I missed the opportunity to write about Hollywood Animal when a man named Nic Reuben swooped in like a competitive showbiz talent scout and pinched the Summer Steam Fest demo right under my nose, taking advantage of the fact that I was stranded at the airport at the time. Instead, I wrote about a very rude “homage” to Minesweeper. Let’s hope it was for the best.
Either way, it’s finally my chance to bite the bullet, as developers Weappy Wholesome have just given their La La Land installment an Early Access release date: January 16, 2025. To celebrate, they’ve also released a up-to-date and quite lengthy trailer. Grab yourself a scotch and a cigar and dive in.
As you might guess from the title and my sly introductory allusions, Hollywood Animal is a tycoon game in which you set up your own film studio at the dawn of sound cinema. You’ll purchase and furnish buildings such as script and post-production departments, hire a group of actors, writers, producers and other minions, and get to work generating some stardust.
It’s all very complicated, and not only at the technical level of production. You can send private detectives to pick up dirt on your grumpiest employees and bribe the mayor to turn a blind eye to your numerous crimes. You can perfectly plan the premiere of your films and promote them in the market after studying the projects of your competitors or simply ask the mafia to “clear the calendar”. It’s the “golden age” of Hollywood in the sense that it’s shiny and frigid and difficult and people will kill for it.
Nic may be a grubby and bad thief, but writing his demo is a lot of fun. “Each film is assessed both in terms of ‘audience approval’ and ‘artistic appeal,'” he noted. “This may seem like an unnecessarily strict binary, but remember this was before Boss Baby, so no one knew you could master both yet.”
The creators call it “a box of spiders disguised as a tycoon game.” Well done whoever came up with this phrase. I wish it were me. If you need further convincing, there’s a up-to-date demo coming in December.
