RentPoly Review

RentPoly is a "roguelike real-estate board game" developed and published by Sunpeak Games. Obviously, this title brings some parallels to the massively popular game that is Monopoly from Hasbro, which has its origins in a little board game called The Landlord's Game that tried to warn the public of the dangers of capitalism. Yeah, um, I guess we didn't care too much about that.

However, it's still a damn fun time (even though it takes hours to play)! RentPoly is seeking to put its own spin on the matter by turning it into a roguelike where the number must go up. Will this game turn me into a filthy capitalist pig, or will it drive me to bankruptcy? Let's roll the die and see where it takes us!

We're starting off with the presentation, which I will call… rather cute. It's a nice and friendly art style that is pleasant to look at while not getting too chaotic once the numbers start hitting the septuple digits. The buildings are nicely detailed and varied, and I never got myself lost in all the special effects and money. The full arts for the various entrepreneurs you can play as are rather anime–esque and perfectly convey their play styles without a word, while their chibi designs do more than enough to show their personalities, whether they win or lose. It's all great, and I wouldn't change a thing.

But all that style needs substance if you want to keep the money rolling, so let's move on to the gameplay. The goal is simple: earn enough money to avoid bankruptcy. Each Season of the game has a quota you need to meet, and if you wanna earn that sweet moolah, you'll need to buy out properties around the board and charge the hell out of the tenants that need to live there.

Your main goals will be to maintain your Tenants and Rent. Every space on the board has a base Rent and Tenant capacity, and they can be improved by the buildings made via Blueprints or other effects. Every turn, they'll payout… and then leave because no one likes a real estate mogul. However, you do have to land on that specific tile if you want to add it to your bank (and thus, hit the quota), and since this IS a board game, you're at the mercy of a single die. Don't worry; if you hate what you got, you can always reroll to get a better result... but it is a limited resource. There are also a bunch of other special properties with special effects to make life a little easier for you, such as a restaurant offering Food: consumable items that can help you out in a pinch.

Once you've managed to make quota, you'll get to head into the Shop to purchase Food, Blueprints, and Tools (passive buffs) using credits, and how much you'll earn is based on the Season, number of turns, and any special conditions you may have fulfilled. Once you're done, it's off to a new Season… but watch out! More Tenants, more Rent, more money, but more problems because a disaster (like sandstorms, blizzards, alien invasions, and renter's rights) might occur that'll seriously mess with your plans. And better be careful about making moves, as you only have so many, and if you don't reach the target, it's game over. But if you manage to make it through a couple of years of business, you'll beat the map and get to see other neighbourhoods to conquer.

If you aren't playing smart, one bad roll could cost you your entire run, which you will experience several times over trying to learn the game. Unfortunately, outside of the tutorial teaching you the basics, a lot of the game has to be figured out on its own. Seriously, it doesn't tell you what the heck Energy does, stamps, and all sorts of information you might need to make your monopoly stick.

However, if you get a good run going, you'll be earning millions upon millions regardless of what you roll, which feels immensely satisfying! When you stumble upon a combination of buildings that rack up huge chunks of cash, especially if you can do it passively, it can be very addictive!

You also aren't winning for the sake of it. There are a bunch of unlockables to strive for, like new characters, maps, harder difficulties, and tags (select what types of buildings your run will have). And since this is a roguelike, there are no permanent upgrades that'll help you. You are not guaranteed to succeed, which, while fitting the theme of the game, can be a little disheartening after dozens upon dozens of attempts ending in bankruptcy. Still, losing is half the fun, and you learn a little bit more with each go.

There's plenty to like about RentPoly… but unfortunately, it's not perfect. Once things start getting out of control, such as rolling seven dice at once, the game tends to drop from its initial 60 FPS. There are also glitches that absolutely ruin your fun… like softlocking on a tile mid-move. Since the game is seeded, your RNG will be consistent for that run, so there's a chance you can't avoid it, forcing you to start a new one from scratch.

RentPoly is a good little game if it's something you're willing to put the time into. Once the ball gets rolling, it's very hard to stop. However, when it does stop, it definitely feels like you're hitting rock bottom. Still, there's nothing stopping you from picking yourself back up and starting all over again.