XBOX REVIEW | Luck Be A Landlord

I am very very very conflicted right now! I want to dislike this game so much but I cannot stop playing it. Ok so let me explain a little bit about what I mean, I’m not what you would call a gambler, I don’t play slot machines, the lottery or even bet on horses, so when I first started playing this I felt like it was nothing special, hit the button collect the coins add symbols…

but then I started to play more, add different symbols, create synergies and… wait this game had everything I love about The Binding of Isaac but in a format that caters to the deck-building crowd and keeps it simple enough that playing is a breeze. Honestly, I spent the first hour thinking just another round, ok just a single round and then I can stop, wait did I say an hour? it was more than that. I won’t say how long though, suffice to say I have been playing it a lot.

Now as I mentioned I want to dislike the game, but I can’t, its simplicity is both the upside and downside to it, I think it’s one of those games that you will love if you give it a chance but unfortunately a lot of people might look at the graphics or even the synopsis and pass it by. I would probably have loved it more if there was more of a story to it than “oh landlord wants rent, gamble your money to pay or be evicted”, but that’s what the developer went with so who am I to argue?

Things I liked!

• Simplicity | The game itself is extremely simple to play, click a button, spin the wheels and choose some new symbols to play. In saying that though the simplicity is also what makes it so tricky to start with, you don’t expect the level of depth that a game with such a simple playstyle can offer, there is so much to learn, so much to collect and it just keeps getting better with every spin.

Mixed & disliked!

• Sound Design | I know it’s not meant to be earth-shatteringly good but I do wish there was more of a hint of realism in the sound effects, the music wasn’t great either, I found myself muting the sounds after a few playthroughs of the game to soothe my ears. I do enjoy playing it while listening to Editors though.

• Story | I’m just not a fan of the whole gambling to pay rent storyline, it puts me on edge for some reason, I might be alone in thinking that it’s a bad idea, but that’s my opinion, I would have preferred no story if that was the only one the developer could come up with. Maybe Landlords and Rent are a bit of a sore subject but with all the cutesy graphics and fun that can be had with the game I think it kind of makes for a bit of a downside.

CONCLUSION

Score: 60/100 – An enjoyable wee game that for all its addictive nature falls short on a few areas, I would like to say yes this is a fantastic game, but the story, the sounds, the music and even the luck factor make it something that while playable is not one I really want to be spending all my time with. The fact I couldn’t stop playing isn’t a bonus to me, it shows me that I need to avoid slot machines and I certainly shouldn’t look to gambling to solve my money problems. So remember folks game responsibly.