Good day deviants, and welcome once again to Joyful Stick, our video game review series. Miss the last entry? You can catch it here. Today, we’re taking a colorful romp into an idealized, fanciful version of the industrial revolution. Let’s begin.
Something Like London
Ah! The industrial age!
Workhouses! Child labor! Literal filth in the streets! Infant mortality! What a glorious time that not-at-all was a problematic stain on our species wide push for capital! Why, you can almost hear the wailing despair coming on every corner, see the rampant OSHA violations in broad daylight! If you’re imaginative enough, you can almost feel the crack of a nobleman’s cane right over your head as he leaves you completely unconscious and bleeding out in the street for the pickpockets!
What a lovely age.
I jest-but as an armchair historian there was something about that era that still pours into aesthetic choices, architecture and more. The giant hoop skirts, the bodices and the raw way in which you knew who you worked for simply by looking at them has remained a part of our collective identity in the west despite hundreds of years passing. We’re an entire continent away, and some of the biggest media production companies in the world regularly crank out stuff set within the time period. From Hell and Peaky Blinders leap to mind, having tried their damndest to capture the grit and horrors of that century. Yet, there’s also a very idealized view of that time. One built on monocles, constant rounds of scotch and the endless academia societies that sprouted up. It’s incredibly tongue in cheek, and yet delightful in a way that’s hard to place.
Quaint. It’s quaint, there we go.
Though “quaint” isn’t precisely the word I’d use to describe Max Gentleman Sexy Business! (the exclamation is in the title, don’t yell at my editor). “Quaint” is one of those odd words that, had it been used in the industrial era, would have been one of endearment. Today it almost feels derogatory-and I assure you deviants, I had a delightful time with this queer-friendly, colorful steampunk-meets-bawdy business sim.
Ol’ (Buttless) Chaps
MGSB stars You (Yes you) in the role of an adventuring, charming devil of an industrial leader returning home for a little rest and repose. Yet you find your rival has taken control of your business out from under you! That absolute devil. Broke and totally destitute, you decide the only course of action is to retake your business from the ground up one district at a time. That’ll show that scoundrel-or, perhaps there’s another way.
From the very start of the game, you can tell MSGB is going to be two things-relaxing and fun. Between the bouncy and pleasing character designs, the dialogue and the streamlined menus the entire title feels built from the ground up to evoke calm. Anyone can play this particular business sim, and anyone can have a successful run. That’s not to say the day-to-day running/building of your empire is easy. Rather than have a set difficulty MSGB scales with your progression, but never in a way that creates a wall so long as you planned accordingly.
The game in essence is a matter of balancing income earned and spent on employee enhancements that aid progression. After all, you’re the boss! Why are you the one out there working?!. Earning money is simply a matter of assigning an employee to the market (or later, your auxiliary offices). Where the system really shines in simplicity however is opting who to enhance how. Want your employee to earn more? You’ve got to raise their mustache rating at the barber. Want them to be able to literally fistfight other districts in a scrap so you can seize control of their operations? Send them to the gym. While the costs of these gradually scale upwards, you’re never at such a financial disadvantage you can’t fund them.
MGSB tries to offset this with multiple different random and not-so-random events. In the beginning, you borrow money from a loan shark you have to pay back. In reality, this is simply a way to gently prod the player towards learning the games system, though it becomes a stark reality as the clock begins to tick later. You can get robbed, though eagle eye players will be able to stop this by literally finding the would-be pick pocket. At least every few days, your staff will approach you on how best to deal with XYZ business issues. You’re consistently given three options, all of which can affect your overall approval rating within the town, your relationship with the suggestor, your pocket book or future business dealings. While the weight of these choices may seem heavy and you absolutely should consider before you click, it’s never to the extent that it proves damning down the road. You can always win back approval and earn more money.
While this might turn off some “super serious” players compared to say, Frost Punk or something else, I actually wish other systems were this easy to follow. All too often designers confuse “deep” systems for purposefully confusing and arbitrary resource gathering. It makes playing such titles an absolute chore, especially if you have any real life business experience. I ran a computer shop for over a decade. It was a dizzying whirl of ordering parts, tax codes, advertising and accommodating all levels of clients. The very last thing I personally want to experience when I get home is more of that. Even when MGSB introduces additional mechanics later, it’s to aid rather than hinder the player in seizing back control of their empire.
MGSB in play is a game that wants you to win, but more importantly is one that wants you to enjoy yourself. Which brings us to the dates.
What? Is fraternizing with your employees frowned upon or something?
Saucey Scamps
In the pursuit of seizing capital by fisticuffs, emotions are bound to run high. And hot. I mean, when you’re wearing like three layers at minimum because FASHION, it’s inevitable.
MGSB breaks up gameplay by allowing you to have lunch dates with your staff. These are a variety of mini-games that feature fencing, dog track races, butler battles and more. These last minutes at a time, but are welcome reprieves from the constant glancing to see who is assigned at what part of the map. If you’re successful, this fills up a heart meter over the staff members head. When this is full, you get to go on a date with them.
Dates are stylized after visual novels, and in my hours of play I found each to be unique to the individual characters. Penny Farthing, my first employee, was a futurologist that wanted to experiment with time travel. Her arc had us chasing all over town waiting for signs from “time sailers”, talking to academics and more. Each encounter made me giggle, and want to see the arc to its end. By contrast, Vicki LeStrange was an occult obsessed witch who wanted to read my aura-but was no less a joy to know. The roster features over twelve characters, all of whom you can romance regardless of your character’s gender.
Speaking of which, I cackled when I saw the gender-neutral option was “boss”.
Getting close to the staff is actually a good idea, as you’ll gradually get unlockables that aid empire building. Likewise, happier employees produce much more income. There’s no penalty for flirting around in an ironically-absolutely-period-accurate view on dating, so taking multiple partners is more than welcome. While having a harem was never my goal, it was pleasantly liberating to find polyamory presented without a batting of a single lush lashed eye. It’s certainly not the norm with things I review here. All too often once a player focuses on a certain character, interacting with others creates jealousy, or polyamory is given as a lewd afterthought. MGSB presents it without qualm as a healthy, normal thing adults in healthy relationships sometimes engage in.
Going on dates also unlocks costumes and images in your player gallery, some of which can be much more bawdy than others. While MGSB is indeed an erotic game, you’re actually given an option at the start to select your relative comfort level with nudity. Such displays are often quite respectfully done, with tasteful censoring. Lots of “streamable” ero titles have started doing this in order to give their games more visibility. You know what? I’m totally okay with that. It also helps to reduce content that might be triggering to some players who feel at odds with their own flesh, which is also a good thing.
However, I can’t end this section without talking about your rival.
Throughout the game, you’ll often have run-ins with the person that stole your empire. They’ve always a quip or insult. Now, you can tell them off. You can straight up tell them to go fuck themselves. Yet, there’s the option not to. Choosing kindness and being a gentleman allowed for much more interesting dialogue and interactions from them. If other characters are present, they’ll even comment on how things could easily turn around for you both. I won’t spoil anything, save that as someone that doesn’t like playing the villain in games I was surprised the option was present and followed it in full.
Your rival is an asshole, sure.
But aren’t all spurned lovers?
Closing Time
Max Gentleman Sexy Business is one of those games you grow to really enjoy after long hours at your day job, and can burn the hours fairly quickly. With a cold beer in hand and your mouse it becomes the wind down you need before facing the horrors of real work the next day. Sporting fairly diverse, charming (and of course, sexy) cast, I can easily recommend plopping down the $20 for this title without pause. It’s not as pornographic as other options, but it hits that happy middle ground between cheek and gameplay that actually makes you want to play.
Enjoy deviants-and do remember to treat your workers fairly.
-j