A game about literally doing your taxes

01/02/2021

I should have been doing my actual taxes, but I didn’t. Instead, I played this game and let me tell you; it’s just as scary and much more entertaining than the real thing.

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By Elie Gould

A game about literally doing your taxes is an indie project created by the student-run ‘Not a Sailor Studios’. It was initially part of a game jam and was only made in 40 hours, making it all the more impressive that it’s absolute gold.

I first stumbled upon this game when trying to find documents to help me with my actual taxes. Despite the mere weeks left to complete tax returns, I decided to give myself a much-undeserved rest and give it a try. The game is free, quick and easy to download; I was playing it in no time.

Despite only lasting roughly ten minutes, it achieved a sense of fulfilment that larger studios and their much longer games seem to fall short of. You play as a regular guy just trying to sort through your mail in order to complete your taxes. It’s a simple concept, but the action of just swiping left and right unexpectedly draws you in.

Due to the game being so short, many of the small development choices have to really count. One of these decisions which I enjoyed was the choice of music. At first, it just sounded like regular default music you tend to find in smaller repetitive games. However, as you progress through the days of the game, you soon realise that this music is mindbogglingly chipper, sarcastically so. This aspect then means you feel all the crazier by just sitting at your desk.

Fortunately, that’s not the only thing that makes you feel crazy. The game is full of great subliminal messages and quiet whispers, which reaffirm just how pointless your actions are. The small notes at the end of the day flipflop between supportive and condescending; either way, they are entertaining. It reflects just how genuinely fun this game is to play, despite being rather dark at times.

Another great aspect of this game is the art style. DeMarco Scarnegie and Vince Weiss do a fantastic job at jumping from mundane life to horror. It just keeps the game interesting, being able to admire such clean animation.

Without wanting to give away too much, there is a lot to love about this game, and the passion that went into its creation is very apparent.

Nevertheless, if you get nothing else from this game, I hope it reminds you to do your taxes.