Review: Apartment Story

The concept of blending unlikely genres continues to take shape in the gaming world, proving that titles don’t need to be known for that one thing. In my experience, it’s brought out some of the best gameplay, from Dave the Diver’s restaurant and fishing mechanics to the Yakuza series’ many genre-bending elements.

I thought I had seen it all until Blue Rider Interactive’s Apartment Story threw me for a loop with its combination of Sims-esque and narrative thriller gameplay. Although a somewhat cozy game like The Sims seems unusual for this particular genre, Apartment Story is definitely onto something here, and it certainly had my interest piqued.

Apartment Story (PC [Reviewed])

Developer: Blue Rider Interactive

Publisher: Blue Rider Interactive

Released: September 26, 2024

You begin the game as Arthur, a 27-year-old man with little to no money in his bank account. Well, he actually has a negative balance, but hey, no judgment here. His wellness depends on his life stats, including Hunger, Sleep, Mind, Toilet and Hygiene. You’ll also need to keep track of your electricity usage by managing the amount you use throughout the day.

It almost felt like I was initially doing a typical Sims playthrough, performing mundane tasks around the place, like tidying up the apartment and making some grub. Might seem a little monotonous to some, but I did enjoy it a lot toward the beginning. Sometimes, it’s just better to make meals in video games than to think of what to cook up in real life for the hundredth time.

The only real goal at this point is to wait for your old roommate, Diane, to pick up her belongings. Things really kick into high gear after she shows up, and the two of you party together. I almost forgot I was playing a narrative thriller as I got caught up in their conversations about the good old days. But then I got gripped back in once she spilled the tea about a man utterly obsessed with her.

Lo and behold, that same man shows up at Arthur’s doorstep and threatens his life for speaking to her. I was shocked, to say the least, but not about his sudden arrival. It was the fact that he had messed up my perfectly cleaned apartment I had worked so hard to keep tidy. Yet, before I could comprehend what was happening, the man simply walked away to leave me in a state of fear.

This is where the blending of two different gameplays truly begins. You’ll switch back and forth between taking care of Arthur’s health and plotting what to do about the bad man. As much as I was excited to see where this would take me, I was a bit disappointed with the results.

The more I kept up with Arthur’s life stats, the more I realized how out of place they were. I mean, a man shows up and threatens my life, and now I’m eating a bowl of cereal like nothing happened? Seems a little strange to me.

On the other hand, I do understand why it was incorporated to show the importance of keeping one’s health up during an intense situation. You can see that when Arthur can’t perform regular tasks once his stats are at an all-time low. This element reminded me a lot of Indigo Prophecy’s sanity meter, where the character could end up in a psych ward with low stats. A mechanic like this may have benefited its gameplay, making the life stats feel more crucial.

The in-between times also felt tedious as the game went on. The point-and-click interactions started to become dull after an endless amount of cleaning. All I would do is get Arthur’s stats up and aimlessly wait until Apartment Story’s thriller side came into play. At the least, the horror part got my blood pumping, given that the mysterious man could attack Arthur at any moment. I wish the game honed on this moreso than the slice-of-life part. Maybe the developers could’ve added in a jumpscare when you’re showering or placed hidden secrets for you to discover. Just something to make the downtime more exciting.

I probably would’ve got more into it if the story was more fleshed out. There was definitely some traction at the beginning with the unique dynamic between Diane and Arthur. All we really know about them is that they were old roommates who are the epitome of a ‘Will they? Won’t they?’ relationship. But outside of that, there’s not much to them that made me want to dig in more.

The narrative does reach a high point toward the end, like any thriller would. You’ll get to its conclusion pretty quickly, as a single playthrough only really lasts around 90 to 120 minutes. I like having a game that doesn’t require too much time, and I think if it had done anything more, it would’ve overstayed its welcome.

All in all, Apartment Story’s merging of Sim’s life stats and the thriller genre is an intriguing aspect that I would love to explore more. I just wish it could’ve been executed better by increasing the thrill of the gameplay. It’s almost like the concept was there, but it didn’t quite hit the mark.

What did work, though, was its retro PS2-style graphics. While I do love me some modern graphics, it’s nice to go back to the past with the game’s blocky style.

So, if you feel like getting a quick fix for a thriller, try out Apartment Story. It’s not the most gripping tale, but it does try something new with its unique stat management system. The game doesn’t take up too much of your time, making it perfect for a one-night playthrough.