Mr. Billion Review (PC)

My accountant was adamant that I wouldn’t be able to amass eternal happiness with just a bank account and a few measly million dollars. In turn, I retaliated, not just to prove him wrong, but to wax that adolescent itch of mine—the one that dreamt of owning a yacht, a mansion, and somewhere in the vicinity of twelve profitable businesses. I flaunted that cash—bathed in it, even—to make a statement, that cash could buy me happiness. It didn’t remove the guilt that came with the sacrifices I had to make along the road to riches—robbing a bank, being the most regrettable decision, naturally. But as the [local] saying goes, I would soon rather cry in the front seat of a Lamborghini than in a Nissan Qashqai. Or at least, I think that’s the train of thought that Mr. Billion wanted me to foster.

I suppose it’s a bit like BitLife, but with fewer options to choose from, and not to mention a ridiculously unhealthy obsession with lucrative ways to earn sickeningly high amounts of money. It’s also a bit like a Mr. Beast episode, rather fittingly, in the way that the ultimate goal of Mr. Billion is to flex cash clips and participate in various activities to help it snowball into something immensely profitable. There are tasks stitched between, for sure, but the goal is as simple-minded as one would naturally expect of such a basic concept: build wealth, and splurge on luxuries whilst simultaneously maintaining your wellbeing and work ethic — if you choose to adopt one, that is.

From Rags to Riches

Mr. Billion lays its cards out on the table and doesn’t ask questions about how you might capitalize on the Royal Flush. In ways, it effectively dangles a carrot on the end of a stick—a stick that hovers way beyond a series of randomized stepping stones and crucial decisions—and then actively coerces you into chasing the dream by pursuing certain life-changing choices, whether it’s the clothes you sport, the businesses you invest in, or the spouse that you hope to tie the knot with. It does all of this by putting you in a rather sad and somewhat depressing starting position—as a homeless wannabe, who yearns only to build immense wealth and monopolize the world in a manner that appeals to their financial interests. That, in short, is where you launch your journey.

The game itself plays out like a traditional idler game, with the in-game cash that you earn from your various personal and professional endeavors increasing whilst you tend to other matters on your desktop. Whilst tending to the game, you have several tabs to keep track of, including your attire, business opportunities, health, transport, and above all, accommodation. To unlock even greater opportunities for these morally grey areas, you must make life-altering decisions over a period of time that spans most of your career. For example, you can either choose to rob a bank, which in turn can, at a risk, provide you with more cash, or you can funnel your funds into launching a business, which will provide you with a higher return at a later time. The purpose here, then, is simple: make the correct decisions that will fast track you to billionaire status. Easier said than done.

To Amass Wealth

The journey begins in a slow-paced manner, with the player making subtle changes to their life whilst also working to earn small fortunes in order to invest in even greater opportunities—a better outfit; a more sustainable lifestyle; a home in the hills; and even more love interests, surprisingly. To that end, players have to gradually jump over a few hurdles, several of which directly influence their future careers as a “self-made” billionaire. From small tents to lavish estates, torn tracksuits to designer shirts, humble coffee shops to corporate monoliths — the path before you is as clear as day, but the twists and turns that grudgingly implement themselves into the course are there to prevent you from capitalizing on the final destination.

For an idle game, there’s a surprisingly large amount to lay your hands on here. Of course, the premise is as equally dim-witted as the cartoon-ish art style that it brings to the table, as are the silly Flash-like gestures and animations. Heck, most of the game is a all rather ridiculous, in fact. But the main thing is that it makes the process of transforming a homeless person into a prolific billionaire incredibly entertaining, and it’s the little features that it fosters—attire, health and fitness, relationships, and a surplus of stat levels, for instance—that make it all the more enjoyable to work through.

There’s no denying the fact that Mr. Billion is an incredibly satisfying game to inject your time and energy into. Is it the best of its kind? Not by a quarter mile, no. Yet I’m inclined to believe that, thanks to its vast wealth of features, career-based decisions, and addicting methods for accruing money, it’s one of the better idler titles that I’ve had the chance to soak up in recent weeks.

Verdict

If cash is king, then you are, without doubt, the rightful heir to the throne—the sacrificial lamb who has the privilege of being able to chase the funds in whatever way you so desire. The truth here is that, to make billions (as the game requires of you), you first need to hop through a tremendous amount of hoops—plinths that, frankly, are surprisingly enjoyable to vault into, thanks to the game’s inclusion of several interactive tabs and satisfying gameplay loop. The idea is simple, I’ll admit, but its execution is weirdly complex — which is great, more so for an idle game, all things considered.

To cut a long story short, if you’ve exhausted all of your options in BitLife, and are desperately seeking a fresh way to splurge your cash on pointless purchases and random in-game encounters, then Mr. Billion will definitely be able to accommodate that newfound appetite of yours. It’s a silly game, and it doesn’t carry much weight in terms of storytelling, but if you don’t mind skipping out on a convoluted plot in order to bathe in riches beyond your wildest dreams, then you should find enough to throw your wad at here.