Hipster CEO Review

Let's get this reviewing cliche out of the way: Hipster CEO is an acquired taste. It sounds like an excuse to basically say "Some will like it, some will hate it," but it's remarkably true in the case of this game. Unlike so many other titles on the App Store, Hipster CEO doesn't mollycoddle its players. There's a gameplay guide rather than a comprehensive tutorial, but even that isn't as useful as simply giving the game a shot and gradually figuring things out. It'll be rewarding, but it will take patience for those who want to succeed. Occasional moments of being crash-prone can irritate, too.

A business simulator, Hipster CEO is best seen as a text version of Game Dev Story with more than a hint of Football Manager-style traditions. Players start up their own business, then hire and manage staff while building up new products and learning how to market them appropriately. It sounds like it could be quite dull and staid but it's actually quite compelling.

Options are available to speed things up; ensuring quite a lot can be done in a short space of time if one so wishes, plus there are plenty of tips to learn and appropriate methods to manipulate for maximum success. Not that this will be easily earned - expect to fail many times before actually getting somewhere through development. Kind of like real business development then, albeit with many more do-overs.

There's a fun sense of humor throughout, mostly taking a few swipes at the hipster name and the general attitude of some overly enthusiastic start-ups. It's fun to see and rarely oversteps its mark. It goes some way to ensuring that Hipster CEO never seems too dry.

Hipster CEO is a distinctive title. One that's going to take a while to truly master and understand, but such depth is welcoming to those who aren't fussed about impressive graphics. It's well worth a look.