Idle Toilet Tycoon Review

Become a Bathroom Boss!

Some tycoons build rollercoasters; others build zoos. But in Barley Games latest release, you build toilets.

Take control of bathroom upgrades, employees, and even assist your patrons with their number twos in this quirky tycoon sim.

Idle Toilet Tycoon puts you in the shoes of a second-generation bathroom manager following in your father’s footsteps. The business you inherit is still in its infancy, your bathrooms have squat toilets, no toilet paper or trashcans. Patrons are undeterred by the lack of amenities. They start to flood in, drop their pants and use your restrooms. Once they are done, they pay you for the privilege.

Fun Animations

Character animations are amusing. When one of the characters decides to use a porcelain throne, they hold their hand in the exact position they would, while looking at their phone. It is more than a little surreal. Barley Games doesn’t skimp on variety. Characters appear dressed not only in regular clothes that fit their surroundings, but also, as doctors, police, football players, and the nightclub comes replete with a pole dancer. Emojis display above their heads to let you know what they are feeling. A person standing in line might show a grimaced face indicating that the line is too long. Or a person using the bathroom might show a pained emoji signaling the need for your assistance with, um, let us say providing emotional support to finish their business. The surroundings are also interactive, ranging from switching on streetlights to making luggage carts shoot across the airport.

Multiple Upgrades but Limited Locations

Currently, the game only features three locations but promises at least two more in future updates. The game does offer multiple upgrades for bathroom features, with some having up to 10 levels or more. You can also build non-bathroom businesses and attractions that can be upgraded to generate extra cash in the game. The airport location allows you to build a coffee shop. At the nightclub, a DJ booth and dance floor. Multiple upgrades unfortunately don’t lead to more fun. The upgrades don’t provide a sense of satisfaction once it is clear how many upgrades are required to unlock new locations by gaining stars. Upgrades contribute to meter that once full gives you a star. Earning a certain number of stars unlocks new locations. It takes time and lots of cash to fill the meter. At this point the feeling of being pushed to whip out your credit card is apparent.

Maybe too Simple

The game does not throw many obstacles at the player. There is a water management aspect, but it does not play heavily into the game. What’s more, you generate cash so quickly that it’s dirt simple to upgrade. There is the potential for your facilities to break down or require cleaning. Unfortunately, that doesn’t provide any challenge as your employees will take care of it. A few times, multiple toilets, sinks, and urinals broke down all at once. Cash flow largely wasn’t impacted, missing a chance to challenge the player. Bradley Games included one nice little touch requiring players to strategically pick male and female employees because they can only go into their respective bathrooms. Simplicity is nice for causal gamers, but hardcore gamers will likely find the game too easy with little payoff.

Oh, but the Ads

Idle Toilet Tycoon is free to play, but do you remember when I said you generate cash quickly? Still true, but you must be willing to deal with the ads. The game offers numerous opportunities to get quick chunks of cash, but you always watch an ad. The good news is the money is substantial, and the opportunities are frequent. The social media influencer, Kol, who promotes your bathrooms to her followers, quickly starts offering you six figure payouts. The Free and Smooth boost speeds up your patrons and can generate six figures for a few minutes. If you really cannot take the ads, you can make a one-time payment to remove them. Some of the ads even lead to collecting diamonds, which are a little harder to come by. Diamonds can be spent on fancier amenities like pictures, speakers, and even a fridge for your bathrooms.

Idle Toilet Tycoon provides entertainment but not much else. It’s not that the game isn’t fun to play. Animations are entertaining, multiple upgrades are available, and cash can be earned quickly. Simplicity coupled with lack of any real challenge is where the game stumbles.