving. And so what started as a nice relaxing run becomes a true test of management to make sure the run continues.
A run will only end if guests have to wait too long for rooms to become available, or litter becomes too much of a problem. I’m notified when this is happening, which will allow me to quickly try to fix the issue. There’s a slow time button to help with that, giving a thirty second reprieve to work something out. Should I not manage to do so, the run will end. The results screen will show how many guests I’d serviced and the amount of stars earned. Giving me a choice to go again, return to the map, or visit the shop.
The shop is where rooms can be upgraded, adding more stuff to them that will allow more guests to use them or use them faster. Since money is not a thing here, the currency to spend is the guests serviced. Each additional upgrade has a specific cost, with some being high. With choices made, I returned to the map to give the same level a rerun. Experiencing how a run can be different from the last.
With that run done, I go explore more of what Cruise Control’s demo has to offer. There’s a second area in the Arctic, which has different items to place. Hot tubs, ice rinks, and even Santa’s grottos. The change of these items provides a new bit of strategy as I work out the best way to place them. As does having a restaurant as a room instead of the buffet. Being smaller means few people can use it, so there’ll be more placed overall.
Returning back to the Mediterranean, there’s extra challenges to be earning stars on. The Ship Advisor challenge sees a run to a 100% rating, with things that would usually end a run instead lowering that rating. There’s High Tides, which reduces the space that can be used but offers additional floors more often. And then there’s the Elite Cruise, which provides a much harder challenge with the loss of the initial staff and a lot more guests.
Cruise Control has impressed me and got me invested in wanting to play more. This demo gives enough to really get stuck into what the full game will offer, with a good blend of management and roguelike elements. There’s a few issues I’ve ran into, such as guests getting stuck when leaving and one time having to quit as the game would no longer allow me to select a room to place. But, this is a demo, so I’m sure such issues will be fixed for the full release. A full release that will likely be an easy recommendation from me.
Cruise Control is part of this year’s Tiny Teams, a week-long festival of celebrating games from small studios. With sales on games already released, new games and major updates for games releasing, and demos for games yet to release. Running all week from 6-13/August, check the Tiny Teams page on Steam, and maybe you will find a new favourite game from one of many small studios.
Images Taken From:
Cruise Control | PC
