Balance the front and back of the house business! Definitely Not Fried Chicken" Review: A dark management simulation game that's a little bit abusive

Let's run a fried chicken shop! Just when you think you've made it to ......, you're suddenly fired!　Then, you enter the dangerous world of "underhanded business" ......

This is an unusual management simulation game in which you manage various businesses, including a fried chicken shop, as well as a dangerous "backroom business. The title "Definitely Not Fried Chicken" translates to "Definitely Not Fried Chicken" in Japanese, and it has a deep and mysterious flavor.

The game takes place in Paradise City, a lovely, sun-drenched country. The player is the manager of a fried chicken store, and under the supervision of a boss called "Major," he is in charge of rebuilding the store. This rebuilding process is a tutorial in which the player follows the Major's instructions to install equipment such as chicken coops and blenders, hire employees, and set up restrooms and break areas for staff. The controls are orthodox and easy to play for a management simulation game, such as selecting what you want to install from the left portion of the screen and clicking on the location you want to place it in the restaurant. Be that as it may, I wonder how hygienic it would be to set up a chicken coop inside a kitchen. ......

After all the work is done and the store is back in order, the Major makes a shocking statement: "You're fired!

You're fired! Ha ha ha!"

The player is stunned to find that he has been forced to work for free by the Major and has been kicked out of the store. What a way to treat ......!

The player is at his wits' end when a man appears before him. This person introduces the player to a new business. ...... What is hidden is that the business is " marijuana production "! Yes, this is a respectable underworld business. So the player enters the dangerous world of underworld business. ......

Despite the cute voxel graphics, the content of the game is quite black. This gap is one of the unique charms of this work.

Strangely realistic (?) Management of an underhanded business! Feeling like an outlaw!

The player, who has accidentally gotten into the underworld business, immediately sets up a marijuana farm in an unused park as a facility to run the underworld business.
It's quite a thrilling development, but what you have to do is basically the same as rebuilding the fried chicken store that you were instructed to do by the Major in the tutorial.

Create a grow room, place doors, growing tables, drying pallets, cutting benches, and lights to improve the quality of the cannabis, hire staff to do the growing work, and you are ready to go. The interesting thing about this project is that many unfamiliar facilities appear, and even without detailed knowledge of marijuana cultivation, there is something strangely realistic about it.

Once the product production area is complete, the next step is to set up the storage facility. What is the purpose of the storage? This is not the end of the process, but rather, you need to create your own storage space to ship the products and sell them. This is the reason why this is not just a management simulation but a "behind-the-scenes business simulation. Furthermore, since risky business comes with its own set of dangers, you must also hire guards to patrol the farm and storage facilities. The word "security guard" sounds good, but in reality he is a man who roams around the business location with a bat, gun, and other weapons in his hands, making him feel like a bit of an outlaw.

Once the shipment is ready, the next step is to purchase and maintain a "hotline".
This is, briefly, a sort of distribution channel for back business products. By maintaining this, you can become what the person in the game calls a "legitimate and genuine drug exporter! ...... Needless to say, of course, this is an in-game expression, and in the real world it's a "no-no" absolutely. And, well, anyway, this game is full of deep reality and black jokes like this. If you are a fan of the famous crime action game "Grand Theft Auto," you will be hooked by the world of this game.

Two sides of the same coin: legal and illegal!　Not only running a backroom business, but also a "front business" at the same time!

The contents I have introduced so far are deep and amazing enough, but in fact, this is where the real work begins for me.

In this work, you not only have to run a backroom business, but you also have to run a "front business" to camouflage your backroom business!　What a horrible greed, a simulation game where you have to run both "legitimate" and "illegitimate" businesses at once! ...... However, if you think about it carefully, the backstage businesses that appear in comic books and movies are often the "front faces" of ordinary businesses. The greatest feature of this work is that even such overly realistic aspects can be simulated.

The front businesses include a fried chicken shop, which was rebuilt by Major in the tutorial, a laundromat, and a doughnut store. The businesses on the front can start operating by installing the necessary equipment, but the laundromat and fried chicken store are just the front. In fact, even in these front businesses, they secretly sell abundant produce made in the back businesses. This is also a scene that I have seen in movies.

Furthermore, this game has many elements that you can't experience in a mere simulation game, such as unlocking new equipment with the skill points you receive by delivering goods to the university or gun store, and setting traps to counter attacks from hostile organizations. There is a lot you can do, and to be honest, it is a bit complicated, but the fact that you can experience it in a way that you cannot in any other game is a big attraction.

Definitely Not Fried Chicken" is a dangerous business experience like in the movies!

So, I introduced "Definitely Not Fried Chicken" to you.

Definitely Not Fried Chicken" is a game that is not for everyone because it allows you to experience the dangerous business behind the scenes, but if you like it, you will be hooked. This is a title that should be played by those who like simulation games as well as those who like crime movies. If you are interested in this game, please check it out.

• Game Info.
• Definitely Not Fried Chicken
• Maker: Dope Games
• Genre: Simulation
• Platform: PC (Steam)
• Release date: September 29, 2023
• Price: 2,570 yen (as of November 28, 2023)
• Steam page: ##

Nero Hyakkabe

Writer who buys too many games. Currently have more than 300 games in the stack. Also a novelist. His works include "Todorouni tantei no chozen taru jikenbouki (Roaring Luck Detective's Chosen Case Book: Detective Annihilation Hall Murder Case)" (Seikai-sha) and "Yubisaki kaidan: 140 kanjaku no kaihon (Yubisaki ghost stories: 140 scary stories) (PHP Kenkyujo).
X (Twitter): https://www.twitter.com/KINGakiko
about.me: https://about.me/nero100kabe/

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