Bills Must Be Paid is an incremental simulation game where players earn money by smashing piggy banks with a hammer. Developed by Rike Games, the game begins with a simple financial problem: you are broke and have bills to pay. Each destroyed piggy bank drops coins and random rewards that can be used to cover expenses or purchase upgrades. However, swinging the hammer consumes stamina, limiting how much money can be collected during each attempt. There is no traditional storyline involving characters or dialogue. The main objective is to earn enough money to pay your bills and eventually become debt-free.

Breaking Piggy Banks for Money

The gameplay takes place at a desk where different types of piggy banks appear. Players move a hammer over them to break them and collect their contents. Some piggy banks contain ordinary coins, while others provide larger rewards or unexpected results. Meanwhile, bills arrive with payment deadlines. Ignoring them allows a debt collector to take part of your earnings, so players must balance spending money on improvements with keeping enough available for payments.

Managing the Hammer and Your Stamina

Bills Must Be Paid uses mouse-based controls rather than a traditional keyboard movement system. The hammer swings automatically when positioned over a piggy bank, making accurate cursor movement important.

The main gameplay activities include:

•         Move the mouse to position the hammer.
•         Hover over piggy banks to smash them.
•         Collect coins and random rewards from broken banks.
•         Watch the stamina meter during each attempt.
•         Pay bills before their deadlines expire.
•         Choose one of three perks after paying a bill.
•         Purchase stronger hammers and skill upgrades.
•         Invest earnings to improve future attempts.

Smashing consumes stamina, and the current run ends when it runs out. Players must therefore decide which targets are worth pursuing and avoid wasting time moving between distant piggy banks.

Upgrades, Perks, and Financial Progression

Bills Must Be Paid does not follow a conventional sequence of numbered levels. Instead, progression revolves around earning money, paying recurring bills, and developing abilities through an upgrade system.

The skill tree includes improvements affecting damage, attack speed, luck, and other hammer-related abilities. Different hammers also provide alternative statistics, allowing players to change how they collect money.

Paying bills unlocks perk choices that can influence subsequent gameplay. The full version also includes a prestige system where players can convert progress into permanent bonuses.

The main challenge is deciding how to distribute earnings between immediate payments and long-term improvements. Each attempt provides opportunities to collect more money, unlock additional abilities, and work toward eliminating the remaining debt.