“I Am The Technology Boy!” Smartphone Inc.
Imagine if you will, a time before smartphones. It’s hard right? With the introduction of the first iPhone by Apple in 2007, the race to create the best pocket computer truly rocketed into high gear. In Smartphone Inc, a game by Ivan Lashin and published by Cosmodrome Games and Arcane Wonders, you play as the CEO’s of major new phone designers and manufacturers around the globe. Each player starts in a specific region, and as you play the game, you are going to have to research the right technologies, align your logistics and production, and price your phones correctly to dominate the global market.
Smartphone Inc is primarily an economic game, where everything you do is directly tied to producing, marketing and selling your phone better than everyone else. However, it’s not all about having the best phone. At the beginning of each of the five rounds, you will set prices for your phone, and this is a crucial process to determine how the rest of your round is going to go. This is important as getting improvements to your action pads, researching new technology (which gets you points), opening new markets (which gets you points), and selling your products (which gets you points), all go in an order which the game calls ‘The Priority Rule’, which is based on the person who has the cheapest phone.
With this simple innovation, Smartphone Inc. turns normal economic play on its head. You will have to keep a close eye on what regions your competitors are in, and where they can possibly spread their logistics to. You need to be able to make sure that they don’t under-price you at the same time they spread to an area that you are focusing on. It can be very frustrating if you priced your phone right for your customers, but you can’t sell to them because they are fickle and will buy a cheaper phone from a competitor, and that competitor flooded the market not allowing you to sell. Now, I’m not saying that happened to me, but just know that Jesse (our dear founder and head Quackalope) is a dishonest businessman whose cellphones are made of asbestos and have no reception even when you’re standing right next to a tower.
The other innovation in this game is the action selection mechanism. Each player is going to have two main pads and one starting improvement, and can manipulate them to get the types of symbols that match each phase of the round. These symbols will produce goods, let you produce resources, and also manipulate the price of your phone. This is done in secret, behind each players screen so you never know exactly what your opponents are doing. It’s always a surprise to see what the other players are doing, and it’s always interesting to see how they have manipulated their pads to get what they want.
Smartphone Inc’s five rounds zip by almost effortlessly. Once you get into the groove, you will start to see all the different possibilities that this game can offer. You will start in South America, selling phones to people who want GPS functionality and a good deal, and then by the end of the game you’ll find yourself selling in China, to people who are willing to play any price, but they want a great gaming phone with Nearfield communication and Bluetooth. You’ll curse that darn Jesse for selling in Europe with his cheap asbestos phone when it was your biggest market. You’ll analyze every detail to make sure you are producing just the right amount of goods so that you don’t waste anything.
Most of all, you will have fun. Smartphone Inc. has the air of a next step game, but also allows seasoned gamers to sink their teeth into the strategy and planning of it all. And if that’s not enough, the expansion, Smartphone Inc. Status Update 1.1 adds a hardcore mode, where you have to pay for all of your actions with points, more interesting and advanced technologies, a new module where you complete directives from your board of directors, and a great 2-3 player board that tightens the race for valuable selling territory. Smartphone Inc. is easily one of the best new to me games I’ve played this year, and would make a great addition to any gamer’s collection. So, get out there and sell, sell, sell!
