A Game You Can Afford in this Economy ready for purchase

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Announcements by Jack Allin
Published:

Choice-driven point-and-click adventure about surviving financial hardship available now on Steam

Times are tough, and it's all you can do to pay the bills, buy food and maintain (un)steady work. Sounds a whole lot like real life for many people, but in this case it's the very relatable setup for A Game You Can Afford in this Economy, the newly released modern survival game by indie developer Nick Schroeder.

As the game's first-person protagonist, you are balancing multiple jobs in a punishing gig economy but are still forced to live in a "squalid apartment" and make constant sacrifices because "everything is getting more expensive. Unaffordably expensive." The pressure is relentless as you wonder "how much more can you take? How can this even be sustainable?" In such dire financial circumstances, your decisions are crucial in determining whether you "have what it takes to turn your life around" or if you're destined to "fall by the wayside – another chewed-up casualty of our unforgiving system."

As seen in the screenshots and gameplay clip, a disturbingly realistic pixel art aesthetic successfully captures the gritty look and feel of a life of urban poverty. The story presents players with a very personal exploration of "the futility of modern life" via traditional adventure gaming means, including point-and-click gameplay interactions, branching story choices, and numerous puzzles to solve, all while contending with an ever-present sense of "anxiety and existential dread" in an economy that doesn't care whether you live or die. Your choices and actions will matter in determining which of the ten possible endings you receive.

A Game You Can Afford in this Economy is now available on Steam for Windows and Mac – naturally for a budget price.