Do you remember the time when you had to wait for a free line, then pulled a network cable across the room to plug it into your computer and finally wait a few long minutes to connect to the Internet while listening to the strange orchestration of the connecting network?

“Idle Downloader” by Beaver Apps, the partners of Parkerhill, revokes those fond (and sometimes not so fond) memories! If you want to find out more or have no idea what I am talking about because you are too young, keep on reading!

Wh-what do you mean if it is worth anything?

Convincing simulator in a retro design

In “Idle Downloader” you run your own server farm and download a list of programs to sell on the black market. Each one gets larger and takes longer to download- but it also offers a larger reward.

It was my first time to come across a server simulator and although I was a bit confused at first, I came to like the game concept very much. It reminds me of the times when it took hours to download a file and sets in perspective how far we’ve already come in term of Internet speed and also what is yet to come.

The retro design underlines the genre as well as the concept of the game. The colors, the graphic elements and structure all feel quite authentic and fit perfectly.

Additionally, I like that the downloads run even if you close the app and therefore generate money to invest further. Lastly, I had to giggle at some of the cheeky remarks when you have download a new file.

Dark side of the web app

As I’ve said, it was my first time trying this kind of simulator game. And since there are no explanations in the game, I needed some time to figure out what to do and how to do it. But even now, after I understood the principles, some questions and things remain unclear. Therefore, I would love to see a tutorial or maybe a FAQ page added to the app.

Even though the game has some music, I think it would be brilliant to add some sounds! Maybe even the modem dial sounds? That would be very fitting and appropriate to the game.

Lastly, I personally feel that it would be beneficial to add one or two functions as there is not too much to do. Maybe it would be a nice touch to add some background infos to educate people on interesting facts like the NASA fiber?

Creating a Hotspot to make it even faster.

The Verdict

If you can’t wait to set up your own server farm to download secret files, download the game for Anroid or iOS.

(I should also send this app to my Internet provider to show them that it is possible to generate a stable, fast connection… but that’s a story for another time.)

All pictures are in-game screenshots.