STONKS-9800 is a stock market simulator with retro vibes and some inspiration from anime. The game seems to give the impression that you are a salaryman day trader.
The core of the game is simple and straight forward. You have a stock market ticker to track stock prices and then you can decide to buy, sell, or short sell stock accordingly. This is the core mechanic of the game and it does feel some what like a stock market sim, albeit simplified.
There is more depth for those wanting a more hands on playthrough. You can view each companies’ profile and check the stats and history of the CEO and board members. Now I’m not entirely sure how the mechanics work but the stats and history do seem to have an impact on how effectively the company is run and may also foreshadow possible scandals or mishandling of the company that may arise in the future.
Other than detailed statistics, you have to manage your own health and happiness meters as well. By renting a larger apartment, buying a better car, and increasing your daily allowance, you can increase your happiness meter while decreasing how quickly your stress meter accumulates. This is a simple overhead mechanic to make sure you are always making more profit. I guess money really does buy happiness in this game. There is also an implication that by not taking care of yourself, your health will deteriorate to the point that it will impact the game. I did not manage to reach this point even though I was a spendthrift so I guess it takes a long while before anything triggers in game.
Now if that was all there was to this game, the game play loop may get tedious for some but thankfully sporadic phone calls break up the tedium of looking at a graph all day (although for Eve Online players looking at spreadsheets all day may seem like heaven). These phone calls are pretty random and can range from friends wanting to hang out, to shady folk approaching you with very questionable business opportunities, to daytime excursions to bet on horse races or lose money in a pachinko parlor. Never bet on Clear Sky by the way, that horse will dash your hopes and dreams and more importantly your bank account.
Now these phone calls are not just to break up the game play and offer mini games as a distraction. They actually serve a purpose for different aspects of the game. Hanging out with friends will increase money spent but drastically decrease your stress meter. Going out to bars will also give you the possibility to network with CEOs and give you an insider edge for investment. You may also get approached with some very questionable opportunities to invest in businesses or get information for possible insider trading. The game doesn’t track your ethical behavior but it does give you moments where you have to choose between your ethics and potentially easy and massive return on investment.
Most of these events take place through written descriptions so it does feel more like a visual novel at times, with the exception of playing pachinko which has active controls; actively losing money is what I like to call it. Overall, STONKS-9800 does a decent job of scratching that itch for people wanting a stock market sim. It’s a bit on the simpler side but the nostalgic aesthetics and the random events triggered through phone calls does add an extra layer to the game play.
Additional Info
Steam Store Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1539140
Review Score: 95% positive with a total of 195 reviews as of this writing (08/25/2023)
Developer: TERNOX
Publisher: TERNOX
Release Date: Jul 17, 2023
MSRP: $9.99
I received a free key from Keymailer. Thank you to the lovely person who approved my request!
Time spent: 3.3 hours
Achievement Score: 5/63 (I am terrible at investing in stocks)
Ducky Obrien 