My favorite management sim, The Movies, has been lost to the mists of time and the swamps of abandonware, but I finally have what may be its successor: Hollywood Animal. This game launched onto early access earlier this month, and I absolutely love the time that I’ve spent with it so far.
On paper, the two are very similar. Much like Lionhead's 2005 simulator, Hollywood Animal sees you run a film studio in 1920s America, having to make movies to survive the dog-eat-dog world of showbiz. But while The Movies had a tendency to gloss over the nastier aspects of the film industry – and also lacked more sophisticated systems in general, despite feeling revolutionary at the time – Hollywood Animal indulges in them. It doesn’t condone those more tarnished edges of the silver screen, but they are very much present – and all the more dramatic for it.
