Hot Springs Story 4+

At long last here is the next game from Kairosoft, authors of the insanely addictive 'Game Dev Story'. Hot Springs Story is clearly cut from the same cloth, and shares many visual and design themes from Game Dev Story.

This time you're running an onsen (a Japanese hot springs hotel), but unlike Game Dev, this time you can actually build new rooms and facilities. To succeed, you need to place rooms together in specific orders to appeal to whichever demographic you are interested in atracting, and as you progress your onsen will be ranked in onsen review magazines. You'll also be visited by travelling salemen who will sell you new objects, such as massage chairs and speciality items for your restaurants. As the months and seasons go by your onsen grows and grows and more and more types of rooms become available.

As with Game Dev Story, this is a charming game which once past the initial 5-10 minute learning period is a breeze to play and highly addictive. The visuals are again clearly from an ancient Japanese phone of some sort but despite their simplicity they're full of charm. Music too is catchy and and well done.

Another superb title from Kairosoft then, and should tide us all over until we get English versions of Game Dealer Story and Game Dev Story 2.

This game takes a "designer" approach rather than a pure "manager" approach like Game Dev Story, and once time starts to roll on (some options don't open up until a year has passed), the game really develops into an addictive sim game. Fans of old games like "Theme Park" will find something very familiar here and enjoy it, but I can't deny that GDS scratched a certain gamer itch in me that this one doesn't.

The controls can be quite fiddly. The addition of a selectable d-pad helps you choose units, but you really need the option to rotate around in any isometric game, Also, the help and tutorials are a little lacking. Some menus and options don't make a lot of sense until you try them out for yourself.

If you're into Japanese culture and sim games I completely recommend this, and it's really nice to see a sim game on iPhone that isn't full of expensive in-app purchases. Good simple fun.

Kairosoft. I have no idea who you are, or where you came from, but quite frankly I think you have hit the perfect recipe for iPhone gaming. I replay this game over and over again (you get to carry bonuses through from previous playthroughs) trying to do a bit better each time. Hell, there's even a FREE version that plays EXACTLY like the full version (although only for a very limited in-game time). Go try that, you've got nothing to lose. I'd happily bet the cost of this app that you'll be back on here to get the full version in no time

I know there's other Kairosoft titles out there, yet to be localised. Please, I beg you, give us more in the English speaking world. I never bother writing or reviewing things on the App store; this is how much I seriously respect your games