Idle Library

I have mixed feelings about this one. The idea is great, even if it is very simple. We do not just click on a simple banana or apple. No. I imagine cataloguing books the same way I handle my backlog in books - it is a long and slow process. However, I'm getting there. Slowly but surely!

In typical idle game fashion we have lots of upgrades and a prestige system to start over. We can also ascend (which resets the prestige system and for purchasing extra perks it will eventually be a must) which is something I have lately noticed in these types of games.

The UI has all the information we need - preference here is sharing the info and not providing great animation. To be honest, given the theme it suits its purpose. We can change the background, though. There are daily quests, rewards and a system of holding festivals.

Bear in mind that reaching 100% completion is a long process (hundreds of hours are required). But if you are fine with this and like these clicker games, Idle Library will suit your goals. Plus, it is completely free.

EST Completion Time (1 Playthrough): N/A
Achievements Available: 80
EST Completion Time (100% Achievements): TBD (w/o auto-clicker)
Trading Cards Available: 0 (N/A)

Idle Library is an incremental clicker/idle game in which your primary goal is to grow your library's book collection by cataloging books (actively via clicks or passively via upgrades).

Idle Library boasts a variety of ways in which you can increase your productivity, including: upgrades, special collections, research points, events, boosters, and a complex prestige + ascension system.
• Upgrades: There are 12 upgrade options which increase books per tap, books per second, or both. These can be purchased multiple times per run.
• Special Collections: There are 5 "special collections" upgrades which provide global income boosts. These can only be purchased once each per run.
• Research & Knowledge: There are five research categories which can be leveled up infinitely using research points, including: Science, History, Literature, Philosophy, & Mathematics. When all five categories reach a multiple of 5 (i.e., 5/5/5/5/5, 10/10/10/10/10, etc.) you earn a +3% synergy tier bonus to all income.
• Prestige & Ascension System: There is a prestige & ascension system that provides permanent multipliers towards earnings (by soft resetting for prestige), with the cost to prestige increasing upon each reset. Players can ascend after 15 prestige levels for additional permanent bonuses and to earn "Ascension Points" (which are spent on permanent "Ascension Perks" that persist forever). As the developer emphasizes, "with 94 ascension points needed to unlock everything, your choices define your build for the long haul."
• Events & Boosters: Events and boosters provide temporary special bonuses for a limited time (i.e., increased global income for a set amount of time).

Encouraging daily play, Idle Library also has daily quests & daily rewards (a small amount of books). Completing daily quests grants gems, which can then be used in the gem shop to purchase boosters, time warps, or research points.

Since the game's initial launch, the UI (which was initially sparse, clunky, & confusing) has been improved significantly. Additionally, the developer added relaxing background music and adjusted the 5 background/theme options to be more cohesive & thematically appropriate. Although the new backgrounds are a great improvement to their initial versions, the developer is using AI-generated art for the backgrounds (which itself is unfortunate, especially considering the only artwork in the game is the backgrounds and the stack of books at the top).

In summary, Idle Library is a clicker/idle game that initially overpromised & undelivered but has since improved. Unfortunately, the developer may have gone from one extreme to the other, with the game perhaps now being too demanding long-term. As the developer seems to be reading reviews & providing updates accordingly (to improve features, QoL, & player experience), one can only hope that in time they'll find the perfect balance of grind vs accomplishment.

This just boils down to an autoclicker fest. Clicking is far stronger then passive income, prestige increase the cost of everything by the prestige amount, and there are no scaling bonuses, so you repeat everything except you have a newer, larger number of clicks to do again. Prestige even seemed to have removed the booster I got from the daily quest so you, and automatically ends the 3x rewards you can activate twice a day, you literally can't stack anything. The research tab only increases everything, but you have to click 25 different times to get your 3% income boost.... it just doesn't have any depth.

At least there would be an illusion of progression if prestiging didn't increase the cost of upgrades. Even simply upgrading the UI to tell how many seconds/clicks for breakeven on each upgrade and for reaching the next prestige barrier that equals hard reset would maybe make things bareble.