Game Stooge

“Soap Opera” Sims: A review of Supple for the PC

• Scribbled on May 14th, 2008 by JBonner71
• Filed in Casual Gaming, PC, Reviews

Supple – Episode 1, The Uncut Version is a stripped down simulation game for the PC that’s aiming squarely for the casual, female gamer market. The game casts you in the role of Arin (Why not just name her ERIN and be done with it? Never in my life have I met anyone named ARIN. Maybe her parents were terrible spellers? I don’t know, I’m at a loss…) Costello, plucky Associate Editor for the eponymous Supple magazine. Arin would like nothing more than to move on up the corporate ladder to become Style Editor at Supple, but to do this you have to impress your catty, ex-model boss, Margot, and keep her attentions off of Hugh, your smarmy, fellow coworker and main competitor for the position you covet. The snazzier (and sexier) your dress and the quicker you collect stars (which tally the amount of actual research work you do and provide you with all important answers to questions Margot may ask you), the more positive attention you get from your boss and the better chance you have of grabbing that Style Editor’s desk.

Just as it is in the real world, you have to work to gain money in Supple. The way you work is by simply clicking on your computer and doing research for the magazine. Arin tires the longer she sits at her desk doing boring, grunt work, so you are able to get up and get coffee or a snack from the vending machine. These items replenish your energy and quicken you pace at the keyboard, which is important because sycophantic ol’ Hugh is no slouch. All the while you must keep your eyes on your progress meter (I like to call it the “Holy sh*t, don’t get fired!” meter), which must be kept in the green (and ahead of Hugh’s own meter) to advance to the next day and new challenges.

Fortunately, there are other places to go in Supple besides the office. Arin can go shopping at Chez Vous for trendy, new clothes and gifts for her co-workers, knock back a few at Buddha Bob’s Bar, or attempt to get into the “bowchicabowwow” boudoir, also known as the “Boom Boom” Room. Oddly enough, the characters in the game are just sort of transported to these different locations once selected and you don’t actually “walk” there. You just click on the button/icon for the place (store, bedroom, bar, etc.) you would like to go and poof you are there. And, unfortunately, you can’t really go anywhere in Supple unless it has a specific purpose – no free roaming here, which I find as a limiting and odd design choice.

The graphics and sounds found in Supple are a bit of a mixed bag, as well. The graphics are serviceable: they get the job done, nothing more, nothing less. I also found the voice acting a bit uneven. Some lines are delivered quite well, with wit and style, others are cringe inducing. The music (“Bossa Per Due” by Nicola Conte) is a nice jazzy, little number but gets old after the thirtieth time you hear it…because it is the only song on the soundtrack.

Another issue I have is that the game does seem to start you, as Arin, at a disadvantage on any level you play it. EASY does provide you with clues from time to time but it still took me a few tries to not get fired rather quickly. I guess I just don’t make a good, modern woman. But, I took Margot’s initial, harsh rebukes on the chin and soldiered on. I am (virtual) woman – hear me roar! And, speaking of women, since this game puts you in shoes of a woman, and appears to be marketed toward women, I thought it would be interesting to get the opinions of actual women on Supple. Jennifer from CasualGamerChick.com and my 13 year-old-daughter, Lexi, were kind enough to play the game and share their thoughts.

So, without further ado…

Jennifer’s take:

I wasn’t able to get into the game at all. I didn’t like the fact that you were not able to actually walk around by yourself. You always had to click on something and go to it. There were times when I wanted to just get up and walk around and take a break from working but wasn’t able to do that without getting coffee or a snack. Both the coffee and the snacks cost money and I was trying to save my money to buy better clothes, hence the reason for just wanting to get up and not really wanting to go somewhere. The other issue I had with the game is it was too open for me. I like to be told what I have to do in games. I don’t like to have to figure out what to do on my own. I like to be told solve this puzzle or something similar to that. I don’t like to be told impress the boss before Hugh does. My issues with the game are because of the style of game play I like. I don’t enjoy simulation games like Supple or The SIMS for that matter. I am sure the game is great for gamers that enjoy simulation games.

Lexi’s take:

I really liked the game but I had a couple of problems. I wish you could go out and do more with your character. The only places you can go are the bar and the store. I also think that you should be advised to save the game at the beginning of each level, unless you are in the green zone already, don’t save in the middle. It becomes a point of no return and you end up failing every time, no matter how hard you try. This actually happened to me twice. It got very annoying and I didn’t want to play anymore. I also think the perk points should actually do something instead of being just a, “Hey, play it again and see if you can get a higher score” kind of thing.

Overall though, Supple was very fun and I enjoyed it a lot.

The Final Word:

Supple is a bit of a conundrum for me. I think the developer, More Than Interactive Games, did many things well for a $20 “casual” game, but they also do some things that make me scratch my head (i.e. no freedom to explore, too few characters to interact with, uneven difficulty, etc.). Perhaps these issues will be addressed in Episode 2? I hope so, because there is a good deal of entertainment value to be had here. I only wish this “universe” was fleshed out a bit more.

All in all, Supple is a fun, but flawed, experience in my estimation. Try before you buy.

(out of five)