Tattoo Tycoon – Build and Manage Your Own Tattoo Parlor

Tattoo Tycoon is a new Tattoo Parlor management game from prolific developers Handy Games. After completing the tutorial, manage your own tattoo business; sell tattoos, posters, drinks, t-shirts and more as you build your shop into a thriving enterprise. Similar to various other tycoon-style games in execution; cafe, hotel, shopping mall, etc., Tattoo Tycoon is obviously way cooler!
Price: Free, $1.41
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros
Strategic gameplay.Addictive and familiar gaming.Cool graphics and sound.Numerous scenarios and tasks.
Cons
Tattooing is a little bit too tricky to start with, principally this is down to the slow-to-respond needle.Customers are very impatient.
At last an addition to the Tycoon-style game genre that is actually cool! No more cakes, hairdressing or clothes stores to expand, now you can run your own tattoo enterprise! Tattoo Tycoon is markedly similar to a various number of management titles you find now across all gaming platforms- I remember being quite fond of Theme Hospital on the PS1. The idea is to build up a profitable business and expand as far and as best as you can. More customers mean more complex requirements and so on.
In Tattoo Tycoon you are put in charge of your own parlour called BEAST INK, you are responsible for rebuilding the reputation of this once fine establishment. However it won’t be easy- you have to deal with lots of customers, and they don’t just want tattoos either but also t-shirts, drinks, games, posters and more. They want sofas to sit on, magazines to read, arcade games to entertain them… your parlour becomes more of a hangout than a business. But, as long as they have $$$ you’ve gotta build it.
Anyone who have dabbled with the genre should be more or less familiar with the gameplay here. Start a basic tutorial that shows you around; how to buy and place items, how to consult on tattoos and how to tattoo yourself. You also have to design new tattoos and you have a special desk to do that on. Once complete you get your very own parlour and off you go. You have numerous tasks to complete that help get your finances and reputation on the way up. At the end of each day you get a summary of what you have achieved and so forth.
Unlike other titles I have played, I did find Tattoo Tycoon quite a bit harder. The main reason for that is the actual process of tattooing itself. Now, like similar games, you cannot actually cook, cut hair or build things yourself, and likewise you don’t actually tattoo- instead you have to consult, which requires you to pick certain icons as they move on a loop below you and then the tattoo itself, which requires you to lower the tattoo needle at certain points and for a specific duration and avoiding the customer complaining of too much pain. This is genuinely tricky as the needle is both slow and sometimes unresponsive, meaning it is very easy to make mistakes and annoy your customers. I find similar Tycoon games tends to be about good timing, strategic prioritization, buying items that will please customers and gradually expanding. Such gameplay is difficult to integrate and concentrate on if the actual tattooing is so tricky.
Further, I would never have thought tattoo customers would be so impatient! It’s permanent you know!! Most seem to mooch around your shop for a while without buying anything before leaving. The ones that want something will have a little ” ! ” above their heads and you need to head to the cash register to deal with their consultation. However, I’ve found them to be massively impatient and won’t wait very long before getting grumpy and leaving- they are certainly unlikely to wait for you to finish a tattoo on another customer, rendering gameplay very frustrating at times.

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I think it’s a very cool addition to the genre and you are perhaps far more likely to want to be seen playing this than perhaps a hairdressing tycoon game, or maybe not.
Once you get the hang of it, it can become pretty addictive- especially if you are a fan of such games and the entrepreneur in you fires up. This is diminished somewhat by the hairy tattooing technique you have to employ as this is very frustrating and the grumpy clientele, who subsequently reduce your reputation, can make you wonder why you bother! Tsk, customers!
The graphics are very smart and among the best I have seen on this type of game. Bright, clear and really adds well to the game itself.
The sound is pretty cool, about as close to a heavy rock track as you can make electronically. The immersive sounds of a busy tattoo parlour are present too, really adding depth to the gaming experience.