- A 10-Year Passionate Project by Pedro Matos, an Electrician from Lisbon, Portugal
- Real-time management of boiler pressure, coal supply, and cooling systems… A non-stop extreme job simulator
A unique simulation game has emerged that directly tackles the tension of “operating a power plant.” “COALCOM: Power Station,” an extreme job simulator developed over 10 years by electrical engineer Pedro Matos based in Lisbon, Portugal, was released on Steam on May 12 local time.
This game is a retro management game that recreates a day in the life of a control room operator at a coal-fired power plant in the 1980s. Its distinguishing feature is that it goes beyond simply building power plants or optimizing designs to implement the “pressure of an operator”—the pressure of keeping the power grid from collapsing—into the gameplay itself.
A 1980s control room filled with green CRT terminals
Colcom: The biggest feature of Power Station is its visuals, which are thoroughly tailored to the 1980s aesthetic. The only thing filling the dark control room is the faint light from authentic 1980s green phosphorescent CRT terminals.
There are no flashy graphics or modern UIs. The screen consists only of blinking green text, gauge readings, and terminal commands. This minimalist presentation is not merely a styling choice, but a device designed to maximize the sense of pressure felt by actual power plant operators.
The sound design also reflects this same direction. Button clicks, alarm notifications, and the sounds of machines responding or rejecting create a vivid auditory atmosphere of the control room. The ceaseless warning sounds that ring out when equipment malfunctions occur strongly reveal that this game is heading in the exact opposite direction of typical ‘healing simulations.’
Extreme Job Simulator set in a 1980s coal power plant
The work cited by the developer as a major reference is ‘Papers, Please’. The player works not as a simple manager or engineer, but as an operator who is constantly evaluated and pressured under a massive organization.
In the game, the player sits in the control room of the Riverside Coal Power Plant and must manage boiler pressure, drum water levels, coal supply, and the cooling system in real time.
The problem is that all systems are organically interconnected. The structure is such that adjusting a single value simultaneously affects multiple other facilities. The core threat of this game is that an incorrect response can lead to a chain reaction of system collapses.
10-Shift Campaign, 21 Types of Equipment Failure, Cumulative Equipment Status Between Shifts
The game content feels solidly designed. It features a 10-shift campaign with progressive difficulty, 21 types of equipment failures, and a permanent durability system where equipment status accumulates between shifts. Starting from the 5th shift, a maintenance system is unlocked where you can repair equipment status using earned points, and if you progress through the campaign beyond a certain level, a ‘Continuous Mode’ is also unlocked, allowing you to operate the power plant endlessly.
Performance evaluations are graded from A to F based on criteria such as Transmission System Operator (TSO) compliance, facility management, and fuel efficiency. Operation is supported exclusively by the keyboard; there is no mouse input. This is a deliberate design choice to recreate the sensation of handling an actual vintage terminal.
A 10-year project incorporating 20 years of field experience in the power industry
Pedro Matos, a solo developer based in Lisbon, Portugal, is an electrical engineer with over 20 years of experience in power market operations, generation scheduling, and demand forecasting. He nurtured his dream of game development after encountering the ZX Spectrum 48K at the age of 14, and I started this project out of a desire to capture the operational pressure I experienced firsthand in the field in a game.
He explained the motivation behind the development, stating, “There was no game that properly captured the operational pressure of the power industry.” Completed over the course of 10 years, this work focuses not on a simple technology simulation, but on making players experience the tension and stress felt in a real control room.
As it was created based on the actual experience of power industry experts, it is evaluated as a game that allows even players without experience in operating power plants to realistically feel the unique pressure and tension of a control room.
Information regarding ‘COALCOM: Power Station’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer / Publisher | Pedro Matos (Lisbon, Portugal) |
| Genre | Retro Management Game / Job Simulator / Real-time Strategy |
| Release platform | PC (Steam) |
| background | Riverside Coal Power Plant Control Room in the 1980s |
| Art style | Authentic 1980s green phosphorescent CRT terminal |
| Operation method | Keyboard only |
| campaign | 10 shifts / 21 types of equipment failures / Durability accumulation between shifts |
| Additional mode | Continuous Mode (Unlocked after clearing 5 shifts) |
| metewand | TSO Compliance Rate / Facility Management / Fuel Efficiency (A~F Grades) |
| Developer Background | Electrical Engineer / 20+ Years in Power Industry / ZX Spectrum Generation |
| Main Keywords | Papers Please, Retro, Power Plant, Job Simulator, CRT, Pressure |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
