In early access for more than 2 years, it is the arrival of a free DLC "Adult Only Content" that made us look into this title. He yes, we are big perverts at Univers-Simu.com, it is well known. All kidding aside 😅 these are also the title and the first image of the Steam file who made us install the game. What, a subway simulation with sex, alcohol and drugs? But where's the connection?
There are not any ! Although classified as "Simulation", the game is more RPG oriented. You start in the skin of a sort of wreck, which lives in the basements of a somewhat libertine city. Some popups appear here and there to explain, in English, some basics. Sleep to rest and save, eat, drink, wash, urinate ... in short, essential vital needs. If you want to survive, you'll need to get to work quickly, and that's where the metro comes into play.
Very far from a Train Sim World, you will take your service and have to drive 3 to 4 stations to earn a few dollars. You will also increase your XP points, serving to obtain a better license and professional progress. This phase of play lasts at most 5 minutes. Once the money is in your pocket, the game turns more into an RPG. You will find yourself on the surface this time, and more underground, and will have to interact with all kinds of NPCs to increase your social points, buy items, decor for your future apartment (but here you will have to work hard), drugs, food ... all with dialogues in English and multiple choice answers sometimes complicated to understand.
Mini-games in the game
But make no mistake, you'll be spending most of the time in bars or nightclubs playing blackjack, betting sports, drinking booze, and watching pole dancing gogos. This is also where the “Adult Only Content” DLC arrives since it unlocks fairly ole-ole interactions… but we are on a general public site and we will not go into details. With or without DLC, Metro Sim Hustle is not to be put in all hands anyway.
The title, developed and published by Departure Interactive, is not bad in itself. But the name is clearly not a good one. The subway sim takes about 5% of the playing time. Technically, the Unity engine offers some really interesting graphics and the soundtrack will undoubtedly make you move around a bit in your gaming chair. In the end we don't really know what to think of this game. Bad? No, there are a few things but it is clearly not over. The main fault is the lack of goals, of objectives. From there to advise it at its Steam rate of nearly € 15, certainly not, there are so many other titles to discover for that price.