izigame.me

A game about using cameras to spy on various people and solving mysteries involving them, all while managing your day-to-day life.

Do Not Feed the Monkeys is built around the rather unique premise of installing an application that allows you to view live feeds from different cameras around the world. This application is set up by a secret society, tasking you with figuring out certain information about the people you’re spying on. These objectives are given in intervals and come with a time-limit, tasking you with finding the correct information in the given time span in order to receive reward money.
You gather information this by taking note of objects and/or conversational topics from the relevant cameras and using a search engine to combine these elements and make deductions. You may also unlock the ability to contact different people in order to gain new insights. Going against the secret society’s wishes, you may also use these abilities and the gathered insights to influence the people you’re watching over in order to help them or to gain some additional cash.
To make things more challenging, you additionally have to take care of yourself – staying healthy by regularly sleeping and eating. Buying food, paying bills and acquiring new cameras, as is regularly requested by the secret society, also require a steady stream of cash, meaning you’ll often have to supplement the limited income from your spying activities through odd jobs.
Each activity also takes a set amount of time, clashing with the fact that the cameras you’re watching are running on fixed schedules – meaning you’ll only be able to acquire certain information at certain times, when things are actually happening. With this in mind, the game tasks you with managing your schedule you don’t miss crucial information while keeping expenses in check and meeting your needs. This turns out to be quite a challenge at times, especially on your first playthrough, when you’re not yet acquainted with the different cameras’ mechanics.
All of this is presented in a decent looking pixel-art-based interface supported by a rather interesting soundscape, both of which I found to be very charming. The world the game presents you with is quite interesting, striking a good balance between being realistic and straight up whacky. All of it is presented with heaps of humour, which the game pulls of rather well, often managing to feel surreal yet somehow believable. Do Not Feed the Monkeys also offers quite a bit of replay value, as there are more camera feeds available than can be unlocked at once, with many cameras also offering multiple ways to resolve them.

All in all, I had a great time with Do Not Feed the Monkeys and can only recommend it.