Definitely Not Fried Chicken has entered early access on PC, offering a unique take on the business management genre. Definitely Not Fried Chicken is the debut title from developer Dope Games, and published by Merge Games, which has previously been a part of titles like farming RPG Monster Harvest and twin-stick shooter Slaycation Paradise. The new game combines typical management mechanics with cartel running to offer two different worlds of business in one package.
In many ways, Definitely Not Fried Chicken is reminiscent of iconic management games like Two Point Hospital, where players manage not only profits but things like employee happiness and general workplace environment. Players will be juggling management of their drug production with management of a front, and players have several options for both - although some won't become available until later in the game's development process. Players will typically start off managing a marijuana growing factory, but can also venture into other field like methamphetamine. In terms of fronts, players can manage the game's namesake, a fried chicken restaurant, or locations like a laundromat or donut shop.
The ins and outs of both these areas of management are quite complex, with many different moving parts to account for. Like the controversial game Drug Dealer Simulator, on the illicit side of things, players will need to work to build up both product and clientele. This means setting up things like grow lights, drying racks, and garages full of mopeds ready to deliver. Players will utilize a hotline to get orders of their product, which is one of what Definitely Not Fried Chicken calls "monuments." Other monuments can be unlocked that can provide bonuses, like the gym, which makes guards take less damage.
Players will need to choose a business license for their front in Definitely Not Fried Chicken, each of which come with different costs and profit strategies. This means players will need to learn the best ways to make each type of business efficient over time - since as a player's drug empire grows so does their need for fronts - offering another layer of complexity. It's not micromangement chaos like Overcooked:All You Can Eat and other games of that nature when it comes to things like cooking up fried chicken - it's more about assembly lines, budgeting, and statistics as players slowly upgrade each front's potential.
Each of these businesses will necessitate their own employees, like regular workers, engineers for maintenance, janitors, and guards to keep troublemakers out of the drug side of things. Employees can have an individual schedule and duties assigned to them, which can at times even feel overwhelming as staff grows, and each must also have their individual happiness managed as well. This is done through supplying employee amenities like break rooms and bathrooms, and if a worker doesn't get what they need it's possible for them to die - a bit more extreme than keeping staff happy in games like Planet Coaster.
While it's clear Definitely Not Fried Chicken has some places lacking content - such as drug options that aren't available yet - that's not uncommon for early access games, nor are its occasional bugs like crashes and the fact employees sometimes ignore their own needs, eventually causing their own death. Although these things can sometimes be frustrating, Definitely Not Fried Chicken has a lot of potential to be an incredibly in-depth management sim. It has a self-aware sense of humor and several intriguing additions set to come at a later date, but players can get their first taste of Definitely Not Fried Chicken on PC now.
Source: Merge Games/YouTube
Definitely Not Fried Chicken is now available in early access for PC via Steam. Screen Rant was provided with a Steam code for the purpose of this preview.