I realize that most of my review are about violence game. I like to cool down a bit by play something that more calming game. So, I play Akhir Pekan Studio’s Warnet Life (2022).
The title screen is something. There’s 4 persons peacefully using computer. Then a human with bomb as head come in and get kicked by that violent security. Violence always has way to reach me *shrug* but whatever I like this already. This game is used to be named “Warnet Simulator”. It is indie game made by Indonesian developer and I feel like I want to promote this game as best as I can. Probably not much. The developer studio name “Akhir Pekan” means weekend, btw. So, hopefully there’s smidge of relaxedness in this game.
I should explain what’s Warnet for the foreigner reader out there first. Warnet stand for Warung Internet which is place for internet rental. Kind of like internet café but low class and in my experience Warung Internet seldom serves food or drink unlike internet café. Or at least not classy kind of food or drink. Warung Internet usually just serves soft drink or snack that usually can be found at any convenience store.
There’s not much stuff on setting so let’s get into new game. Suddenly, Bham! I’m in front of my internet rental store. It’s quite empty though.
Inside the operator’s PC, I find many software/applications on its desktop. Then there’s 4 kinds of currency on bottom right indicator and I become bit afraid because I know many mobile games that implements various currency. I fear this game is hunger for microtransaction but as far as I know this game is offline ones. Apparently, there’s mobile version of this game that add “advertisement watch” service to facilitate the mobile player to get more currency. Let’s press on for now.
Surely, I need computer set for customer’s need otherwise business won’t run at all. I can buy the part of the set at “PC Shop” apps. Tower part is the most expensive. The cheapest one is Lp 1,000,000 and I only have Lp 5,000,000 as initial capital! Lp is not life point, obviously. It’s pun of Indonesia’s currency: Rupiah often abbreviated as Rp. The game doesn’t take itself too seriously.
For example: that plastic chair. It’s usually use in street food stall instead of internet café. But in my high school’s experience when using Warnet, they don’t provide you with chair at all. Only cheap rug for me to sit down cross-legged. But rug is arguably more expensive than plastic chair. So there’s that.
There’s one bombhead man! I try to punch him (by pressing left mouse button) with no avail. Maybe because he’s currently on vacation and don’t have intention to blow up my shop. Carry on, then.
Items that I purchased will spawn at this delivery service shop which located few steps from my shop. “Si Lambat” means “The Slow” which is ironic because purchased items are instantly appeared there! I have 2 slots of inventory by default. It’s indicated in the center bottom. You can use the usual method of scrolling middle mouse button to switch between the inventory slots. But I prefer using old school FPS way: using number keys and it works! I can only pick up item when my current inventory slot is empty.
There you go! I move a monitor and a table on the corner. Apparently, my pocket can take on oversized thing like monitor, chair, or table. Weird. Even weirder is: mouse take one slot of my pocket like other large thing although it’s small. Medic_sf12_badmagic07.wav
It’s pretty nice Quality of Life to show the list of components on the table.
Apparently, the developer like Among Us. They put lots of reference to it everywhere in this game including this shop which is located exactly in front of mine!
Behold! A customer come by. By opening Request.exe apps on operator PC, I can decline or accept customer’s request. For now, I accept their request because I need money. Who doesn’t want money, anyway? Just keep in mind that you don’t get the money right away. You have to wait the customer finish using the computer first. The time they need to use computer is range from 1 – 3 hours. I believe 1 hours in this game is 1 minute in real life.
I believe in my day, I can rent internet an hour for Rp 20,000. 300,000 sounds too much for me! This city has enormous inflation issue.
The customer is middle school student. I will replace his parent to watch what he watches. So far, he’s doing fine.
Once he’s done with his daily dose of internet, the boy automatically pays me. You can see how much he pays from indicator above his head. Congratulation! You know the basic gameplay of this game.
I accidentally pick up a table where a customer is in. She’s understandably angry and doesn’t pay the fare. I’m sorry! 3:
Waiting for the customer can’t be boring. Besides, the income is pretty low with my current setup. So, I figure I take a stroll around here. There’s (from left to right): Humor club, green space (but display Among Us characters for some reason), and gold store. None of them can be interacted.
There’s red invisible wall with “You cannot enter” writing on it. But that citizen can pass through it with no problem. So “you” means only the player then.
Sometime, there’s elementary student come in to my shop not to use my internet but to bother my customer. Punch them to make them go away.
There’s small park not far from my shop. I can imagine Sadako can come out from that well. But I can’t do anything about it.
That was close. There’s active bomb headed man called Bomby, want to sabotage my shop. It takes 3 punches to take them down. Engineer_specialcompleted10.wav
Elementary school student and Bomby are not the only one that disturb my customer. Sometime there’s teacher that chasing middle school student customer because he’s skipping school. If your solution to this problem is punch the teacher, then I must congratulate your evil mind. How dare you to think to beat up a teacher who’s the hero of education? Besides player’s punch can’t hit him.
There’s morally and functionally better solution: you reject the middle school student from using your internet. There’s bit of risk and reward strategy here. Will you accept those students but there’s high risk they will be chased out by their teacher thus you get no payment or you take that risk and hopefully get some income if succeed? I think the factor that determine that: the rental duration. The shorter the duration, the less the risk but the less money you get. Also note that student type customer yields the least payment.
Through random chance, the internet will go down. So, you have to call the repairman to fix it via “IndiGO Internet” apps on the operator’s computer. He usually standby at the corner of this block. The speed which he will arrive to fix the internet depends on how you pay. The cheapest is Lp 100,000 and he will walk very sedately to fix the internet. The second most expensive is Lp 690,000 *No giggling there* and he will run as quickly as possible to fix the internet. The most expensive is 1,400,000 and he will instantly move in! Not even Team Fortress 2’s or Doom’s teleport can transport person that instant! The power of money!
Naturally, customers are angry if the internet is down (or being disturbed by the freeloader elementary school brats). You don’t get paid if they’re angry upon finishing their rental time. But I’m not sure about that. Thing for sure is: unhappy customers are bad for business.
By pressing ‘Tab’ button, I can bring my tablet but there’s nothing I can do in this tablet except checking my treasury and time. Turns out I can install some apps via “Tablet app” on the operator computer. I recommend you install “Billing.exe” so you can accept internet rent request anywhere you are. It’s relatively cheap too.
It probably begs question why you need to use Billing.exe in operator’s computer when you already have it on tablet? The computer has larger screen than the tablet so it can display more request/stall status than in the tablet. In one screen of computer, you can see 4 x 4 (total 16) status of internet stalls, mostly. Whereas in one screen of tablet, you can only see 3 x 3 (total 9) status of internet stalls.
I’m stumbled upon this intersection just dozen steps from my shop. As you probably knew that persons with exclamation mark over their head are quest giver. The security gives me quest to defeat lots of Bomby while the electrician gives me quest to fix my electricity several times.
Some street thug demands payment to get access to other part of town. Since I have the money tenfold as his demand. He can have the toll. Now off with you!
There’s bilingual pun here. As you may know cat is English word for feline. However cat with “c” pronounce as true “c” instead of “k” like in English vocabulary, means paint in Indonesian.
There’s half basketball court not far from the paint shop. I think this guy is parody to famous NBA basketball player but I leave the further knowledge to you because I don’t know much about basketball player. Well. Except Michael Jordan who’s starred in Space Jam.
Behind the basketball player is shaman that want me to get rid of 13 Kuntilanak! Are you drunk or something?
Then I meet this guy who ask me loan Lp 30,439,400 for his business. That’s lotsa money, man.
I’m return to my computer and checking on “IndieGO Internet” app. As you can see, not only you can call the repairman but also you can buy better Wi-Fi router. I assume the most expensive will negate internet down completely. Quick search on online shopping, I found that the cheapest router is approximately Rp 150,000. That’s 266 times cheaper than the cheapest router in the game! Spy_negativevocalization03.wav
There’s “Pocket” app in the computer that allow you to purchase extra slot in your inventory by only 1! But I should be grateful that I have 2 slots inventory. Back when the game is still in early version, player can only carry 1 item!
By pressing “Esc”, you can bring this pause menu. That purple book in left bottom corner is in-game guide. I suggest you read it carefully before playing the game because it contains pretty vital information including about enemies in this game.
The time is really late and it seems customer don’t come to my shop anymore. If only there’s time skip function. So, I take stroll further to this way because I earned it by paying that thug some money. Indoapril and Betamart store there are pun of common convenience store brand: Indomaret and Alphamart respectively.
I encounter spiffy-looking alien and they are willing to give me some gold bar in exchange of toilet. Don’t ask me why they want toilet. I can’t fathom the mind of enigmatic mind of alien from outer space. They must have good reason on their own.
I find this shaman apprentice in graveyard. He asks me to get rid of 40 Tuyul! Why everyone wants me to defeat supernatural creatures? I’m not Linda Meilinda from Dreadout game. I mean I played Dreadout 2 last year but now I’m just owner of internet rental.
I decide to go back to my shop. What’s this? There’s mysterious app with skull symbol on my computer! I swear it’s not there before. Apparently, it only come out in midnight hours. The app sells various items including old camera for Lp 40,000,000! It’s freaking overpriced! It’s better be magical camera that can defeat ghosts like in Dreadout or Fatal Frame.
I check Casino app for a bit. I think it’s not beneficial to use it because there’s so many unlucky outcomes. The least rewarding outcome is Lp 2,250,000 but each play cost you Lp 2,000,000. So the profit only Lp 250,000. You better avoid using this app.
Oh shoot! Here comes a Kuntilanak. Wow! I can destroy her with 2 successful hits of my trivial punch. You better get rid of her ASAP because she will make all customer run in fear!
Speaking of customer. Turns out, they will come to my place at night hours too. I should just wait more patiently, then. There’s this customer with head written “Andy Lukito”. The name is -I think- the head of developer crew of this game. This type of customer is one of elite one that pay you very good. I hope you don’t mind I’m standing on this PC, sir.
After some money farming…
Spy_autocappedcontrolpoint02.wav. My rental shop grows! I have 4 PC set now. As you can see in the table right in front of me. Mouse’s and keyboard’s position don’t matter. As long as every component is on table, the PC set is completed. I know it’s not ergonomic to put keyboard way the left of monitor but it’s funny to look at. What also funny is this Andy Lukito clip through the table. But it’s not entirely my fault. If I put the chair farther than the table by 2 pixels, the table doesn’t detect the chair as part of PC set. So I have to shove the chair inside of the table and the result as you can see here.
There’s special shop app that allow me to buy these unique upgrades. Breaking the wall of my shop seems destructive and not beneficial. Turns out it expands my shop’s area and I can put more stuff on the shop, naturally. They should rename it as “Shop Expand” so I can easily understand what it does. 1-punch man (obviously parody of One Punch man anime) is upgrade to my fist. I can defeat any enemy with single hit of my fist. Lastly and the most expensive ones, there’s Sultan Customers. Upon purchase, it will spawn VIP customer that bring more money to my shop. I reckon this upgrade is my target in this game, I will tell you later. By the way, Sultan is common slang for someone rich or wealthy customer. It is not related to Middle-Eastern monarchy system.
Not all customers are fair person. Some of them will run away and refuse to pay the bill. Punch them to get the payment. Cheeky git!
Not far from creepy well or basketball court, there’s House of Andy Lukito and he give me 1 entire 2nd tier PC set for free! Thanks for playing he said. No, no. Demoman_thanks01.wav :)
Look at the difference in payment between PC #1 and PC #5! The latter net bigger payment by factor of 5 than the former! Andy Lukito also gave me game console set for free. Game console nets less Lp than computer but bigger Wp. The game doesn’t tell me what Wp and Lp means. I assume, they’re Won points and Lira points respectively.
The guide says adding more monitor (up to 3) can get more income so I do that. Even with the fat old school monitor.
Quite later on…
I install another monitor on the same PC set. Look at that stupid brat becoming one with the monitor. Dumb git. You can see that elementary student currently renting the Playstation console besides the stupid monitor boy. Which means, only elementary and middle school student use the game console. The thing is, it’s quite difficult to differentiate elementary school students who are either the customer or the trouble maker. Only the targeting point can differentiate them. If it’s white, the boy is customer. If the pointer turns red, he’s troublemaker.
I upgrade some component on some computer set. Our business is growing! I decide to put additional crappiest computer on the center nearest to the entrance. It’s basically bait for Bomby to explode into and saving other computer with better components. However, since customer come to random computer, there’s a chance that the “bait” is occupied by top-rate customer like Andy Lukito’s clone here, which means the payment is less than good.
Suddenly, the electricity is out and I have to fix it by myself via this simple minigame. Connect the cable on left side to the right side corresponded by its color. I think electricity most likely out if I install more PC sets.
On my way to sell useless items to second-hand shop, I visit this electric shop for some window shopping. Just looking at their good won’t hurt anybody, right? The game console set around here is expensive. Not in Lp (which I have relatively abundant) currency but expensive in Wp currency. I feel more bitterness here because in real life I can’t have Nintendo Wii or Sony Playstation 5. But I have Nintendo Switch though.
I said that you should avoid Casino app however I like using this lootbox app here. Let me explain! First, the cost is cheaper by Lp 500,000. Second, it brings more benefit (if winning, that is). Consider it like you buy expensive PC component for cheaper price (and gambling). I feel like if I gamble money with reward money, is more atrocious because the outcome should be bigger money to consider it wins. Whereas in this gambling app, if I get cheap stuff as outcome, it can still be used to complete computer set. Besides, at this point Lp currency mostly used to buy computer part. At least, that’s for me.
As to how to win this gamble. I think I have vague strategy for it. Basically, you choose slot that was shown crappy reward before the slots randomized. It’s not 100% chance to win. At least 75% chance, I think.
I stepped out from my shop for a while and those elementary students are brawling thus making my customer run away! I will give them a lesson not to mess my shop! >:I
I find this app that sell upgrade to operator’s PC. First upgrade allows me to change my shop’s name. Then there are upgrade for operator computer’s component which makes me faster getting in or out of my computer. That doesn’t sound useful. I wish they’re to make customer use the computer faster which mean faster income.
During nighttime, not only Kuntilanak will come to my shop and scare away my customer but also Tuyul come to my shop and steal money from my desk. Clearly you don’t let this thieving brat ghost do whatever he pleases. Punch him ASAP! If he happens to manage to steal your money, he will run significantly faster than the running customer and naturally difficult to chase after him. I think the amount of money he stole is some percentage of your current money.
There I get enough money for
your fraudulent investment, you git. Now he needs 3 bowls for his bakso (meatball
soup) business. I give up on this one because I need to win the basketball
minigame which is impossible with the wonky basketball’s physics.
After even more money grinding…
Finally, I have enough money to unlock VIP customers. It costs Lp 200,000,00 but it’s worth it! These VIP customers give you more money than other customer and they’re guaranteed not running without paying the bill. They don’t come too frequently otherwise the game will be broken. The VIP customer can be distinguished by their crown and having cardboard cutout face of famous Indonesian Youtuber. One of them is this MiauwAug, one of my favorite Youtuber. Meeting him is make me very happy, even though he’s just cardboard cutout version in this game and definitely not real. The other Indonesian Youtuber in this game is Windah. I think I’m done with this game.
But then…
I decide I keep going because of MiauwAug’s VOD. I restart the progress because I want to make gif out of the dancing repairman. On previous playthrough I upgrade my modem thus the repairman come less frequently. But I don’t give up. I manage to trade 5 Air Conditioners to trade for some gold bars so I can buy this golden table which apparently increase my income even though I believe that it’s the lowest tier table but with gold coating. But who cares? Customer will be tricked by it and brings me more money!
If you’re incline to know, how do I get the bowls for the Mr. Majek’s quest. There’s 3 ways to do so. First, the basketball challenge. Somehow, I don’t need to score all of 5 goals. I only need one and there’s a chance I get the bowl or decoration plant. Second, using the scary well. I dump like 9 black keyboards (that worth Lp 1,400,000 each) inside of it then I interact with the statue besides the well and it spawns one bowl. As far as I know, this is the most reliable method to get the bowl although it costs lots of money. Third, using the Lootbox app. There’s option to get decoration instead of PC component but it costs Lp 5,000,000 per draw. One of the outcomes is the legendary bowl but its rarity is common, which is irony but it’s mandatory item for the quest. So I win first bowl from playing the basketball minigame and the rest of 2 bowls I get from the “wishing” well.
After getting scammed by Mr. Majek lots of times…
Mr. Majek’s last scam puts me in the jail and I meet this meatball soup peddler who get thrown of jail because he’s accused to poison his customers. Turns out he’s also victim of Mr. Majek’s scam. This is why you don’t trust to someone with name Majek which is backward spelling of “Kejam” means cruel in Indonesian. We manage to escape from this prison thanks to some prisoner who dig up hole on the wall but it costs lots of money to use his service.
The meatball soup guy has gathered some evidence of Mr. Majek’s crime after I bought him camera from that seedy apps. When he’s about to report Mr. Majek to police station. Mr. Majek comes in and punch the poor guy in the back of the neck!
Thus, boss fight ensues in basketball court. Never thought a business strategy game has boss fight on it, do you? Mr. Majek has health bar but I don’t have any. So, what’s the consequence on me if I get hit by his attack? It’s simple. Everytime Mr. Majek manage to hit me, I lost my percentage of money. Consider he’s fraudster, it’s quite make sense that his attack steal my money.
Once in a while, Mr. Majek recover his health and become invincible. To break his Saiyan-like’s charge, I must throw disco grenade that respawn randomly on the basketball court, at him. It makes him does the same dance as the repairman and make him vulnerable for seconds. This boss fight can be last forever thanks to his speedy health recovery. I wish the recovery rate is at least halved from it is.
Mr. Majek was down once I deplete his health bar. But he’s back and come at me angrily. I’m bad at scoring on basketball game. But apparently, I’m very good at insert Mr. Majek at the basketball ring with my cutscene uppercut. Everyone cheers for me. The meatball soup guy. Also some random housewife that happen to be near the basketball court.
Thus, the first chapter of this game completed. Mr. Majek runs away and the meatball soup guy starting his business from zero in another town. The story of this kind man continues in Bakso Simulator. Anyway, I end the article now for real.
I thought Akhir Pekan Studio’s Warnet Life (2022) is business strategy game with sandbox style where you upgrade your shop while getting money as many as you want. However, there’s a series of plot quests added on this game which I didn’t expect it. It’s very welcome feature to me although you can ignore it if you want to focus on collecting lots and lots of money. But ignoring those quests is pretty boring to me. One part that I hate from the plot quest is getting the legendary bowl. I thought I have to win the basketball game perfectly which is nearly impossible to do. Good luck with the wonky basketball physic and 5 randomly chosen spot for the free throw minigame, including on top of the fence! So, I suggest you use the method of making offering to the deity of the creepy well. It’s the most reliable method to get those bowl. The quests after the bowl fetch quest, are relatively easy like buying mysterious box from the seedy app or buying paint and apply it to the wall by throwing it. Paintbrush or paint sprayer is not required. About the core of the game. I dare to say it’s remarkably better than Dino Park Tycoon that I played. You don’t have to worry about periodic expense or visitor’s rate. Putting more computer doesn’t make electricity bill goes up. It doesn’t exist in the game anyway. Instead, putting more computer make the electricity out happens more likely. Also putting more computer will attract more customer generally. There’s so little factor in this game that makes your business go bankruptcy unlike Dino Park Tycoon. Child brawl, Kuntilanak, or electricity out only negate your current income temporarily. The closest thing that makes you bankruptcy or your wallet goes negative is when Tuyul successfully steal your money. Even so he doesn’t come so frequently (it occurs once or twice per day) also he only appears at nighttime. I don’t think there is player that stupid enough to get bankruptcy because of Tuyul.
Long story short, Dino Park Tycoon has lots of uncontrollable element on the gameplay core. Whereas Warnet Life (2022) doesn’t have many of it. You can fully control of your business pretty easily as long as you keep those Tuyul in check and don’t do irresponsible Casino gamble too many times. The game also offers you so many useful upgrades and Quality of Life. Optional quests also have good reward like ability to recruit housewife that beat those pesky elementary students, security that boot out Bomby or shaman that can exorcists Kuntilanak. The sound effect is simple yet functional. While the music is good including the daytime BGM. Check this out
It's quite soothing and simple music for daytime activity. But I think it’s too relaxing for a game that has race of suicide bomber that more than happy to blow out your shop.
The game doesn’t take itself
to seriously and it’s fun to play. It’s probably slow at the early gameplay.
However, since in last update Andy Lukito will give you an entire 2nd tier
computer set for free. That surely speed up your income pretty significantly in
early gameplay. Plus, you will get more free stuff from him everytime you
finish a chapter in this game. Once I have lots of computer set, i become addicted to this game because the business is busier and more lucrative. There’s total 4 chapters. They include wandering
spirit, Aliens and Bigfoot! I told you the game doesn’t take itself too
seriously. Sadly, the game is buggy especially in pause menu where the sensitivity slider refuses to move or the setting menu refuses to return to pause menu.
I can recommend you to play this game although I prefer Bakso Simulator because the gameplay is more involving the player whereas Warnet Life is too much waiting for something to happen. Besides I prefer Bakso (meatball soup) than internet. One day I will review Bakso Simulator, then. It’s on Steam, by the way.
