Mega Mall Story

Whenever I wake to the news a new Kairosoft game has been released, I know any plans for the day are ruined.

Kairosoft's Story series never fails to impress, with the wonderfully addictive secret sauce running through the veins of every release the studio puts out.

Perhaps one day the Japanese team's formula will become stale and it will put out something less than fantastic... but today is not that day.

Mega Mall Story is your chance to build up a glorious shopping experience, complete with clothes, food, jewellery, and video games for your punters to pay good money for.

And neatly, all the while, you'll be safe in the knowledge you yourself have purchased something very much worth every penny.

As with most of Kairosoft's releases, Mega Mall Story features familiar concepts and interfaces layered over a completely new setting.

This time around, you're looking to expand a new shopping centre from an empty slum to a five-star shopping emporium. This involves bringing in consumers through upgrades, new shops, advertising, and sales.

Kairosoft games are so addictive due to all the things you can see and do, and Mega Mall Story is no different. After five hours (and beyond), I was still seeing whole new options and upgrades I hadn't yet witnessed.

Will you add new items and features to your current stores? Will you add another floor and fill it with brand new wares? Perhaps you'll use your hard-earned cash to expand the local community, bringing in a wider selection of punters?

You've got 15 years on the clock, and complete freedom to do whatever you want.

It doesn't stop there either, as Mega Mall Story packs more of a punch than many other Kairosoft titles; indeed it does more than that other big Theme Story game Tiny Tower.

The amount of cash you make each day depends on a wide range of factors. Customers will become regulars and spend more money if they're happy with your service. The state of the economy affects how much your customers spend, while the weather outside determines how many show up.

As well as cash, you also need to keep an eye on your heart count. Hearts are earned when customers try out your facilities, and can be used to upgrade shops and buy new types of wares.

On top of this, you've got a popularity meter to watch. When it hits 100, a 'fever' starts and people flood into your shopping centre. You need to make sure that when that magic 100 is hit, you've got plenty of stock to keep them happy.

All this content makes Mega Mall Story one of Kairosoft's most enjoyable releases, and if you're a Kairosoft fan, grabbing a copy is a no-brainer.

Yet, despite the oodles of content, Mega Mall Story can feel more simple than its iPhone Story buddies. Whereas in other Kairosoft games you have a vague overall mission, Mega Mall Story sets you a specific task - get your mall to five-star quality.

For each star rating, you need to complete a series of tasks. This means there's more focus on trying to complete these within the time frame, rather than simply experimenting and doing whatever you feel, which takes some of the edge off the concept.

Mega Mall Story is also one of the easiest Kairosoft games to date. For the most part, you don't need to be too clever in your strategy and I barely came close to bankruptcy. In that respect, it's nothing like as hardcore as Game Dev, Grand Prix, or Hot Springs.

Nevertheless, Kairosoft has served up another blinder. Stop window-shopping and go grab a copy of Mega Mall Story now - it most definitely deserves a spot on your iPhone.

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