I had already had the opportunity to test the demo of The Invisible Hand during the 2019 edition of Paris Games Week and, even more recently, during LudoNarraCon 2021. But it is now time to move on to the Serious things, the release being scheduled for May 7! The Lyon-based development studio Power Struggle Games therefore provided me with a key to its game published by Fellow Traveler so that I could discover The Invisible Hand in its full version.
A satirical trading simulation, our character finds himself faced with the brutality of the trade from the start. Markets crash, boxes flash red all over the screens, and the phone keeps ringing.
Forced to start again at the bottom of the ladder in another company called FERIOS, he will therefore have to prove himself again, the opportunity to unroll a tutorial that explains the basics of stock market trading. At first with a limited budget, my first transactions were timid, despite the advice given to me. I hesitate to invest my budget, even virtual, while the numbers keep fluctuating. The curves go up and down, and the news scrolls. On a second screen, for a time, I even have access to pirate software that informs me, before anyone else, of stock market fluctuations.
After a few days, I have to manage on my own, and try to disentangle the true from the false between the various more official sources, in particular the rumors circulating at the office. The actions available are included in a complex mesh, between commodities, countries, currencies, and industries. It is possible to try to influence a sector by lobbying. But it must be done with parsimony, already not to attract the attention of the authorities. But you also have to think about the consequences, because if one value rises, others may fall in reaction. It would therefore be ill-advised to invest in two companies whose goals are opposed. Finally, we must not be mistaken, between short-term investments, which are made on values destined to fall, and long-term investments, with values which are expected to rise. You have to sell at the right time, or it can quickly become very expensive!
I admit that I find it more difficult to explain to you how dividends work, a kind of long-term contract placed on a stock, in the hope of recovering a percentage of all the gains (but for the moment I don't haven't really been lucky there). And it's even less simple when hackers enter the computer network and have fun changing all the names of the interface!
Integrating a light narration, the scenario does not bother with a very complex frame, even if the end surprised me. Without revealing too many details, to put it simply, our character's objective is to climb the ladder of society and, day after day, to have profits superior to all his opponents, who moreover get fired on the way. . Luckily, there are three game modes that got me VP, because I wasn't far from personal bankruptcy, and I don't deserve my quick promotion. A satire on the world of finance, superiors are obnoxious and disillusioned, and utterly detestable!
A system of properties is added to trading to occupy the evenings. I don't know if the studio plans to expand what is currently in fairly embryonic form, with the purchase of apartments, houses or mansions. These properties are furnished with random furniture bought in packages, before being rented for a few days for a substantial sum which is added to the daily bonuses on the profits (or losses) made in the markets. It is also possible to acquire a vehicle, which does not seem to me to serve much purpose beyond prestige. I confess that I would imagine the possibility of visiting these properties and being able to really decorate them. The same goes for parties, organized with company employees that take place on a fixed screen, with no opportunity to interact with other characters. Admittedly, this is an opportunity to collect interesting rumors to reuse the next day, but it leaves a little unsatisfied. It is currently only possible to decorate his office.
Before concluding, I would like to remind you that I am unable to judge the veracity of the simulation, having no inclination for the management of financial assets in real life. I've never done it, and it doesn't appeal to me any more than that. So, my opinion is a bit mixed, because I spent most of my gaming time in a panic, not knowing if I should click on the buy/sell buttons and, systematically, finding myself making the wrong choices and to watch the value of my portfolio plummet. Added to that the somewhat repetitive side of the days that follow one another and look alike, looking at screens of data, while I myself am already on a screen, with already enough numbers and Google Sheets for my poor brain ! On the other hand, if you like small numbers, or if you already have a passion for the stock market, this game is for you, without a doubt, with the opportunity to bet virtual money, without the risk of financial loss. Or maybe therapeutically only to find that you are as bad as I am and have no interest in investing in the real stock market!
