Hot Springs Story

Genre: Management Simulation

Players: 1

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Review:

Without a doubt the most prolific developer and publisher of Management Simulation games on Nintendo Switch is Kairosoft, who specializes in games with a retro-style isometric pixel art style, often with the word “Story” in the title. As of this writing, Kairosoft has released 55 games on Nintendo Switch, most of them Management Simulations. And after Game Dev Story helped them find widespread success, their next English-language release followed it up with something a little more niche – Hot Springs Story, a game about managing your own Japanese-style Hot Springs bathhouse resort.

Hot Springs Story was released on mobile devices in 2011, then to Nintendo Switch in 2018, then to PlayStation 4 in 2021, then to Xbox One in 2023. Unlike Game Dev Story, which was about managing employees and deciding what their work focus would be on, Hot Springs Story plays somewhat more like theme park management games like the Roller Coaster Tycoon games, with players trying to accommodate the desires of different types of guests and ensure those guests spend as much money as possible.

As I mentioned above, this game makes use of Kairosoft’s signature presentation style using simple retro-styled pixel art visuals presented in an isometric view, paired with chiptune music and sound effects. Everything about this presentation is really endearing, with nice little touches like guests spinning around to change into and out of robes.

One of the major omissions of Game Dev Story was the inability to design the game’s workspace, and here things have been flipped around – now you’re entirely focused on plotting out where you will install facilities and build the different rooms of your resort, but now you’re limited by an inability to set prices, and to hire and fire staff.

To Hot Springs Story’s credit, this game isn’t a by-the-numbers Management Sim that’s just missing a few options. There are a few clever gameplay elements here that keep things interesting. You have different guests types, each with their own interests, and you’ll need to ensure that you’re properly catering to everyone. Some will want restaurants nearby, where others will want shops or massage chairs. For optimal performance, you’ll need to carefully think through where you place everything.

However, even more interesting, time within the game isn’t static. There’s a day-night cycle, and some guests will stay overnight while others will just visit during the day. There are occasional events which will effect how many visitors will show up, and the economy has booms and busts which will affect how much money your guests will carry on them. Players are encouraged to adapt to these changing circumstances as they continue to grow and expand their facility.

While this game does have its charms, it definitely has its flaws too. It’s not clear when selecting an item from a menu what its benefits and drawbacks are – sometimes you can only find this out once you highlight it after it has been placed. And it’s not always clear what’s holding you back from being more profitable. Far too often, it’s not clear what effect your choices are having on your facility, save when it’s made glaringly obvious such as an up arrow appearing when your placement improves the rating of other local placements. Also, I’m frustrated that this game doesn’t let you directly control facility prices – you can only increase them, and only by using a bonus “seed” that magically makes that facility worth more.

Overall, I think Hot Springs Story has some interesting gameplay elements that set it apart within the Management Simulation genre, but overall its positive qualities are largely balanced out by its flaws, such as the lack of control over multiple facets of your operation’s performance and the lack of clear indications how certain elements affect your resort. In the end, genre fans looking for something quirky may find this game worthwhile, but most will find there are better entries in the genre on Nintendo Switch.

tl;dr – Hot Springs Story is a Management Simulation where players manage a Japanese-style hot springs resort, deciding what facilities to build and where to place them. This game is sadly lacking a lot of options, and other gameplay elements aren’t made clear enough. Fans of the genre may find this game worthwhile for some of its more unique elements, but most are better off getting another game in the genre.

Grade: C

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