Review: Woman Simulator

Woman Simulator is such a game whose title alone is enough to start a discussion. The simulation of developer Sebasa Games puts you in the shoes of a housewife who fills her days with cooking, cleaning, washing and all kinds of other household chores. That initially sounds like a simple and especially comical simulator, but underneath that absurd exterior the game also tries to touch more serious topics like relationship problems, control and domestic violence.

The basis of Woman Simulator is quite simple. From a first-person perspective you get different tasks in and around the house. Think about washing dishes, vacuuming, mopping, washing, cleaning windows and cooking. In addition, you have to consider your own morality and your husband's mood. This is not only about finishing a list of chores as soon as possible, but also about keeping a certain balance.

Especially in the beginning this works surprisingly well. Cleaning a dirty floor, getting rid of a pile of dishes or completing other household tasks gives a simple but satisfying feeling. Moreover, when several tasks call for attention at the same time, there is some time pressure. You're trying so efficientlyënt possible to work and that sometimes gives Woman Simulator almost the feeling of a simple time management game.

Unfortunately, it will not be long before the repetition starts. The various domestic activities are initially funny and entertaining, but lack enough depth to stay interesting for a long time. Once you understand how most chores work, you're mainly doing the same actions again. More variation, wider interactions and more impact on the choices you make could have made the gameplay a lot more interesting.

Woman Simulator simultaneously tries to be more than just a collection of household minigames. The relationship with your husband plays an important role. His mood can change depending on your performance and his behaviour can be intimidating and offensive. This gives the simple household tasks a darker meaning. You're not only cleaning because the game tells you to, but also because pressure is exerted on the main character within the relationship.

Woman Simulator uses much exaggerated and dark humor. This regularly creates bizarre situations and makes it clear that the game does not take itself completely seriously. At the same time, this approach is one of the main problems. Topics like a controlling partner and domestic violence are quite heavy and difficult to combine with simple jokes and exaggerated situations.

Some moments can be seen as satire on an unhealthy and old-fashioned division of roles within a relationship. At other times the humour is so blunt that the more serious message disappears completely to the background. As a result, it is not always clear what the game is trying to criticize. A situation that must be uncomfortable or confrontational can therefore be seen as a cheap joke.

Also technically, Woman Simulator does not always convince. The first person control is easy to understand and anyone who has previously played a simulator of this type will soon know what the intention is. Yet some interactions feel awkward. Especially when you have to select specific objects or perform multiple operations in succession, you notice that the control could have used more refinement.

Graphically, the game is also quite simple. The environments and objects are clearly designed enough and you can usually see well with what you can interact with, but visually Woman Simulator makes little impression. This doesn't have to be a big problem for a smaller simulation game, but in combination with the relatively simple gameplay it makes the total presentation feel cheap.

The strongest part of Woman Simulator ultimately remains the striking concept. It's a game that probably gets conversations and discussions faster than tens of hours of playing time. The combination of household chores, black humor and a problematic relationship makes Woman Simulator stand out from the large amount of other indie simulators.

Those who like strange and consciously exaggerated simulation games can certainly take a few entertaining hours out of this. Cleaning and performing other household tasks sometimes has a surprisingly satisfactory effect and the hecticness that arises when different tasks need to be performed simultaneously can be fun. Unfortunately, there is not enough variation to hold that feeling for long.

The biggest weakness remains the way the game tries to combine humor and serious topics. Woman Simulator has ideaën that could have been interesting, but don't always know what it means. As a result, the game sometimes feels like satire and a few minutes later as a simple provocative joke.