Pizza Connection is an economic strategy game that marks the beginning of a popular series. The production was created with PC in mind by Software 2000 and Cybernetic Corporation. The player takes on the role of a pizza chef, who tries to create a culinary empire serving the Italian delicacy. The whole things was seasoned with a solid pinch of specific, sometimes even black humour.
Mechanics
We start playing Pizza Connection by choosing our virtual alter ego - more than thirty available chefs were diversified in of appearance and skills, as well as the amount of starting money. Then we proceed to the selection of the location of our pizzeria - we have European or American cities at our disposal. At this stage, we can secure a competitive advantage by carefully studying the demography of a given territory - potential customers were differentiated according to their needs and preferences. The next step is to buy the necessary furniture and decorations, as well as employing waiters, cooks and managers who have unique skills to offer - as you can easily guess, a better specialist in a given profession needs to be paid more. The last stage is the purchase of necessary ingredients, from which we prepare dishes based on the tastes of customers and current trends. What's interesting, nothing stands in the way of composing our dream pizzas while having fun, choosing individual ingredients (from a variety of fruits and vegetables, types of meat, herbs and spices) and distributing them on the round dough.
To enjoy an influx of new customers, it is not enough to serve the best pizza in the city - it is also necessary to use advertising. In the course of the struggle, we must therefore buy billboards, newspaper ads and television airtime, bearing in mind that the competition is constantly hot on our heels. However, we can take care of our rivals by playing against them in various competitions and even using some dirty moves. The latter include the use of representatives of the criminal underworld, who for a small fee can demolish restaurants belonging to our competitors. What is more, if we need money and are not afraid of unpleasant consequences, we can even cooperate with the mafia and carry out special tasks for it.
Technical aspects
Pizza Connection features eye-catching, cartoonish and slightly caricatural visuals. At the moment of the release, the intuitive interface was also noteworthy.
Other
This production is known in Europe as Pizza Connection; in the United States the game was released by Microprose as Pizza Tycoon. Interestingly, while in its European version there are characters modelled on Don Martin's work, in the American edition we will find characters whose appearance brings to mind Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan or even Lenin.
