Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a ‘YouTuber’? The famous ‘tuber, PewDiePie has created a simulation game in association with Outerminds Inc., that allows you to live the life of a YouTube content creator. Start at the bottom while honing your video creation skills to see if you have what it takes to make it to the top.
Developer: Outerminds, Inc.
Price: Free (with premium content)
Along the way you’ll discover a multitude of additions that may make it easier for you to draw in new subscribers and viewers that may become addicted to your content. Can you continue to grow your audience, or will you lose out to more popular ‘tubers?
Keeping it simple
PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator is presented in a retro, isometric view that allows you to watch your avatar as he or she creates videos and increases viewership. The premise is fairly simple–start small and gain viewers by watching for trends and adding new items to your prop arsenal. As you gain viewers and subscribers you can visit the shop to add new pieces to your setup.
The overall user interface is clean and simple to understand. Moving between your main room and other areas like the shop is easy. Just click the corresponding icon at the bottom to switch from quests, user info (where you can name and link your accounts), shop, upgrades, and the standard room where you make your videos.
The simplistic graphics leave a little to be desired, but considering the audience, the overall feel and look of the game is quite fitting. This game will not tax your smartphone or tablet with flashy graphics, conversely it relies on simplicity and a classic feel that many long-time gamers will appreciate.
Taking it to the next level
Eventually you will discover that your ‘Tuber will level up and learn new tricks of the YouTube world. This progression system works quite well, although you’ll quickly discover that customization costs in-game “bux” that are difficult to acquire unless you’re willing to spend real money.
Save up to make your ‘Tuber room the best it can be
After purchasing an item you must wait for it to ship, just like in the real world. This shipping time can be sped up by playing mini games that cost viewership. This system works, but is often times plagued by the over-abundance of advertising. Considering the game comes from PewDiePie, the amount of advertising is no surprise.
Want to speed up a process or circumvent the overall time required to make progress? Simple solution; watch an advertisement to skip ahead. This is the major drawback with PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator. Everything feels as if it’s a cash-grab for the developer, which draws away from the fun of the game.
Sounding off
The bells and whistles within PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator range from basic, but effective to overall fulfilling. Having Felix Kjellberg’s voice within the game is both a blessing and disadvantage. PewDiePie has an abundance of spoken word littered throughout the game that provides for decent feedback and substantial commentary. Whether or not it’s something that the player will enjoy, is completely subjective.
Nonetheless, the games chip-tune music feels fitting and complements the visual style quite well. The little blips and beeps are familiar and fit within the game world while providing decent feedback to the player’s interaction.
PewDiePie in all his pixelated glory
The flair (and annoyance) of PewDiePie
PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator does a great job of guiding the player through each section of the game spaces. It’s nice to see clear direction in a simulation game such as this, especially for gamers that may be new to the genre. Unfortunately, PewDiePie can be annoying to those that are not used to his over-the-top delivery style. PewDiePie’s loud and ridiculous comments are coupled with some fairly poor-to-average writing that leaves a lot to be desired. Be prepared to cringe at some of the audio comments that are littered throughout the game. In fact, you may be better off playing with the audio turned way down or skipping the comments altogether.
PewDiePie will talk to you–and he might just annoy you too
PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator does a nice job of recreating the life of a YouTuber in the virtual world. Where the game falls short is in the delivery and presentation of the overall experience. Limiting a player’s ability to progress through the game by charging for the experience is a quick way to turn off almost any casual player. Instead, it would have been wise to allow the player to play through the majority of the game without hidden costs while promoting PewDiePie’s brand. This shortcoming has severely hindered the overall enjoyment of the game and will most likely turn away gamers that just want to have fun experimenting in the world of a YouTuber.
PewDiePie himself can be quite divisive in nature as evident by his recent trouble, but in the end, PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator is the best game for experiencing what it takes to make it in the life of a ‘Tuber. It’s fun at times and frustrating in others, but if you can get by the obnoxious commenting and general pay-to-progress limitations you may find that this game offers a nice insight into the simulated world of a successful YouTube personality.
Check out PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator on Google Play