We’ve seen a radical shift in some of the indie releases coming out over the last few years. Roguelike elements are the new vanilla ice cream for many games and it’s actually becoming so common that it’s tiresome for many gamers. But just because something is overdone doesn’t mean that it can’t be occasionally good as well. Today, The Incentive Program from developer and publisher Outplay Entertainment is here to show us the potential of well-used mechanics in new interpretations. Outplay is typically known for light Match 3 games and this is a significant departure from their normal fare as well as their first Steam release. We had a chance to spend a few hours with their new dark Match 3 game and honestly, you should too!
There is currently no release date for The Incentive Program but the demo drops today and it’s more than enough to whet your appetite for the full game. The entirety of the demo takes place in one room where you wake up in what appears to be a small office. It seems that you’re an employee but this dystopian room has bathrooms, coffee maker, filing cabinets and more all locked up tight and cameras watching your every move. The only thing you can do is access the computer and your job is to play a Match 3 game on the retro ‘80s device. There’s a quote of matches you have to achieve and if you do so, you’re rewarded with coins which can be spend in the vending machine on various permanent and consumable items.
Looking around the office, you’ll find that there are a number of inconsistencies that make you suspicious, including torn posters and wallpaper, papers on the floor, and most notably the locked doors and cameras. Every camera follows you all the time and there are some odd notes on the wall that indicate things are quite abnormal in this office. There’s a strong parallel here between The Incentive Program and the hit slot machine roguelike Clover Pit (review here) though Clover Pit had more of a demonic undercurrent and gameplay with slot machines is much more random than Match 3. There’s also more than a hint of science fiction bureaucracy here with hints of Brazil, Severance, Incorporated, and even 1984 rolled into the design elements of the game. If you’re familiar with SCP,which a fair chunk of the game is based on, The Incentive Program is going to make you feel right at home as well. Playing on our inherent mistrust of faceless corporations is old hat for sci-fi fans, but it’s never been more relevant and while this is clearly a horror comedy, it also strikes a nerve.
Once you get into the Match 3 portion of the game, you’ll quickly realize that it’s more challenging than the typical game and the whole thing is rigged. Simply making matches isn’t going to cut it here as you have a limited number of moves in order to fulfill your quote. Failing to do so makes the smiley faced computer screen very unhappy and it immediately provides what appear to be fatal consequences. That’s actually how the demo ends too…gas is released, your eyes close, a series of seemingly random commands hit the monitor and it’s time to start over. It’s a short demo that has a single run but it gives us a taste of what The Incentive Program is like and honestly what we’ve seen so far is dynamite!
You’ve only got 5 moves per level without modifiers to hit your quota. Gaining multipliers will allow you to multiply your matches and proceed. As long as you hit the quota, you’re good, and the fewer moves you do it in, the more money you make. Once you’ve met your quota, you can access the vending machine, which allows you to buy three different classes of items. Trinkets are permanent upgrades (for the run) and have persistent effects, adding additional multipliers, points, and other modifiers that will help you to meet your ever increasing quota. Floppy disk packs will modify the frequency of gem drops in the Match 3 games, making it easier for you to accomplish tasks. Consumables are single use items that will help you out with abilities that may get your out of a tight spot if you’re having trouble making quotas. They include items that do things like shuffle the board, add special board tiles, or modify gems. Later on there are even RAM upgrades for your PC to help out further…if you survive that long!
There are a number of different board configurations, special tiles such as bombs and rockets, and even gems that actively get in your way, consistent with most Match 3 games. It’s the limited number of moves that really gets you in The Incentive Program though. Well, that and the exponentially increasing quotas you have to meet until your inevitable failure. Loss is guaranteed, so it will be interesting to see how the full game plays out and whether there are more persistent unlockables that allow for you to complete a full run of the game. We made it pretty far in the demo (12th quota) and in between quotas, there are some interesting unlockables hiding around the office if you’re diligent enough to find them that hint at both a greater conspiracy and much more depth than the game initially appears to have at first glance.
There’s a lot of potential in The Incentive Program. The dark (and occasionally blatant) undercurrent of corporate malfeasance and outright malicious intent is compelling to say the least. These days that concept strikes more than a bit too close to home as companies actively dismantle our society for short term gains at the cost of the individual and it feels like the game is targeting that discomfort, reaffirming our resistance as it entertains. While this is only a short demo, it’s a fun one and you’re definitely going to want to see more when the full game drops later this year, so download the demo today, check it out and wishlist it!
This review is based on a digital demo of The Incentive program provided by the publisher. It was played on both a gaming PC and a low-power work laptop and played equally well on both. The Incentive Program is currently a Steam exclusive.
Nate Van Lindt has been a gamer since the days of yore (aka Commodore 64), and has played a bit of virtually everything out there. He's also an avid comic book collector, both vintage and current, and reads a fair amount of sci-fi and fantasy. On top of that, he watches a fair number of movies and TV shows as well. Oh, and he has a family, a full-time job, and lives somewhere in the urban wilds of Southwestern Ontario, Canada, foraging for old video cables and forgotten game soundtracks.