Drill Deal – Oil Tycoon review

Managing an offshore oil rig is enjoyable at first, but then boredom and bugs impair the experience.

One of the most fascinating attributes of a simulation is observing the role of each interconnected part within a larger system.  Undoubtedly, that’s one of the best parts of Drill Deal – Oil Tycoon – at least at first. Codeveloped by A2 Softworks and Manager Games, the title takes a few creative liberties when modeling the management of an offshore oil rig. But without the persistent worry of pirate attacks and the ability to launch cannonballs to protect your drilling platform, Drill Deal would be tedious.

The game’s interactive tutorial explains all the fundamentals needed for the basic operation of your rig. At the center of your elevated platform is the drill, which extracts oil from the ocean floor below. But you’ll need to process the raw crude with a refinery. And, of course, you’ll need staff to keep that rig and plant operational during the day and evening hours.

Voxel Worker in the Water!

As such, you’ll have to build housing, kitchens, as well as recreational facilities to keep your workers content. Failing to keep your employees satisfied can lead to a multitude of issues in Drill Deal. And it’s not the lack of a jacuzzi that will instigate a bad attitude. They don’t enjoy living in noisy areas, either. Let a worker fall into the rough ocean water without rescue and they’ll get understandably bummed out.

The introductory lessons don’t teach any of the nuances of management. But you’ll get plenty of hands-on time to learn since starting each of the game’s eight missions or sandbox mode requires you to perform the same basic tasks to get your rig operational. Variation is rooted in what comes after. Expectedly, advanced structures are locked behind resource requirements. And by the third or fourth mission, you will be able to figure out how to cultivate each mandatory material, forcing you to deal with Kraken or a barrage of enraged pirates.

An Uncooperative User Interface

Adapting the input system of a PC simulation to consoles without a mouse and keyboard can often be a thorny task. Drill Deal uses a radial menu for ordering everything from the construction of buildings, recruitment of new workers, managing contracts and clients, sending workers out of expeditions, as well as tracking production. Unfortunately, there are some blemishes with navigation. Beyond the annoyance of having to continually tap the analog stick directional pad to navigate sub-menus, the game’s interface can cover up information. Even building placement is stubborn, with a preview often dropping your proposed facility beneath the platform. Then, there’s the reoccurring issue of font size when playing in handheld mode. Quite a few icons are unbearably small. I’m still puzzled why this happens with so many Switch ports.

Each mission has three core tasks. Every time a player completes one of these assignments, they’ll earn a star. Obtaining two stars opens up the next stage, providing a sense of progression rather than any kind of impediment across the ten-hour or so campaign. Drill Deal’s simulation is moderately complex, so earning the final star might be challenging at first. But the process eventually grows easier once you grasp how Drill Deal’s simulation works. Sadly, my interest started to diminish around the halfway mark, with only storms and pirates making missions feel unique.

Artificial? Yes, Intelligence? Not really?

Other issues start emerging as you make your way through the missions. During the crises that are often the highlight of each mission, your employees have difficulty prioritizing the most imperative task. The result manages to be both comedic and frustrating. To keep the game from being bogged down, there’s an employee cap of 50 workers. As such, it can be difficult to lure the best workforce to your rig, since staffing the quality-of-life components will likely be a secondary concern in an industrious offshore economy. Finally, avoid fast-forwarding the game. Drill Deal suffered from a few crashes when attempting to speed things up.

Given the number of imperfections and the tedium of play once you recognize how the game’s simulation works, Drill Deal feels like a near miss. That said, there aren’t many blends of tycoon games and city builders found on Nintendo’s platform. So, if you’re truly yearning to run an offshore rig, apply a basic business principle and wait for a substantial price drop.

Drill Deal – Oil Tycoon was played on Switch
with review code provided by the publisher.