Artist Colony Game Review

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Artist Colony is a "village" simulation game that revolutionizes the genre. Based on concepts similar to games such as the Virtual Villagers series, the goal of Artist Colony is to create and manage a thriving colony comprised of people from all artistic walks of life: from painters and sculptors to singers and guitarists.

The story of Artist Colony starts a generation ago when a pair of best friends - both artists - decided to found a secluded self-sufficient village where people from all artistic talents can live and develop their skills in peace and amongst similarly-minded people. Unfortunately, this prosperity started to unravel when a beautiful sculptress turned up at the colony and drove the two best friends against each other fighting for her love. One friend won her love and had a son with her, but when she ended up sleeping with the other friend and conceived his son, the whole thing fell apart and the colony disbanded.

The game of Artist Colony picks up the story one generation later when one of the sons comes back to the abandoned colony with HIS best friend (cue dramatic music) with the intention of reviving the idea of the artist colony and restoring the village to its former glory.

The game starts with the best friends arriving at the old colony that has fallen into disrepair. The game slowly introduces the mechanics to you while explaining the backstory and the short-term and long-terms goals of the game.

The overall goal of the game is to restore the artist colony to its former glory (while experiencing the developing story of the two half-brothers). This is done by attracting a whole lot of artists to live in the colony and by restoring all its landmarks.

Each type of artist has a "workplace" that they can train in (ie. a recording studio for a singer). In order for more artists to come to the colony, these training centers need to be upgraded. These upgrades and the landmark restorations both require cash, which can be earned by selling masterpieces: works of art produced by your artists. These masterpieces in turn can only be created when your artists have sufficient training and are inspired.

Artists need inspiration to be able to produce great works of art. They can be inspired by beautiful surroundings such as fountains and flower-beds, and through romance with fellow artists. When their objects of affection return their advances, they become inspired to create works of love (think Celine Dion). They can still create masterpieces if their romantic advances are rejected. They'll just paint/write/sing about heartbreak instead (If the artist is a singer, the product will most likely be a country and western song). In addition to all that, the artists also need food and shelter in order to live comfortably; another detail you will need to manage.

The mechanics of the game are simple and elegant. There is enough detail and complexity to keep you interested and engaged in the game, but not too much as to slow the game down or turn it into a chore. What makes the game really stand out is the overall feel. The characters and surroundings have a very charismatic cartoony feel, making you easily fall in love with them. The soundtrack and even the change in seasons and weather make this game very engaging and enjoyable.

Artist Colony isn't a typical village simulation game. Its depiction of a colony of artistic people trying to build a community and reach the pinnacles of artistic excellence is a refreshing change from the traditional simulation game. But above all, this game is all about the story of vision, romance, heartbreak, treachery and drama. Definitely a game you do not want to miss.

Rating: 4.5/5.0  

Watch a demo video of the game!

 Download Artist Colony onto your computer

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