Pixelated cozy games are certainly on the rise, and that makes a game standing out in the genre much more challenging. Crinkle Cut Games’ Discounty combines several new ideas in the genre, and they aren’t limited to only gameplay. It introduces themes that are bold to add in a casual game, without reducing the relaxing factor.
The gameplay is fairly simple: you start off by inheriting a flagship Discounty store after moving to Blomkest. You will then spend the next few days learning the ropes. The tutorial is very detailed, but it does make the start of the game feel like a slow burn.
As you are running a discount store, ordering items and stocking them up is an essential component of Discounty. You do this by accessing your computer. While it fits in well with a shop management sim, stocking up the ordered items did feel a bit tedious to begin with and the game could sometimes feel really bare bones in this area. But this gradually improves as you unlock more pockets in your inventory and you’re able to test your skills more as you learn the best positioning for your shelves to make the process a lot more efficient. I also liked that the game showed the previous item you stocked on a shelf in a translucent way, which makes it easier to keep the same layout.
At the end of the day, your PDA will calculate additional bonuses depending on your performance. Data for the upcoming days will be shown so that you are prepared to handle a large group of customers. Since you are managing a popular Discounty branch, you will be sent daily and weekly missions from corporate. By meeting these milestones, you can add even more products to order from the delivery guy’s menu.
As you progress through the story, you will learn more about Blomkest and can interact more with the intriguing characters to see if they have something new to say. By meeting new characters and completing quests, you can make new deals to unlock more products to sell. These characters will also be willing to upgrade your deal with them as you keep improving your store. Considering that this is a game where you run a discount store, I do wish that it would let you influence prices a bit more directly to keep up with its management aspect.
Grabbing your delivery from the hardware store could be a bit more streamlined. Whenever you place an order there, it will be delivered all the way back to your store. You will then need to run around a couple of times to bring everything inside your shop, which takes especially long if you placed a huge order of new shelves.
While your shop is open for business, you will also have to manage customer care which will be the busiest part of your day in the game. There is a challenge here as the customers expect you to open around the same time every day, so if you are late, they will keep waiting. You will also need to be quick enough to check them out on time; failure to do so will cause them to be angry, and they will eventually leave. If you run out of items on any of the shelves, you will need to find the right time to stock them. If you want your stock to sell faster, then you can place items that give you a sales boost. Cleaning your store is also essential as if it gets dirty, the customers will walk slower making things harder. Discounty also emphasizes on keeping the environment clean by allowing you to recycle any boxes or trash that you pick up for money.
What stood out to me the most in Discounty was the way it adds darker themes to a cozy game. The people in Blomkest aren’t keen on a newly opened store, and you will need to complete some quests to get them to cooperate. You will find a dealer who has claimed monopoly in an area, and it can get harder to make them respect you. Even your aunt isn’t very nice to you. At one point, it’s time to expand your shop and you will be taking over another property near Discounty, but once the upgrades are finished, people will have a lot of negative things to say about you ruining the town’s legacy.
Discounty may not be free from several gameplay flaws, including repetitive gameplay and a lack of depth in its management aspects. But it brings a charming concept forward with a lot of new ideas and themes, contributing greatly to the cozy game genre.
Rabiya reviewed Discounty on PC with a provided review copy.
