The Office: Somehow We Manage

The Office: Somehow We Manage - It's Time to Head Back to Scranton

Fun, Full of Nostalgia, With All of Your Favorite Office Characters

Welcome to Dunder Mifflin

The Office: Somehow We Manage gives you the chance to visit Scranton, PA, and experience the world of the classic comedy show, The Office. The simulation game, developed by East Side Games, brings back all of your favorite Dunder Mifflin employees. If you've been missing characters like Michael Scott, Dwight Schrute, and Pam Beesly since the hilarious sitcom went off the air, then this is the game for you.

The Office: Somehow We Manage is a mobile game available on both Android and iOS devices. If you're a diehard fan of The Office, this game will quickly fill you with nostalgia and warm, fuzzy feelings. The moment you start playing, you'll have that iconic piano theme song running through your head.

Running a Paper Company

In The Office: Somehow We Manage, you take over the operation of the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The game takes place at the regional office, which looks just how you remember it (for the most part). You rejoin all of your favorite characters from the show, including Michael, Dwight, Jim, Pam, Kelly, Stanley, and more.

Your goal is to make enough paper sales to keep the company operating and thriving. Michael Scott, the regional manager, has been tasked with improving the branch's performance to avoid employee downsizing. Each section of the game is based on an episode of the show. You'll relive many of the funniest moments and quotes while trying to keep the paper moving.

Concept Rating: 4/5

The Looks and Sounds

Overall, the visual aspects of The Office: Somehow We Manage are fantastic and capture the feel of the show we all love. The drawings of the characters and setting do complete justice to the real thing, so when classic scenes are reenacted, it truly recaptures the magic. The various menu interfaces have a nice aesthetic as well.

There isn't much actual animation; other than occasion small character movements and other minor occurrences, the game is mostly a series of still scenes. Instead of verbally speaking, the characters communicate, and the scenes play out using speech bubbles.

The sounds of the game do leave a lot to be desired. Other than occasional minor sound effects, most of the gameplay is relatively silent. Even if they couldn't replicate the classic theme song, some kind of similar-feeling background music would have been a nice touch and enhanced the experience.

Graphics & Audio Rating: 3/5

Managing the Office

The main appeal of The Office: Somehow We Manage, more than anything, is the nostalgia it offers. The gameplay is split up into numerous sections, each representing a different episode of the show. Generally, fans of The Office are going to get far more enjoyment from the playing experience than those who are unfamiliar with it.

Click through memorable episodes from all nine seasons in this free-to-play game, like 'The Dundies' and 'Dinner Party.'

As you play, you'll be reminded of many of the hit mockumentary's greatest moments. Whether it be Dwight's stapler in the Jell-O, Kevin's famous spilled chili, or Michael and Stanley bonding over Pretzel Day, you can relive tons of the most unforgettable scenes.

Making Sales

The objective is to find new leads and make enough sales to keep the company flourishing. As you make money from these paper sales, you can use the profit to address company needs, make office upgrades, and unlock more episodes to play through. You can also unlock and upgrade your characters and build new desks, but be aware, Corporate will take a chunk of your hard-earned cash at the end of each workday.

In addition to the cash you earn from selling paper, there are two other currencies to earn and spend: coffee and Scottcoins. Within each episode, you'll receive milestones that you need to achieve, and some of them will involve collecting or spending these currencies.

Collecting Characters

There are far more Office characters to be unlocked and played with than just the core few. You can also collect specialized, one-off characters like Prison Mike, Three-Hole Punch Jim, and Farmer Dwight. At times, the game even introduces new, original versions of your favorite characters, complete with new scenes and shenanigans.

Tap, upgrade, and build desks for favorite characters from the hit NBC comedy The Office, including Prison Mike, Farmer Dwight, Pretzel Day Stanley, and of course, Three-Hole Punch Jim.

Boss Challenges

At the end of every episode you play, you'll have to complete a Boss Challenge. For each of these challenges, you have a limited amount of time to tap the screen as fast as you can. The more you're able to tap, the more Scottcoins you'll earn before moving on to the next episode.

Microtransactions

Like many free-to-play mobile games, The Office: Somehow We Manage does include optional microtransactions. If you want to save time on the actual gameplay, you can spend real money to purchase bundles of in-game currency. Instead of watching advertisements or waiting hours to earn coffee and Scottcoins, you can buy them in large quantities to progress through the episodes much more quickly.

The microtransactions aren't necessary to move through the game, but they do make a massive difference in terms of how long it takes to progress.

Gameplay Rating: 3/5

How to Get Hired

The full version of The Office: Somehow We Managed was released on January 26th, 2022. The game is free-to-play on iOS and Android devices, but if you do choose to make in-game purchases, the prices range anywhere from $4.99 to $99.99.

Ultimately, if you're playing the game primarily for some nostalgia, it probably isn't worth it to spend real money so you can speed through chunks of the gameplay. As a whole, though, the game offers a pretty solid package for a free-to-play mobile game.

Somehow It Manages

Most likely, your opinion on The Office: Somehow We Manage is going to come down to whether or not you love the show. The game is meant to cater to fans of The Office, and it does a great job of it. However, for those who are unfamiliar with the show or indifferent about it, the gameplay experience probably won't be compelling enough to win them over.

That being said, the vast majority of people who download and play this game will be the same people who own Dunder Mifflin hoodies and binge-watch the show every two weeks. Those people will love the nostalgia, love seeing their favorite characters on a mobile game, and love catching all of the little references scattered in the game.

The game isn't one that you'll want to replay again and again, but because it features episodes from all nine seasons, you'll get plenty of enjoyment and laughs before you run out of gameplay.

Replay Value Rating: 3/5

Dundie Winners

• Lots of awesome nostalgia.
• Great character and office visuals.
• Reliving many amazing scenes and quotes.
• A great variety of our favorite characters is represented.

Dundie Losers

• The gameplay isn't likely to win over non-fans.
• Could have benefited from some background music.
• Having to watch ads to earn currency is annoying.

TL;DR

The Office: Somehow We Manage is a nostalgia-packed game that fans of the show will love.