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The Oil Blue: Steam Legacy Edition – An Indie Game Review

The Oil Blue: Steam Legacy Edition – An Indie Game Review
4.5

Platforms: Windows PC, Steam

Game Name: The Oil Blue

Publisher: Vertigo Gaming Inc.

Developer: Vertigo Gaming Inc.

Genre: Simulation, Strategy

Release Date: June 22nd, 2010

The Oil Blue – What We Think:

With the fluctuating prices of oil these days, do you have what it takes to return a profit in such a tumultuous market? The Oil Blue will put your oil drilling skills to the test.

The Oil Blue is a single player simulation/strategy game which puts you to the task of drilling for oil on a day to day basis. Sounds exciting right? Well, believe it or not, there are a variety of gameplay mechanics that work really well together to form an excellent product that will keep you hooked and keep those barrels flowing out of your storage.

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Are You Ready to Drill for Some Oil?

You may be overwhelmed by the tutorial at first, as it goes into depth on how to operate the four machines you will be using. However you needn’t fret, the game does a great job of easing you into the oil drilling and selling process.

As a new employee put in charge of United Oil Oceana, your goal is to sell a certain amount of oil produced in the days provided. After you have completed this task, you can still continue to drill on your current island for extra cash or move onto the next one. Keep in mind that you have to pay out for feeding your employees every day, and your other conquered islands will produce additional income.

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Your Life Flashing Before Your Eyes

A day in game time will take close to ten minutes, and here’s where the fun part comes in. This is a game of time management. As you start to drill, your first task will be turning on your drilling machines and letting them warm up. You are then tasked with monitoring the drilling process, performing tasks such as releasing pump pressure, pumping for oil and transferring your oil to barrels. This can be a slow process at first, but as you pump for more oil your machines will level up, allowing you to produce oil at a much quicker rate.

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A chime will toll the end of the day, which is time to sell the barrels you have produced before the markets close. This is where you must watch the stock market prices displayed in the Sell menu, and sell when you can get the most for your oil.

Can We Fix It? You’d Better Fix It.

At the beginning of the following day, you have a varying amount of time which you can use to repair your machines. It’s important that your machines are repaired every day, if need be, so that you can produce the largest amount of oil possible. These repairs are done by simple mini-games, involving either memory or quick reflexes. Simple controls make this task anything but a tedious one, and the variety of mini-games keeps this process interesting.

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Pumping Oil to Pumping Beats

Another aspect of the game I enjoyed as much as the mini-games and the quick-paced involvement of general gameplay was the soundtrack. This is literally a soundtrack composed to enjoy while pumping oil. One listen and you’ll understand what I mean. With a deep bass house feel on most of the tracks and an uplifting island feel on the rest, a lot more enjoyment is extracted from this game if you’re rocking a decent pair of headphones.

If you are a fan of the simulation genre, it’s almost certain you will attain a lot of enjoyment from this title. If The Oil Blue taught me anything, it’s that managing oil refineries virtually is actually fun. Don’t be afraid to get a little dirty and dive right in. You won’t be disappointed.

The Oil Blue is available via Steam.

[xrr rating=”4.5/5″]

Watch the trailer for The Oil Blue below: