Cruise Ship Manager

Cruise Ship Manager is a combination of a simulation game and an economic strategy, tasking us with managing our own cruise ship. It was developed by the Polish studio Image Power, also responsible for games such as Dieselpunk Wars or Haunted House Renovator.

Mechanics

The gameplay of Cruise Ship Manager is shown from the side. The game begins with us designing the ship's layout; we must arrange the cabins, casinos, restaurants or clubs as well as additional attractions such as an open swimming pool. We must also keep an eye on our finances, as some of our funds need to be spent on food, fuel and the crew. While selecting employees we must take into account their skills and experience - once we set off on a voyage, we can't let an employee go until we arrive back at the harbor. Yet another matter to handle is routing the trip. While we can focus on short, simple and enjoyable (at least theoretically) one-day cruises, we can also plan out long, multi-day trips across the sea.

Once we're done planning, we can start selling tickets. Our passengers can only be controlled indirectly, by setting appropriate ticket prices. If we set them too high, we'll have to serve the financial elite who expect perfect conditions and service... meaning they're extremely difficult to please. This is why it could by wise to set a lower entry fee or combine both solutions - make the ticket itself cheap but price additional attractions higher.

During the cruise we must take care of the passengers' needs, fulfill their whims and take their feedback into account. We must also pay attention to fuel and other resources. Sometimes we need to face random events; sea storms, engine malfunctions or fires on board.

If we do everything correctly and our passengers come out satisfied, our reputation will grow, alongside our wealth and, if we so wish, the ticket prices. Acquired funds can be invested into expanding the ship and hiring more experienced employees.

Technical aspects

The visuals of Cruise Ship Manager are rather simple, though colorful and easily readable. The game's expansive yet intuitive interface lets the player quickly orient themselves to the situation aboard.