OCTOBER 10, 2018
Reviewed on PC
By Brian Chandler: I have a long history with FAFSA, starting with the pen-and-paper versions of the 1990s. FAFSA ’93 was obtuse, challenging, and rewarding in a way that only government forms can capture. FAFSA 19 maintains the charm of bureaucracy while adding some quality-of-life enhancements.
FAFSA 19’s primary new feature is Story Mode, where a prospective university student navigates the world of federal aid funding. Your character grows from a young high school kid to college student, following a traditional path. You can choose a male or female hero, a home city, and up to 10 prospective schools. Customization options are inconsistent. You can add social security number and date of birth, but not hair color or tattoos. Maybe next year.
I reviewed on PC, but I’ve heard reports that FAFSA 19 will soon be made available on iOS and Android. No plans for Nintendo Switch, but the mobile versions will support cross-play and cross-progression with PC – a big step up for the franchise.
Gameplay is standard fare – tabbing through forms, typing information, some basic math-based puzzles. It’s what we’ve come to expect from FAFSA each year, and this edition doesn’t stray much from the formula. Its simplicity is its charm, though a couple areas required some head scratching. Coop mode lets the student bring in a “custodial parent” to provide additional financial information.
Save points are frequent and welcome, as I sometimes needed to refer to out-of-game resources for the trickiest puzzles.
The most useful features require additional sign-up through a separate service (similar to EA’s Origin or Ubisoft’s Uplay). Players can earn “Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID Status” to access additional game enhancements like direct import of tax returns and electronic signatures.
In the end, FAFSA 19 delivers a solid, if inconsistent, gameplay experience.
Recommended For: Fans of TurboTax, forms at the doctor’s office.
Not Recommended For: Those looking for superior graphics, sound, gameplay, or story.
SCORE: 7.5
Brian Chandler 