$20…er….Free game of the Week: American Dream (Ouya)

The Ouya isn’t exactly taking the world by storm, but I still gotta show it some love. Yes I know its launch wasn’t exactly perfect and not that many people are buying the software, but it’s not a triple A console, it’s an independently developed project funded via kickstarter. It’s $99, it can run your favorite retro games via emulator, it has a library of games already available for it (for better or worse), and you can develop software for it. That last part is especially important, because with the indie development scene exploding, you’ll wind up with experimental entries like American Dream that you won’t see on Steam any time soon.

Available for free on the Ouya shop, American Dream puts players in the role of a stock trader. Your goal is to make a million dollars while keeping up with the latest styles. You buy and sell stock, represented by various 80’s celebrities. In between work days, you purchase items to furnish your apartment. Buy everything that’s in style for that period of time, and you’ll have a party full of hand-drawn characters who give you stock tips. Of course every once in a while your items will go out of style and you’ll have to buy new stuff. That’s pretty much it really, the key is to buy low and sell high. Strangely, it gets fun and addictive, and you’ll be wrapped up in trading stock and buying useless items. There is no save function that I am aware of, but the game won’t last long anyway. While you could look and see if there is a hidden message about capitalism and materialism, or you could simply enjoy this off beat game.

What better place for an experimental game than on an experimental system? Of course it isn’t for everyone and is hardly the game that will justify your purchase, but if you do have an Ouya, and want something different, then you could do worse. If you want a triple A blockbuster, go play Battlefield 4.