Debt City
A downloadable game
Welcome to Debt City.
10 Days to Pay. Unlimited Ways to Play.
Will you turn to a life of crime, or play as a normal citizen? The choice is yours.
ABOUT THE GAME
Debt City is a retro sandbox life sim. After things go horribly wrong on an island vacation, you find yourself indebted to one of the most powerful and notorious crime bosses in the seedy Debt City. Given just 10 days to pay off your debt of $10,000, you'll be given the choice: how do you attempt to repay that debt? Will you stay on the straight and narrow and work different jobs to make a living? How about stocking shelves at a convenience store? Or maybe you can be a school janitor? But if that line of work isn't exciting enough.. You can enter the criminal underworld of Debt City. Take assassination contracts to make citizens disappear, no questions asked. Craft and sell specialty (and highly illegal) substances on the black-market. Or maybe you'll become the monster hunter the city needs after a crazed doctor's failed invention goes haywire. But the best part of Debt City? You can do it all. Or none of it. That choice is up to you.
Debt City is all about freedom. With a limited story and a sandbox world to explore, you are able to live your virtual life. Well, at least for 10 days. Each day in Debt City consists of a limited number of actions you can take. Go over those actions, and you will find yourself passing out and ending up in the hospital. With a large medical bill as well, definitely a setback for someone in your situation. Debt City is also about choice. You'll choose from two different characters to play as, you'll choose your apartment style, and you'll also choose your difficulty level. So those number of actions can grow or lessen depending on how hard you'd like the journey to be. And if you die, you'll start over and get to do it all again. But maybe differently this time?
Aside from taking jobs and teetering between being a criminal or doing the right thing, you can also just live your virtual life. Play a minigame on your retro game console in your apartment. Go to the casino and try to win big in your quest to pay off your debt. Go for drinks at the bar. Or just travel back to the island and have a nice vacation. Just remember, you've got 10 days to pay. And there are 4 possible endings to discover.
The 10 day time frame makes the game strategic if you want it to be. But it's not a stressful game. I definitely want a chill vibe. Multiple endings allow you to play forever. And days only advance via certain actions you do in each in-game day. You can play it exactly the way you as the player chose to.
FROM THE DEVELOPER
The tone of the game is dark and mature, after all Debt City is a dangerous place. But there is also humor and different easter eggs to discover throughout. From tongue-in-cheek newspaper headlines, to a crime family that dresses up in football uniforms to conduct their business, to playing a minigame with... Santa Claus? I wanted to mix seriousness and adult themes with some humorous elements. My main inspirations are games from my childhood.
Debt City is a long time coming. It's the type of game I wanted to develop for years. But I never had the experience, until I released my prior games. Now I knew was the time to tackle it. A truly open world modern city game. A sandbox life sim. Debt City has the retro graphics and vibes of an old school game, with jazzy blues, rock, and contemporary music to set the mood. The goal of the game is to explore the city and work to pay off your debt, but how you do that is up to you. I didn't want to limit the player. You can be a criminal. You can be a hard working civilian. Or maybe you're a mix of both. And I wanted random elements to surprise the player when they are discovered.
FEATURES
- Huge open city to explore
- Two character options, with two different apartments
- Unique action based time system
- PC with job board, city news, and dark web
- Work jobs at stores and businesses
- Take criminal jobs for different crime families
- Retro graphics and contemporary soundtrack
- Life sim elements like drinking, eating, etc
- Different difficulty options
- High replayability
- Steam Deck support
Development log
- Preorder Debt City on KickstarterNov 09, 2024
Comments
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Dear Nick,
The concept of "Our Town Hero: A Cozy Retro RPG," where players can watch the seasons change as they restore a town, is truly captivating. Could you elaborate on how the seasonal changes influence gameplay mechanics and the overall narrative? Additionally, considering the game's nostalgic retro aesthetic, how do you balance classic RPG elements with modern gameplay innovations to appeal to both veteran and new players?
Hello!
Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you find it interesting! The seasons will show the town changing as the player has an influence over it. The game opens during winter with the town mostly closed up, and abandoned due to the kidnappings. New seasons bring hope and light to the town, with the player also restoring it.
The seasons will also affect the woods where the main battles take place, with each season having different sets of monsters and enemies you'll face. Winter themed monsters during snowstorms etc.
As for the retro style, it's really about bringing that nostalgic look to the game, while also having modern features that players are used to. Auto saving, character creation, etc. In the same way that a game like Stardew Valley does it so well.
I hope you'll give the game a play when it's released!
That all sounds really cool! I love how the seasons not only change the town visually but also reflect the player’s impact on it. Starting in winter with everything feeling abandoned, then gradually bringing life back that’s a great way to build atmosphere.
The seasonal enemy changes in the woods sound like they’ll keep battles fresh and interesting too. Facing winter-themed monsters during snowstorms? That’s an awesome touch!
And yeah, the balance between retro aesthetics and modern conveniences is a great approach. It keeps the nostalgia while making sure players have a smooth experience. Stardew Valley really nailed that, so it’s exciting to hear you’re taking a similar approach.
I’ll definitely keep an eye out for the release looking forward to playing it!