The Manga Works (2022)

Developer: Kairosoft Co.,Ltd
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Casual, Indie, Simulation, Strategy
Rating: 3.7 of 5, 252 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 8.7 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A low-stress, step-by-step simulation of building a career as a manga artist from a small room to fame.

casualsimulationmanagementeducationalcutepixel graphicschoose your own adventurerelaxing

What players say

Players are split: some enjoy the relaxing loop of creating manga and naming AI-generated parodies, but many call it one of Kairosoft's most repetitive and boring games. It forces long idle stretches during serialization, interruptions at bad times, and a punishing economy, leading to a grindy slog that feels more like work than a game.

Screenshots

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More by Kairosoft

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.