An election simulator game where the campaign is the joke

Star-Spangled Tycoon is an election simulator game that treats campaigns as comedy. It is free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. You play a parody candidate, and the whole game is built around winning elections. It is not a realistic model of how voting works. It is an idle tycoon with an election at the centre, and the humour comes from how seriously the campaign takes itself.

Here is how it works. You tap to earn your first dollars, then your businesses keep earning even while the app is closed. The full game has 5 worlds and 50 businesses, and you spend your income on upgrades and managers until you are ready to hold an election. An election resets your progress in exchange for a lasting bonus, so the next run is faster than the one before. Deciding when to cash in is the main strategy of the game.

Around that loop there is plenty of colour. You will meet a Cabinet of cartoon politicians, collect achievements and follow a rotating calendar of 31 limited events. Every character is fictional. The elections in the game are made up, the candidates are parody figures, and nothing in it refers to a real race, party or politician. The jokes are aimed at the process of campaigning in general, so you do not need to know anything about politics to enjoy them.

The app is free to download, and its in-app purchases are optional. Everything in the game can also be earned by playing. The iPhone and iPad app has no banner or full-screen ads, and watching a short rewarded video is optional and gives a bonus. Your progress is saved on your device and also uses iCloud sync. A browser version exists at the play page, if you want a quick look without installing anything, but the App Store app is the main version.

If you want a serious political simulation, this is not it, and it is better to know that before you download. If you want a light game with short check-ins, small decisions and a running gag about campaigns, it fits well. Play a session or two, hold your first election and see whether the reset-and-repeat rhythm is something you enjoy.