US politics has drawn the world's attention in recent years. While the nation has always been a superpower and its leader in the global spotlight, it seems all hell has broken loose since 2016. With 2020 being an election year, the madness has grown early, this time with the primaries all sorts of drama as the Democratic Party tries to decide on its candidate. Regardless of whether you are tired of the media coverage or just can't get enough of it, there is now an opportunity to simulate the presidential election with the newly released The Political Machine 2020.
The Political Machine is a series that has been running since 2004 and offers players a new game every US election. In this fairly simple strategy game, you take control of either the Democratic or Republican candidate and try to win the coveted seat in the White House. For the 2020 edition, you can choose from a variety of Democratic candidates based primarily on the real people who ran in the primary, such as: B. Pete Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. Although you have a number of candidates, the list is a bit short compared to the 2016 edition of the game.
You start to choose one of the candidates or create your own and set the level of difficulty. The game focuses on the final battle between the two presidential candidates. The primaries are not in the game. Each of the candidates has a range of statistics including perseverance, minority appeal, entry fee, media bias, etc. The statistics are assigned to strike a balance and each candidate has strengths and weaknesses. The statistics try to be based on the actual personalities of the 2020 candidates.
The campaign takes place across the map of the USA and its many states. Each week you travel across the country, rallying support and trying to get enough votes in each state. You can click at any time to see where each state stands when it comes to key issues, the popularity of each party, the wealth of the state, and the number of electoral college votes. Similar to the real elections, players must decide what to focus on to ensure victory. Go to the swing states, solidify your support strongholds, or try to convert those who normally voted against your party.
Traveling between states requires energy and action. How much you do each week depends on your candidate's energy level. After landing in a state, you can give a speech or attend an interview using a simple menu of topics. The game tries to stay up to date by giving you language options like building the wall and stopping the coronavirus alongside the typical themes of general health care, wealth inequality, etc. Each topic shows the impact it has - if it helps or diminishes your support in the state with the electorate - so no menus are guessed or checked. The game tries to be realistic, so that, for example, the southern states prefer more conservative politics.
In addition to public promotions, you will also need to manage campaign funding. Candidates start with different amounts of money. To earn more, run fundraisers - this is just another menu option that is draining your energy. You should do it in the richer states for better results. With that money you buy ads to promote your position and issues either within the state or at the national level. You can also build a headquarters. These can be upgraded and generate income with each round. HQs allow you to unlock a wider range of topics to talk about within the state, as well as buy employees. These are additional avatars that provide boosts whatever state you place them in.
Your chances of winning a state are defined by the issue score and enthusiasm. The latter statistic reflects how aware people are about you in the state and can be improved by talking, buying media ads, and simply visiting. There are also random events that are shown on the map. When you interact with them, they can have positive or negative results.
Another nasty mechanism is the ideology tree that every candidate has. This is essentially a small skill tree where you spend points to unlock new national topics like education and rights of the people. These trees are set for each candidate. If you create your own avatar, you have to select it from the existing list.
After weeks of fighting, the vote will take place and hopefully your candidate will take the victory. There is nothing to do in the campaign other than try to win the presidency. After the big decision, you can simply start another campaign. In addition to the main mode, in which you play 1 on 1 against AI, you can also play in multiplayer.
Conclusion
The Political Machine 2020 allows players to live out their own reality and achieve the results they want while at least the states and issues remain fairly realistic. The mechanics are pretty flat, however. If the topic of elections interests you, it's not a bad game, but nothing more.