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You wake up slowly, wiping the crust from your eyes. In the bathroom mirror, you stare at your reflection, questioning your identity. A 20 year-old waiter in Slough, England with four friends, a low-paying food services job, and no discernable future. “Is this it?” you wonder. “No,” you assure yourself. The world is full of opportunities, and you have plenty of time to take advantage of them.This is the basic premise of Kudos, a life simulation game developed by Positech Games and ported to the Mac from Red Marble Games. A Menu of Decisions Kudos’ gameplay is fairly straightforward. The player assumes the role of an avatar, or virtual self, and simulates their life between the ages of 20 and 30. There is no absolute goal in Kudos, but the accumulation of somewhat arbitrary Kudos points and the development of one’s character are the main objectives. As a turn-based management simulation, Kudos’ gameplay primarily consists of making decisions. This decision-making process begins by customizing your avatar. There are several male and female models, and one can download additional ones from an in-game update screen. After you have chosen your avatar, you must decide how to prioritize your four basic attributes—I.Q., Culture, Happiness, and Confidence—which will determine the personalities of your initial four friends. Following this decision, the floodgates of choice burst open. Kudos offers a plethora of opportunities to develop your character any which way, and I strongly recommend using the tutorial before diving headfirst into the world. There are four basic menus that guide gameplay: You, Career, Skills, and the Control Panel. On the right middle of the playing screen is the “you” menu. It displays your original four attributes in addition to boredom, loneliness, fitness, health, stress, tiredness, weight, alcohol, and muscles. These attributes fluctuate depending on your activities. Jogging, for example, decreases your stress and increases your fitness, health and tiredness. On the left middle of the screen the Career menu displays your current occupation, salary, employer, commute distance and commute method. Each of these categories is variable as well, and allow for megalomanic management possibilities. Depending on your commute, you can purchase a car and drive to work, take public transportation, bike, or even skateboard, all with varying costs. Below the Career menu is the skills menu, which displays which skills you have developed. You start with none, which explains your initial job as a waiter for the “Happy Snacks” franchise. Skills include everything from Kick Boxing to Advanced Molecular Chemistry, and can be developed by taking night school courses, engaging in particular activities, and using certain purchased products.
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