There’s a satisfying rhythm to cozy life sims. The digital days cross, crammed with chores of tending crops or working a enterprise, punctuated by unusual mysteries or evolving relationships. At their greatest, these video games merge busywork with exploration and storytelling, in a manner that makes them arduous to step away from. Discounty, from developer Crinkle Lower Video games, applies this concept to working a small-town grocery store. And whereas in some ways it may nonetheless be thought of “cozy” like its contemporaries, it additionally comes with a little bit of chew.
As an alternative of beginning up your personal enterprise from scratch, Discounty has you taking up a grocery franchise out of your cranky aunt in a small city that has seen higher days. It’s a wierd place; essentially the most well-known resident is the inventor of the keyring, and components of the encompassing woods have been closed off for security causes. However it’s nonetheless pleasant and comforting in the way in which small cities are, with a handful of residents who you’re actually capable of get to know over the course of the sport. There’s additionally loads of drama.
Really working the shop is your predominant job. From open to shut, you’re the solely worker, so it’s important to take care of every part from managing the money register — which entails, gasp, doing math — and conserving the cabinets stocked so nobody complains there’s no espresso or shampoo. However you additionally deal with all of the behind-the-scenes work: ordering new merchandise, organizing the storage space, throwing out the trash, even negotiating with native distributors for recent fish and produce. This a part of the sport is satisfying as a result of it requires you to deal with what’s instantly in entrance of you (a bunch of choosy prospects) whereas additionally planning and strategizing for the long run.
As you progress, your store will broaden each when it comes to what you’ll be able to promote and its bodily dimension, which in flip makes the core gameplay loop extra complicated and difficult. As a way to transfer issues ahead, although, you’ll need to become involved with the townsfolk. Working with native distributors often means doing them some form of favor, whether or not it’s discovering some misplaced sheep or stocking gross Christmas-themed fish sticks. This may pull you down every kind of narrative rabbit holes.
What’s most fascinating about Discounty’s story is the way it explores plenty of real-world points in its in any other case cozy and foolish world. For starters, not everyone seems to be joyful a few massive chain transferring into city. After I lastly expanded my store’s footprint, often a second to rejoice in these sorts of video games, everybody was mad as a result of I did it by taking up an adjoining tea store. The cafe had been shut down for years, however everybody nonetheless seen it as an necessary a part of the material of the neighborhood, and I used to be dismantling that.
Generally succeeding within the sport isn’t truly good for the city itself. And whereas these threads typically cover their darker edge behind humor — to be able to get a building allow, I had to assist a metropolis clerk get rid of environmental influence studies — Discounty is surprisingly sharp with its commentary, even when it by no means goes particularly arduous at any of its targets.
That combination of satisfying gameplay and a narrative that’s each relatable and genuinely humorous is what makes Discounty work so effectively. It’s not an escape to an idyllic farm or mountain getaway. It’s you doing a job that’s arduous and never all the time fairly, whereas making an attempt to make one of the best of issues. Most of us know simply what that’s like.
Discounty is on the market now on the Swap, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
