
Factsheet
Developer:
SquarePlay Games
Based in London, UK
Founding date:
November, 2015
Website:
squareplaygames.com
Steam store:
rb.gy/qtehvv
Press / Business contact:
al@squareplaygames.com
Social:
@SquarePlayGames
Overcrowd Facebook
Description
About the game
Design and build the most efficient metro stations known to man! Excavate. Expand. Set staff priorities. And manage the commuter flow. Overcrowd is a 2.5D management sim set below the bustling city of Lubdon Town.
In Overcrowd, players design and build metro stations across a series of procedurally generated maps, unlocking tech, hiring staff and directing the commuter hordes to their destination. Set beneath the fictional city of Lubdon Town, pickpockets, gastric flu, vandals and more are all in a day’s work.
The game features a deep, systems-based simulation encompassing refuse, power and heat management, crowd control, an extensive technology tree, an economy and an RPG-like staff levelling system.
About us
Alastair is a former health information copywriter and medical journalist who dabbled in games writing before deciding to try making one instead. He codes the game.
Sarah Testori has a PhD in molecular genetics. This doesn’t help at all when doing the artwork.
Together, they are Squareplay Games.
History
Overcrowd has been in development for 5 years, during which time it has evolved from simple mobile time waster to a fully-fledged management sim for PC. It entered Steam Early Access in June 2019. It will launch into full release on 6th October 2020.
Videos
Announcement date trailer YouTube
Features
Deep Systemic GameplayDon’t be fooled by the cute pixel art. Beneath the hood lies a deep, systems-based simulation encompassing refuse, power and heat management, crowd control and a consumer-driven economy with stock and pricing.
ReplayabilityDesign your stations across a series of procedurally generated maps. No game is the same. Build a single station or a whole network. A daily challenge means there is always a new station to build.
Spatial DesignBuild your station 4 floors deep, using stairs, escalators and lifts to connect entrances to tracks in the most efficient layouts you can devise. Control the direction of commuters using the innovative crowd flow mechanic.
Commuter ChaosContend with station-wide events from rat plagues to football matches. Watch out for vandals, hoodlums and norovirus too..
Technology ProcurementUnlock the latest tech to pimp up your station! From turnstiles, tools and ticket machines to pharmacies, pubs, ponds and plants, make your commuters’ journey to work feel special.
Staff ManagementHire rookies and level them up, or splash out on a master mopper, medic or mechanic. Use a job grid system to prioritise their tasks.
Images
There are far more images available for SquarePlay Games, but these are the ones we felt would be most useful to you. If you have specific requests, please do contact us!
Logo & Icon
Awards & Recognition
- "Best Game" - GameMaker Award 2020 Finalist
- "Best Strategy Game" - TIGA Finalist 2019
- "Indie of the Year" - IndieDB Realistic Sim Shortlist 2019
- "IndiePrize Finalist" - Casual Connect, London 2019
Selected Articles
- "Immediately compulsive ... a wonderful mix of strategy"
- Rock, Paper Shotgun, here - "The unlock tree seems extensive, randomised environmental restrictions add an extra layer to the experience, forcing ingenuity in your multi-floor station layouts, and there looks to be enough control over individual elements - from deciding which tools your staff prioritise on their rounds to which staircase leads up and which goes down - to ensure that there are always interesting strategic and creative choices to be made. Oh, and it's wonderfully presented too"
- Eurogamer, here - "While the typical management game concerns of construction, purchasing items, hiring staff and keeping morale up are all present, Overcrowd is particularly interested in the people using your station, with an emphasis on managing the flow of the crowd"
- PC Gamer, here - "Hugely satisfying"
- Kotaku UK, here - "there are elements of Overcrowd that give the game a sense of frenetic energy ... but theres always the option to press pause and adjust without the high stakes of time ... Overcrowd is a unique meditation on a space that is ubiquitous for many people"
- The Verge, here - "The concept is brilliant."
- 2016 funding application rejection feedback, UK Games Fund
SquarePlay Team
Alastair McQueen
Coding & games design
Sarah Testori
Artist & games design
Contact
Alastair McQueen
al@squareplaygames.com
Twitter
twitter.com/SquarePlayGames
Facebook
facebook.com/overcrowdgame
Website
squareplaygames.com
presskit() by Rami Ismail (Vlambeer) - also thanks to these fine folks