Developer: A2 Softworks
Publisher: Manager Games S.A., Red Dev Studio S.A.
Platforms: PC
Tested on: PC
Drill Deal – Oil Tycoon – Review
Oil is a resource that is so precious that countries will fight over it for the last drop. In our modern society, it is hard to think of applications where oil and its byproducts aren’t used. Most of this oil is found in the sea, and that’s where our adventure starts in Drill Deal – Oil Tycoon. You will run your own company, drill for resources, convert them into other products, and sell them to the highest bidder.
Story
There really isn’t a story behind the events in Drill Deal – Oil Tycoon. You always start from zero and at every level, and then you’ll have to prove how efficient you are. Each level has its own unique goals and explains what you are doing there and what the consequences could be. That there isn’t a story is not a hindrance, as the gameplay is more focused to enjoy the game in bursts, rather than engaging the player for long sessions on end.
Graphics
The game uses a mix between voxel graphics and simple 3D assets. At first glance, it looks like a mobile game, but once you take in the beauty of it all, you will certainly appreciate the work that has been put into the visuals. The menu overlay is easy to navigate and you will find the things you need in a blink of an eye. Working on open seas mostly means beautiful sceneries across the horizon, excluding yourself and the pollution you bring.
Sound
Drill Deal – Oil Tycoon has some really lovely music, especially when you have fond memories of games such as The Sims. The soft and calming music ensures you that everything is going well, but when bad stuff happens, you will immediately hear alarms going off. The menus are accompanied by standard but pleasant sound effects.
Gameplay
Drill Deal – Oil Tycoon is a management game where you own an offshore platform and must extract the black gold and sell it for profit. The game starts with a rather big tutorial which can look a bit daunting at first, but as it really explains everything from A to Z, it gives you all the info you need to enjoy the game without further hand-holding. The game progression is pretty linear, as you need to complete levels in succession. There are a total of eight levels and a sandbox where you can play. This might not sound like much, but you can always replay older levels and try to get three stars on each scenario.
Each startup begins slowly, as you’ll need to recruit your first workers and start building the needed refinery to start crafting the first few products. Money income is important as you’ll need to invest in new technologies, building materials, and buildings to keep your company afloat. The tech tree is really big but as the first levels only require simple resources, you have enough time to get accustomed to the many available upgrades.
There are two mains to fund your progression. You can sign a contract to have a company come and pick up products on a daily basis or you can quickly sell products based on the needs of other customers. The latter changes daily, so if you want to offload some unwanted stuff, then you better be quick about it. Of course, these products won’t make themselves, so you need to hire new recruits and manage their food and entertainment values. You can create jobs as you place more facilities on your platform and assign people to either day or night shifts. In a pinch, you can let your employees work double-time but this won’t make them happy.
Managing your limited space is essential, as certain buildings will interfere with the happiness of employees due to noise emissions. You could always build more platforms to make your base larger but this isn’t cheap. Each time you need supplies to come over, you need to pay a shipping fee as you are not connected directly with the mainland. This can be improved with some upgrades, but this is a nice realistic feature that you need to calculate in more costs and use your limited space tactically.
Controlling the game is really simple. Drill Deal – Oil Tycoon is set up as a point-and-click game where you can easily do almost everything with only a mouse. Just to turn around sometimes you will have to use two buttons, but that’s about it.
Conclusion
Drill Deal – Oil Tycoon is a really fun game that has you managing an oil platform. It is quite fun to finish large orders successfully and make your clients happy while earning a nice payout. There are eight levels to conquer, and if you get bored, you can always spend some time in the sandbox. The graphics are lovely and so are the music and sound effects. The game might look difficult at first, but once you cleared the tutorial, the game won’t have any more secrets for you.
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