A Review of Artist Colony, A BigFish Time Management Game

A Review of Artist Colony, A BigFish Time Management Game
Page content

Introduction

Artist Colony, a new time management computer game by I-play and Nikitova Games, is a time-management game set in a rundown artist colony once owned by two friends who had a falling out over a woman. Their sons have returned to rebuild the site, repopulate it with burgeoning artists, and create masterpieces to be sold to intrepid art collectors. Players start with access to a small part of the colony and four colonists. From there, the four work together to build a new home for starving artists while managing their own love lives, which end up being nearly as complicated as the previous owners.

Download and Install Arist Colony directly from BigFish (5 out of 5)

Artist Colony is available through BigFish Games, so the download and install went off without any problems. A free one-hour trial of the game is available and allows players to determine whether or not this game suits them. The system requirements, which are very minimal, are as follow:

OS: Windows XP/Vista
  • CPU: 1.4 GHz
  • RAM: 512 MB
  • DirectX: 7.1
  • Hard Drive: 115 MB

The download and install should be relatively simple.

Basic Time Management Gameplay (4 out of 5)

Artist colony utilizes an extremely simple user interface that is both attractive and easy to understand. Characters can be easily moved around simply by selecting them and clicking on an area on the map or by grabbing them and dragging them over to an area. The characters are responsive and have very little free will when being directed, so they tend to do as commanded. Characters respond well with the environment, and though their actions are somewhat simplistic, almost every item in the game allows interaction.

Graphics (3 out of 5)

Masterpiece from Artist Colony

The graphical style of the entire game remains consistent and fun. Though they are somewhat simplistic, they definitely follow a theme. The large head on the narrow bodies resemble that of bobble heads, and most of them sport modern clothes. Again, the UI is simple, attractive and intuitive. While none of the art elicits a sense of awe, it is simple and well-done.

Sound and Music (5 out of 5)

The sound effects and music are suitable for this type of game, and the performance music for the musician artists within the colony is quite appealing despite its simplicity. Female and male vocal artists sing have their own songs, and their performance also depends on whether or not they are in love or broken hearted at the time of their performance. Last but not least, the artist wearing a cowboy hat will even sing in a country-western tone.

Storyline (2 out of 5)

Artist Colony Character Bar

The storyline of the game seems a bit strange and contrived. It spans two generations and involves a bizarre love triangle that seems to be repeating itself in the current timeline. One extremely nice feature of the game involves a book that basically keeps track of the plot as it unravels, so going back to review the story is extremely easy. In many cases, it is also needed because the entire plot is confusing, and some parts of it are very poorly written. The characters’ bad behaviors seem to be taken for granted, and players are simply supposed to accept the story as it is written. Player actions have no impact on the storyline at all except to unlock another tidbit. The game might have been better off without the story.

Value (4 out of 5)

Buying this game for $6.99 from BigFish makes this game worth the play. The game itself can be played in sandbox mode, but the story mode only lasts for approximately twelve hours of gameplay. It is a short game, but its low price makes it worth playing at least once.

Conclusions about Arist Colony from BigFish games

For casual gamers looking for the next game to download, this one is worth a try. The gameplay and premise is fun even though the story is somewhat lacking. Characters can fall in love and get their heart broken. This affects the rate at which they gain inspiration and create masterpieces. Exploring the map and upgrading the buildings also adds a degree of satisfaction, especially for those who enjoy visible progression in games. Again, this is a short game, but it is fun while it lasts.