House of Power: The Game

You can’t even get through 10 minutes of gameplay without a paywall, in addition to multiple pop up ads that take time to watch. You can skip the wait (45 minutes!) by paying for a subscription (instead of the usual remove ads option) or watch 5 ads that range from 30 seconds to a minute. Most games make you watch two to even three ads to continue. Because I assume that this happens frequently in the game, it ruins the flow of the game and makes you wait. No, I’m not going to pay five dollars a week to play this game. They should’ve just charged the money upfront. You can get an Apple Arcade subscription for seven dollars a month, why would you pay five dollars a week for the single game? Or $40 for a whole year. A much better deal yes but still. Why would I spend $40 on an app? It looks like a promising game so that’s why I’m giving it two stars, although the AI generated images on the app page seem kind of lazy. My experience is based on the limited gameplay that I had. It looks like a good game. The art style is nice, with the exception of the text boxes. And I know that the creators are not a giant video game company. They need to make money through it, but it seems that it would be more beneficial to charge upfront to download the app.

I really love the concept of this game. 1. I think at the beginning of the game, you should be able to change your character. I like the idea of personalizing instead of being boxed into a male role. 2. I think the gameplay from running to election should be longer. There should be far more option to make money along the way. The limited options seem to jeopardize the campaign, and you still cut it way too close at the end and aren’t able to win. 3. I have tried about 8 times up until now to beat this election and I can’t see a clear path without spending real money (at least $20) to buy more in the game and do what is needed. Hopefully this is a relatively new beta-ish version with far more versatility to come. I will redownload at that time.

I had high hopes for this game because, on the surface, it has potential. The concept is solid, the graphics are decent, and there are glimpses of a fun experience buried beneath all the greed. But unfortunately, the developers seem more interested in draining players’ wallets than actually delivering a game worth playing. Progression is painfully slow unless you’re willing to spend money, and even then, it feels like a never-ending cycle of paywalls. Every mechanic is designed to push you toward microtransactions, from energy limits to overpowered premium items that make free players feel completely irrelevant. Instead of rewarding skill or dedication, the game rewards those who spend the most money. It’s frustrating because this could be a genuinely great game if the developers focused on creating a balanced, enjoyable experience instead of treating players like ATMs. If they ever decide to tone down the aggressive monetization and actually care about gameplay, I’d be happy to give it another shot. Until then, I wouldn’t recommend wasting your time—or your money.