Zapitalism Reviews

*VERY* rough looking game. The tutorials are monotonous, and the performance is slow. The graphics are lack luster, and the User Interface is lacking in feedback (hover effects on selectable items, click-confirmations, etc). The concept and core feedback loop have potential, but this title has a *LONG* way to go before it's worthy of any price tag. I'd be disappointed if I'd played this for free, it's definitely not worth the $15 I paid.

It's nice that Lavamind is updating their games for the modern era - I really appreciate that. However, there are many sound issues with the current iteration of Lavamind's games (Gazillionaire and Zapitalism) which suggest they are more after a cash grab than they are preserve games from decades ago. I'd hard avoid both games until the sound issues are fixed.

Just like old times! It seems fairly well ported to modern machines, and runs well NO SOUND ISSUES; that's just one reviewer throwing a tantrum when the problem is probably with their own PC. As to the game itself? Entertaining, challenging, and educational.

I myself had sound issues (crackling) which was only present in the game and not any other audio, found the game rather clunky with errors in using Steam Overlay, and I'm not sure what happened to the purchase of this game I enjoyed a long time ago but there's no clear options to log into the old account or enter in the game key. I also expected there to be an online multiplayer, which is something I remember being able to do before. The old website just redirects to lavamind and that the game is available on Steam - but this Steam version didn't seem worth the money

I received an e-mail from Steam saying “LavaMind’s Zapitalism is now available on Steam!” and I didn’t even think before buying it. Admittedly, I never played it nearly as much as I did Gazillionaire but I have fond memories of both games, and I’m happy they’ve been ported to this era and to Steam. These are museum pieces to cherish forever and replay every once in a while. Zapitalism isn’t as fun as Gazillionaire, mostly because the theme of space travel and the different specialties per planet makes it more varied. There isn’t as much feel with the products you’re selling (but I think that’s mostly because of the catchy soundbits Gazillionaire uses). It is still a legit strategy game, though, and there is enough variation between the special abilities the different companies have, that’s it becomes challenging to pick the right one for your playing style. The tutorial does a great job introducing every aspect bit by bit, so that you’re well-prepared for your first novice game after about fifteen minutes. Definitely recommended if you like old-school strategy business simulation games!

This game is worth my $20, even after years since I had last played the original version. I had managed to improve my economics skills every single day, learning every little economics tip each day, even from the demo version. I have managed to benefit from learning how to adjust the prices of my supermarket products based on supply and demand of each product. The combination of cool stories, interesting graphics, and the array of various potential scenarios has certainly picked up my interest in playing the game again on my new computer. Lemme tell you a cool story to you. One day, playing as Spinniker on Master Difficulty, I approached the golden moment when some of the more expensive supermarket products suddenly became super valuable by the Zapinalians. The moment I received a 1,000,000 Zables profit from one week's worth of Sleeping Masks within the first 10 weeks, and then I decided to purchase the full version in order to continue this goldmine of a game. I could not stop playing, and I kept on learning a lot of cool stories inside the game that will for sure keep myself to play more. The only issues I have within the game are a few minor spelling/grammar mistakes, the fact that some of the animated graphics no longer play (although that's only a minor visual issue), and the fact that the sound occasionally glitches a little bit. Otherwise, the game experiences while playing the game were very rewarding for me. One more suggestion is to add Steam Achievements, maybe add a Steam Achievement for earning 1,000,000 Zables profit from a single product type within a single week?

I still own the original game which looks better and runs smoother compared to the Steam version. I will keep playing the original game in a virtualized environment. It's still a very addicting game which need a serious reboot. I refunded the Steam edition.

If you're feeling nostalgic because you've played this game 20+ years ago and you won't be disappointed if the experience isn't perfect then by all means go ahead and buy! I bought it and had a few hours of fun with my girlfriend who also enjoyed it and never played it before. The reason I can't recommend it in general is because everything about this feels like a cheap and lazy port to grab some quick cash. The sound is a dodgy, the video animations are buggy. There is no language options whatsoever even though the original game was dutch (copy/pasting the dutch text was too much effort?). The interface is about what you'd expect from 20 year old software. So nothing gamebreaking but a little disappointing. The game has been out for over a year on steam at this point and I doubt any developer or programmer will touch it's code for the next 20 years... so with this information decide for yourself if the game is good enough for you as it is!

Blast from the past! I bought this game like... 21 years ago or so on CD. Slight changes to that version - you can see your luck now when you go to the insurance place which is nice. But I miss the preset product notes for "Never Buy Again" - haha. The thing that I find most intriguing is all the different possibilities that can happen when you travel, both on the island and off of it, as well as the random events which have decisions. A very very slight graphical glitch every so often but hardly noticeable and doesn't affect game-play. No sound problems here. I was one of the people who asked them to release on steam last July actually - at that time they didn't want to and I'm glad they decided to do it. Still very fun and worth it.

"We're doing business with you!" After all this time, back in Zapinalia! Looking forward to see Queen Keshi Keshi Gomu for a nice cup of tea. Best turn based business/financial simulation game ever and worth every zable. I also got the original boxset of trilogy which has Zapitalism, Gazillionaire and Profitania in it and it's still in perfect condition, but even so I bought this after I saw the announcement mail immediately. I also wrote a long mail to LavaMind years ago, asking them for involve in Steam Greenlight and sharing some of my remembrances with the game and now, I'm so glad to see this classic here. I have so many memories with this game and I can easily place it in "old but gold" category. Still fun to play because of the including content and style. I'm sure that the old and loyal players will buy the game as soon as possible at least just for nostalgia, but for attracting new players and of course more budget for new LavaMind games, hope to see some updates and add-ons from LavaMind in time... By the way, this Steam version has the design of the relatively new web version, but it would be great if there will be an option for the old school design of the game (with retro fonts, black theme, opening animations and intros, etc). I'm sure that the old Zapinalia entrepreneurs would appreciate and feel more familiar to that look. Adding some steam achivements and cards, maybe some dlc's after almost 25 years are some other ideas. And adding a multiplayer option via steam with a lobby would be magnificent. This game has multiplayer option via e-mail even back in 97, so i'm sure this request won't be an issue for LavaMind.