Idle Apocalypse

Idle Apocalypse is an Idle game created by Grumpy Rhino Games and Distributed by Iron House Games LLC for both Android and IOS. 

Out of the many different games I play I have a soft spot for idle games. Some are fantastic but like any fad there is a lot of chaff among the wheat. I have a bad habit of downloading a few idle games getting bored of them after a few days and deleted them the day after. A well made idle game is hard to come by but luckily enough Idle Apocalypse makes the cut.

Starting up the game you are introduced to Sid, a nice enough fellow wearing red ropes and a mask, (at least I hope its a mask), He asked you to help you with his enterprise. Like any capitalist he simply wants to raise his eldritch gods to serve his bidding and destroy the world. Y'know the usually

Now the idle genre has evolved since the early days of Cookie Clicker and Adventure Capitalist and many idle games incorporate other genre mechanics to spice up idle gameplay. (such as Hotel Empire Tycoon incorporating business sims elements or Pixel People with city planning) Idle Apocalypse is a humorous romp involving a tight knit resource management game. You create floor to get Mobs, Upgrade Rooms, or Generators (Which provide boosts), each upgrade requires a variety of different resources and sometimes it takes several steps to upgrade the earliest rooms. I enjoy the mechanic on two levels. the resource mechanic allows for more strategy then the generic Currency per Second routine that most idle games deal with. This definitely helps with the exponent creep that bogs down idle games. Second it makes you come back as the way towards progress involves you switching between mob spawns to get the right resources for the right upgrades. You can forget idle games for days due to their passiveness but the game creates agency by allowing you to strategize and plan out your idle periods.

The ascension is well done or should I say the Apocalypse. After you summon the first idol you have the option to destroy the world in a cruel wonton act of destruction. Yippee! This Gaia-cide doesn't last however but you do get souls which you use to create temporary boosts or permanent upgrades such as floors or magic spells. It provides a great boost to the main game and is honestly one of the funnest ascension mechanics I've played.

One of the major faults of most idle games is the lack of a concise narrative, (as much as I love cookie clicker, the flavor text in the ticker tape doesn't cut it), which is why Idle Apocalypse made it to the top of my list. Sid's desire to destroy the world and his interactions between the idols and cultists are honestly one of my favorite parts of the game. There are multiple times where I have simply "idled" on the floor just to read the random dialogue. Idle Apocalypse has a great sense of humor which enriches the game and truly makes it an enjoyable experience.

Besides Sid's personality the next thing that drove me to love this game was how FUCKING gorgeous the graphics are. Growing up in the flash era of gaming I definitely grew to enjoy pixel art and sprite based games many of flash games during the time seeked to emulate the 8 and 16 bit sprite based graphics of old. Idle Apocalypse follows in this rich tradition and their sprite art and background design borders on virtuoso. The animations are charming and the character design is fantastic. Absolutely fucking beautiful.

Keeping in track with its retro graphics Idle Apocalypse features a chip tune soundtrack the music has a mild edgy vibe reminding me of Castlevania or Ghouls N Ghosts from the NES days. Besides the music the game also incorporates a lot of retro sound effects reminiscent of the arcade games of our use. I often like to listen to music or videos while I'm on my phone and Idle Apocalypse is able to be muted from the get go and allows other apps to play while its open which is always a plus in my book.

 Idle Apocalypse is hands-down one of the best Idle games I have played recently. If you are feeling burnt out on the cheap voxel-based shovelware that have been flooding the market then you owe to yourself to try a game with quality. Fantastic Graphics, Great Writing and Excellent Gameplay. Most Idle games fall flat after a while but Idle Apocalypse is a well constructed ride that will keep you coming back again and again.