"We make games that look and feel like they could've been popular decades ago," reads the landing page of indie developer Astrojone's website. This raison d'etre perfectly applies to Payroll—an office simulation game that surfaced on itch.io in late 2015.
When I first took to the so-called "Windows 95-looking office simulation game" I best described it as The Stanley Parable, but powered by a ’90s FPS engine as opposed to Source. A year and a half since then, and Payroll is out now on Steam.
With a Seinfeld/Frasier-like theme tune, midi music throughout, 640x480 resolution, and a floor of office space to navigate, multiple colleagues to converse with and, um, fax machines to repair, Payroll looks a little something like this:
"Play through the career of an office worker, and enjoy the thrills and chills that only an office can offer," says Astrojone via the game's Steam page blurb. "The point of the game is to figure out the point of the game, so only the most diligent employee will thrive in this harsh world."
If that sounds like your cup of coffee—it's a long day in there, you'll need it—Payroll is out now on Steam for £0.67/$0.84, with a limited time 15 percent discount. After that, it jumps up to £0.79/$0.99.
