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0 It’s Only Money is a new indie open-world life/sim/action game by Usual Suspects Studios. Brought to us on Steam by Firestoke (Hauntii, Bish Bash Bots), live your best poor life as a citizen of Rockhaven – doing whatever it takes to rise above the mayor. It is exclusively available in early access on Steam for PC.
How About a New Playground to be a Menace to Society?
I never really thought of games like the Saints Row or Grand Theft Auto series as life simulator games. Now that I’m a decade wiser I suppose I could see how they’d be classed as so. After all, the developers and players of It’s Only Money seem to think so. But what about these games strikes you as a simulation of life? Check out my thoughts on how this game lines up with those of its kind in the review below.
Gameplay
It’s Only Money is an open-world life and crime action simulator game. I think that is the best way I can fully describe it. So think about every Saints Row, Grand Theft Auto, life simulator (even The Sims, perhaps), and any similar game found on the Roblox platform. Ok, now take all of those games and put them in a blender. That sums up where we fall here. A funny take on a character in a rough situation overcoming the odds. But maybe with a little bit less serious tone than the two aforementioned Mature/PEGI16-rated series.
In It’s Only Money you take on the role of the latest citizen to fall victim to the mayor of Rockhaven’s totally legitimate law. Rising above the mayor will require amassing help and resources. Thankfully, the Beggar King is there to help you get up on your feet and earning the funds to obtain them. Story and repeatable missions guide you along. But if you’re anything like me that’s a fan of the genre, half the fun is just from simply going off on a tangent doing whatever comes to mind.
Time gets away from us all
Unfortunately I have not had nearly the amount of time yet that I want to get put into It’s Only Money. Just like others of its kind, it’s easy to lose track of time simply running around the open world. One moment I am learning to pickpocket and the next thing I know I’m on the other side of the map chasing who-knows-what. All while completely ignoring the quest, or job in this case, that I am on. Not only that but also going around and finding all the fun and random ways to make money. Like rummaging through every garbage can visible, over and again. Or pickpocketing everyone in sight. Even by looting the bodies of pedestrians hit by NPC cars. You know, the usual.
We reviewed It’s Only Money when it hit early access in June of 2023 but it is currently looking to October 21st, 2024 for it’s 1.0 release. I only have a couple of specific gripes with the game in it’s current build. The first now that I’m thinking about it is probably more on me than Usual Suspect Studios. I kept hitting tab to tab-target enemies which kept bringing up and then closing the phone menu. I could easily rebind that key or use a controller. But my other gripe is something that I hope is easier to solve – and that is that when I am looking at the map in single player mode that the game also pauses. There is so much area to explore and learn and it is hard to do when I suddenly am under attack!
Graphics & Audio
The graphics in Its Only Money play into that less serious take on life. Though models are mostly simple, the game is full of vibrant colours throughout. The game also makes it easier to identify different types of things in this way. Such as a car colour you don’t have yet or just a MOVR baddie nearby. Animations in the game are a comedic characterization of the world as well. There were only a few glitches here and there that stand out – such as spinning when looting a body.
The soundtrack for Its Only Money feels solid as well. There are even different radio stations in the vehicles, as one would hope. Sound effects play off that same comedic vibe too so expect to hear what you didn’t expect to hear at times.
Longevity
As I said above, I haven’t had nearly enough time with It’s Only Money yet. There is a ton of content to explore and aspects of the game that I haven’t even found yet. Between the side content, mini games, collecting, decorating, and random tom-foolery, there is easily enough content to match some triple A games out there. The best part is that it’s still technically early access!
Final Thoughts
It’s Only Money is a great entry into the life/sim/action open-world genre. The game looks and plays smoothly with the exception of a few quirks that will hopefully be smoothed out if not by release then shortly after. If you’re one of those players that is tiring of dinking around in GTA or the like while waiting for its successor, I definitely recommend checking it out. Be sure to pick it up soon too for the early access discount.
It’s Only Money is a Thumb Culture Gold Award recipient!
If you enjoy this review, check out my other reviews here.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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great review!