Took one for the team

One would think that with a title like Create A Mall, maybe this isn't a game geared towards men. When you first get to the intro screen and see the girl sitting at the desk, surrounded by an abundance of pink and purple, you can be pretty sure that it was made with women in mind. However, being a man myself, I took one for the team and played it anyway. The result? I had a lot of fun, but I would appreciate it if you kept this between you and I.

Mall mastermind

You play as Kelly, a young woman who has been given the task of developing malls all across the country. This isn't exactly a simple task, but a helpful tutorial will walk you through what to do and how to do it. It goes pretty in-depth, so you'll want to pay attention. It may seem like the game isn't worth going through all of this, but the most complex games are often the most rewarding, as is the case here.

Mall building 101

If you've ever played any sort of building sim, you'll immediately understand a lot of the basics here. You'll build stores inside of the mall, and those stores will generate revenue. In most stages, you're working towards some sort of monetary goal. You can take as long as you want to complete a goal, but if you beat it before a certain date, you'll get an expert bonus. Anybody who's played a time management game will be familiar with this mechanic.

Sometimes you need to reach a certain daily income, as opposed to an overall total. You can see your daily income on a progress bar in the bottom left corner. Each time the bar fills up, you'll receive the amount of money listed. The more business you have, the more you rake in each day.

Generally, the more expensive the business is, the more money it will earn. You can also upgrade businesses to increase their cash flow, but you need enough resources for the upgrade, which you can check on in the bottom corner. I'm not sure what these "resources" are, as they're not money, but whatever they are, they're important.

Making the most of your space

In short, the game is all about making the most out of the space that you have. You want stores that are going to earn a lot of money, so you have to make sure you build the correct things. It's somewhat trial and error gameplay, but that isn't a bad thing. Anybody who enjoys this type of game will be willing to put the effort into being successful. It's just that sort of game, and I love it.

For men and women!

I had a blast playing Create A Mall. I love playing the role of a business tycoon without having to risk any of my actual money! If you've ever wanted to run a business, you're going to find a lot to like here.