Miss Management

Miss Management is another casual style game from the designers of Diner Dash. Similar in some respects, such as having to accomplish tasks in a certain amount of time, but different in others, such as having a lot of dialogue between every chapter. At the end of the day, I didn’t feel strongly about this game one way or the other. It was a pleasant enough game that offered some distracting entertainment, but it wasn’t as much fun as Diner Dash.

The beginning of the game is a type of tutorial, where players are shown what types of tasks are available, and which employees are best suited for said tasks. Besides matching employees with tasks, there are also lots of goodies to buy from the store, which can be used with the employees as well. Think perks and incentives. And, each employee also has his or her favorite non-work related activity, such as microwaving snacks and taking naps.

Each chapter begins with dialogue that has to be clicked through. The conversations are cute, but there is a bit too much speech. Once the job begins, though, it’s all action and no talk. Denise, the new office manager, must accomplish her tasks in the allotted amount of time. Unlike Diner Dash, the emphasis is on planning the tasks, so the action isn’t quite as fast-paced as most of these types of games. For instance, should Denise run to the store to get supplies right now, or wait until after she has assigned a nap to one worker and slapped some papers on the desk of another?

In the first chapters, there are only a few office workers, but soon desks and employees start popping up all over. All told, there are 30 levels to play. Each level features mostly the same office layout and items, although in different variations. The first office scene was ugly, with trash all over the floor. I was glad to move on to a different office. There are all sorts of different pieces of office decor, including a microwave, a water cooler, a treadmill, a couch, and a whiteboard. Denise can offer her coworkers items like donuts, markers, notebooks, coffee, staplers, buns, and more.

Miss Management is different from the crowd, and the designers have incorporated some good ideas, such as using more critical thinking skills, rather than blind running around clicking on things. However, the actual gameplay isn’t as much as fun as some of the more mindless games. Lots of dialogue is usually a good thing, particularly in adventure games. But in a casual game, less talk is better.

People who enjoy casual games and also like humorous Dilbert type jokes will enjoy this game, especially if they don’t mind the large amount of dialogue between every chapter. Others who prefer games like Diner Dash and Cake Mania may want to pass. Either way, players can try out the free trial first before buying.

Gameplay: 6.5
This game is fun enough for short periods of play, but it’s not as amusing as other casual games. The dialogue at the beginning of every chapter has to be clicked through, and there is a lot of it. This interrupts the flow of the game.

Graphics: 7.0
The workers and office items were cute. The game is attractive in appearance.

Sound: 7.0
The music is innocuous enough and isn’t annoying.

Difficulty: Medium
It’s pretty easy in the first chapters, and then becomes progressively more difficult with more involved tasks.

Concept: 7.0 
The concept is a little different, with an almost serial cartoon approach to the storyline. But, the concept is more fun than the reality.

Overall: 6.5
This is a game that is hard to quantify definitively. For me, it was an average experience, but others may really enjoy the quirky humor evidenced in the dialogue and not mind the interruptions. I enjoy other games like Cake Mania, Pet Salon and other similar games more. Players should definitely check out the demo version first.