Weedcraft Inc revolves around two main scenarios, the first being perfect for beginners (we play as a broke student who launches into the cannabis business following the death of his father), and the second is intended for players already seasoned with principles of this particular business (this time, we find ourselves in the shoes of an ex-con already convicted of drug trafficking). A priori everything is for the best in the best of all worlds, except that the preview version that we tested a few weeks ago gave a glimpse of a third scenario which simply seems absent from the final version of the game. We strongly hope that we won't be able to get paid downloadable content again in a while... This little problem, apart from the screenplay aspect, is rather pleasant, and not so trivial as that since the game does not hesitate to present us with dialogues on a regular basis, moreover often interactive. The heart of the gameplay is still that of a management game, and a good one! But before diving into multiple parameters, we must naturally start with the basics of weed, namely the culture. After finding a place and investing in basic equipment, the time has come to have a green thumb. One click to water the plant, one long click to release at the right time to prune it as best as possible, and you're done! Repeated enough, the first operation increases the quality of the final product, while the second increases the growth of the plant. At first glance, this sequence looks like an uninteresting mini-game. In reality, it is above all a means of gently initiating a player who will have to manage many things very quickly. Culture alone requires choosing lighting, potting soil, fans, humidifiers, air purifiers, all while properly managing your budget. And very quickly, we find ourselves testing different levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in order to determine which ones give the best result, then spending research points to find out the really optimal values.
THE BEUH CUTS DOWN
Very didactic, the game introduces each new concept gradually. And fortunately, because the management mechanics are extremely numerous. Culture is only a small part of the gameplay. To expand, we must hire employees to water and prune for us, ensure that police vigilance is lowered, optimize product quality, set up in different deal locations, face competition, establish prices depending on local demand, studying the different types of consumers (tramps, artists, celebrities, athletes, students, cancer patients, etc.) and the different varieties of cannabis, opening front businesses serving as a cover for illegal activities, and many more other things. Detailing each mechanism would be endless as there are so many of them. Thanks to this profusion of activities, the game manages to never get tired and to avoid too great a feeling of repetitiveness. If at any time you feel tired, it's up to you to talk to your employees, your competitors or the local cops. The dialogue system improves the relationship we have with our interlocutors, through the discovery of their centers of interest, or even their most unmentionable secrets if you send one of your men to investigate their past. If you manage to dig up sufficiently crisp information, you can then go to the blackmail stage to achieve your ends. Good old-fashioned monetary bribery is also an option, provided your finances and relationship with the target allow it.
FOR BUDDING MANAGERS, BUT NOT ONLY
The game also features a talent tree that unlocks different bonuses spread across the decent or shady side of the force. You can also practice smuggling from one city to another, via mail, cars or drones, in order to best distribute your stocks of illicit products. Important customers will place large one-off orders, more profitable than the daily deal. And you'll end up buying the most official business licenses in states that have legalized cannabis for medical and/or recreational use. And even by manipulating your batches to modify their quality or quantity, make hybrids, and develop different marketing techniques. Again, do not panic especially in front of the mass of parameters to manage, because the game knows how to guide us intelligently through various well-designed quests. Obviously, we can still blame two or three little things on Weedcraft Inc, such as the gain in employee experience which is accompanied by requests for a salary increase that are a little too systematic and much too large. Or, and this is less anecdotal, the fact of having to constantly juggle between different screens, some of which cause micro-loads of one or two seconds. But given the richness of the game, it's a lesser evil. The interface could have been much more chaotic than that. Also, tech enthusiasts shouldn't expect AAA-grade graphics. Admittedly, the cartoon atmosphere works very well and the artistic direction is perfectly convincing. But it must be recognized that the game is generally very static. Apart from traffic in cities and the growth of plants, entertainment is rare. In the heat of management, we fortunately quickly forget this graphic minimalism. As for the soundtrack, you will be entitled to "lo-fi hip hop" musical loops, not necessarily very numerous, but which still do not get on your nerves after dozens of hours of play (which is a small feat). In the end, Weedcraft Inc has something to convince all lovers of management, whether they are smoke lovers or not!
