Do Not Feed the Monkeys

Game Info

Do Not Feed the Monkeys is a digital voyeur simulator: a narrative-driven game where you invade the privacy of dozens of strangers and witness their most intimate moments, while you struggle to keep up to date with paying the rent and putting some food on the table. You are the newest member of the “The Primate Observation Club” -and of course it is not the wildlife conservation society the name would suggest. It is a front for a shadowy group that watches others through surveillance cameras and compromised webcams. Tired of your ramshackle apartment, dull existence and boring jobs, you’re accepted into the exclusive organization, so you can pry into the privacy of the “caged monkeys” as they go about their lives. The game lets you to Browse social networks, wikis, websites, newspapers, online stores and chat lounges to gather information about the “monkeys” you are charged to spy. The club urges you to not interfere with those observed (to not “feed the monkeys”). But then, what will you do? Will you intercede in the name of justice? Sabotage their dreams? Or will you just sit idly by while the world burns? Whatever you do (or don’t do) will have consequences!

Name

Companies

Fictiorama Studios

Released

10/23/2018

Platforms

Android, Linux, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS

Engines

Unity

Type

Puzzle, Simulator, Strategy, Adventure, Indie

Social Networks

0

izigame

members favorited

Reviews

Wednesday, August 28, 2024 12:45:18 AM

10 Steam users votes up

MattJPH

Steam user

Do Not Feed the Monkeys presents a clever premise for a puzzle game, blending voyeur like puzzling and investigation with life sim. Tasked by a mysterious organization to tap into live security footage, your goal is to gather evidence from these scenes. By observing the lives of those on camera, you can manipulate them through blackmail to enrich yourself and meet the organization’s ever-growing demands. Alongside this, you must manage your own needs like hunger, sleep, and health. The gameplay feels like a frantic race—collecting information, working to pay bills, and buying more camera feeds to satisfy the organization. How you use the information to alter the lives on each feed will ultimately shape the world around you. For instance, your actions might lead to new job opportunities, change the political fate of a business magnate, alter the environment, or even result in a cash reward for reuniting a lost loved one. It’s all quite clever.

Evidence collection involves gathering phrases from scenes and using light web-searching and logic to piece together further details. It’s not overly complex but still engaging. The game features about 50 camera feeds, with 20 or so having unique storylines. These storylines are well-written, offering branching paths based on your choices, and I enjoyed watching the drama unfold. Although the main story is somewhat nonsensical, the smaller subplots you uncover through your security camera sleuthing offer engaging and often quite funny glimpses into people’s lives.

However, Do Not Feed the Monkeys can be frustrating. The game is designed for replayability, with each camera feed’s narrative changing based on your actions and multiple endings tied to the morality of your choices. But each time you start a new run, the selection of feeds is random, and as you buy more, the randomness continues. This means you might repeatedly see the same feeds. After playing through three times, I encountered about 15 of the 20 unique storylines, but didn’t have the patience to replay the same ones just to potentially see the few I missed.

Although there were some frustrations, I had a good time with this game. The premise is novel, and executed well. I'd suggest this for puzzling fans, especially to those who enjoyed Return of the Obra Dinn, Papers Please, and The Case of the Golden Idol.