You start off with about ten days worth of food, which gives you some leeway when it comes to learning the ropes. Unfortunately, while MachiaVillain wastes little time in throwing all these mechanics at the player, I actually found myself wishing it would slow down the pace a little bit. ThereвЂ™s a lot of interesting concepts, stats and systems you need to keep track of and, if youвЂ™re the kind of player who usually goes for that sort of thing, youвЂ™ll probably be pretty engaged by all the under-the-hood nitty-gritty here. Fright NightДЄ successful play-through of MachiaVillain is best described as a balancing act. Infrequently, fierce storm clouds will roll in and, if lightning strikes your home, youвЂ™ll have to put out a few fires. Occasionally, plucky bands of heroes will come looking for trouble and have to either defeat them or hide until they get bored and leave. Hostile monsters might emerge from the nearby woods and youвЂ™ll have to coordinate your minions in order to defend your property. Others make can make things more difficult. The game will throw a random event your way what feels like every few minutes. This is doubly the case during a crisis - and thereвЂ™s a wide variety to the unexpected things MachiaVillain can throw at you. ItвЂ™s on you to try and construct a timetable for your workforce that allows you to get the most out of each minion and prioritize the right tasks at the right time. You might have a minion whoвЂ™s got a 3-star rating for chopping wood but a 1-star rating for mining stones. Each minion has unique stats (depending on their type, level and any items they accrue) and some are better at certain tasks than others. While you can control each minion manually when needed, the most efficient way to put them to work is via an in-game rota. The second major pillar here is one of labor management. Of course, building your mansion is only about a third of the gameplay in MachiaVillain. Hiring more minions lets you achieve tasks quicker but also places greater strain on your ability to keep that workforce fed and happy. ThereвЂ™s also an interesting tension to the size of your workforce. YouвЂ™ve also got to find a balance between making your mansion evil enough that your minions want to work there but also inviting enough that you donвЂ™t scare victims away before you can successfully trap and eliminate them. MachiaVillain gives bonuses for obeying horror tropes like splitting up the group or picking off the virgin last - so you'll want to try and keep those вЂrulesвЂ™ in mind as you design your mansion. YouвЂ™ll want a spooky laboratory (in order to research and unlock new objects) and youвЂ™ll also need plenty of amenities (to keep your minions happy) and a kitchen (in order to actually cook and prepare food for them). YouвЂ™ll need a home office with a writing desk (in order to lure victims in via old-school mailouts). Though you do have a lot of freedom here, a successful household does require a few constants. From there, youвЂ™re given carte blanche as to the shape and size of the house you want to build - assuming youвЂ™re able to harvest enough supplies from the nearby countryside. Each map is procedurally-generated but you're always dumped on the side of the road with a trio of henchmen and ten days of supplies. ThereвЂ™s only one game mode in MachiaVillain and every game starts the same. You donвЂ™t want to just build the perfect horror setting, you also want one thatвЂ™s sustainable. Your minions might be mindless, but they do have needs that youвЂ™ll have to meet if you want to keep them loyal. Perhaps unsurprisingly, thereвЂ™s a lot of logistics to consider. Every Big Evil Plan Starts With A Single StepДЄs youвЂ™d expect, designing, building and maintaining a successful haunted house is easier said than done. Essentially, itвЂ™s The Sims meets Cabin in the Woods.

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