Hollywood Animal

Hollywood Animal is an economic strategy game in which we play as the head of a film studio. It was developed and published by Weappy Studio, also known for This is the Police.

Plot

Hollywood Animal has us playing as the head of a film studio. It's up to us whether we'll focus on creating summer blockbusters and achieving immense profits or niche, avant-garde movies that will win plenty of festival awards. We can operate by-the-book if we so please, but there's nothing stopping us from using more underhanded tactics.

Mechanics

Hollywood Animal is an isometric game. At first glance, it doesn't differ much from other games of this kind. The player must keep an eye on their finances, construct buildings and unlock upgrades to develop the studio. We'll also get to decide what kinds of movies are produced there and who'll star in them. We must choose the movie's premise (various elements potrayed as cards selected from a large deck) and negotiate with the cast. After the premiere, we must check the critical reception, analyze our funds and decide how to spend the profits; either on new buildings, upgrades or yet another movie.

That's not all, as global effects affect the film industry and thus they affect us as well. Cunning veterans can exploit these events to make a profit, but they can prove overwhelming for novices. Negotiations with cast and crew involves more than just money, as we can also offer them various bonuses and fulfill their whims. We can also resort to some dirty tricks, such as exploiting their weaknesses or blackmail. As the movie releases, we can also get our hands dirty - and pay the mafia to ensure its release window will be devoid of competition.

Technical aspects

Hollywood Animal features simple, though atmospheric and easily understandable cartoonish visuals. We'll spend most of our time clicking parts of the interface.