Discounty Review

If you've been anywhere on the internet in the last 10 years (or just haven't lived under a rock for that matter), you would have likely heard plenty of stories about the woes and 'Karen' customers that come with working in retail. Having worked six years in it myself, I know firsthand the drama that goes with the territory (despite some lovely regulars that I do genuinely miss chatting to on the daily).

Knowing that, who would come up with the idea to make a cosy, management game set in the retail industry? Well, (developer) has done just that. While that may sound a dull affair, Discounty is anything but. In fact, it's a solid title that combines fairly simple but addictive gameplay, with a charming (and quite funny) narrative.

After creating your character from a few rudimentary options, you're thrust into Blomkest - a small, charming town on the coast, surrounded by forests and farmland. You're here tasked by your Aunt to manage a new discount supermarket (unfortunately after making the previous employee redundant). From here your task is simple - manage and grow this fledgling shop into a core feature of the town, all the while learning about and helping the local community.

Sounds easy right?

Gameplay is split in two ways: managing the shop both during your shifts and outside of them, then exploring the town to progress both the main narrative and character storylines. For a game about managing a supermarket, you're gonna be spending a chunk of your playtime inside of it. And don't think you can fob tasks off to employees (at least not at first), you will be doing everything that the shop needs to succeed. This includes organising the place, decorating, buying stock, cleaning, and manning the till. You're the retail, jack-of-all-trades for Blomkest!

It might sound like a lot, but in reality, it's heavily streamlined into bitesize tasks that are easy to manage and fit into the day/night cycle. At the back of your shop sits the computer where you can order a variety of products you have unlocked - getting delivered immediately by the local and friendly delivery man. Products come inside boxes in bulk which need to be stowed away in the storage rooms in the back. The computer isn't just for buying stock, as you can use it to alter the floors and walls with those you have bought, as well as gain points for completing daily and weekly tasks. These can then be used to unlock new products, as well as upgrades like more pockets and scanner for the till. It's small progression aspects like this that help keep you engaged and working towards something.

A key component of the gameplay loop is organisation. This includes how you make effective use of your day, but more particularly in how you layout your shop and stock. Making sure that the back rooms are kept neat ensures the day-to-day runnings remain smooth. From putting boxes of the same products together, and organising them in neat rows will allow to you quickly grab what you need to restock the shop floor when things gets busy.

Similarly, while you might feel the urge to place as many shelves and freezers as possible so the shop is packed full, you might find yourself overwhelmed. As products are split between shelved or chilled, alongside categories like household, produce, etc - I often found it most useful grouping products by categories (including in the storage rooms) so I knew what needed to go where, more easily. This is benefits from the fact you can purchase booster objects that increase the appeal of certain products when placed near them. The OCD inside me really loved the meticulous organisation Discounty guides the player towards. And as I mentioned, this pre-planning before the work shift begins really does make it go smoother. Speaking of which.

When that 'closed' sign flips over, that's when the real fun begins and the fruits of your organisational labour can be enjoyed. Customers will start flooding in (both the unique town NPCs and some generic ones) with some intended purchases in mind. They will walk around the shop looking for what they came in for, but also might impulse buy something else. This is a bit random, however, it can be influenced by how appealing an item is. Putting stock in more appealing shelving or putting specific decorations that boost a specific type of product will make them more likely to be impulse bought. Be careful though, if your shop is not stocked with what they want, they will not enjoy their experience - forfeiting any monetary bonus at the end of the day. In between serving customers, keeping those shelves and fridges stocked is a necessary task.

As your shop gets bigger, it can get more daunting to keep on top of, but to offset this, you do get a little helper who will move around and refill stock based on what is and was on each of the shelves that day. Having that extra help ensures the gameplay doesn't become to hectic, but you will still need to step in and stock at times. Also, he doesn't clean the floors, which periodically get patches of muck that slow down customers.

After the customers have gotten what they need (or didn't think they need), you need to check them out. As items come across the conveyor belt, you initially have to manually input prices, including totals of individual items when multiples of the same products are purchased. You don't need to memorise the prices, as you will have a handy book on screen with them all listed, but will start remembering ones with the repetition. Eventually, you will unlock a scanner that streamlines the process. All you need to do is rotate the item based on what type it is in one of the 4 directions. Plus, for multiples you just need to do it once. After a while, you will be scanning items like an Aldi cashier (my UK readers will sympathise). It's quite satisfying. At the end of the shift, you get a summary/performance review and bonus. You can then stock the shop ready for the next day if you want.

The story is surprisingly decent, filled with humor and charming themes. As you go through the game, you learn more about the small town and its history, whilst getting ingrained in the community - but as you soon realise, the people aren't too happy about your shop's steady expansion and try to push back. You will be exploring the town and getting to the bottom of a a myriad problems that the townsfolk are pinning on your shop. It's simple and short, but has a surprising amount of heart mixed in with some witty humour.

The inhabitants of the town are the real soul of the narrative, with varying personalitiesand schedules that you will come to expect. The elderly Ms. Andersen will always be waiting patiently outside the shop before it opens and be the first one in for example. The owner of the factory, Tammy, will spend most of her day at the factory working. You learn their patterns as if they were real people going about their days.

Its presentation really leans into that retro style of similar games like Stardew Valley, which really fits the vibe of the game as a whole. It adds that indie charm bolsters the cosy experience. The low-fi music matches the visuals perfectly.

When I saw the game on the recent releases section on the PlayStation store, I bought it on a whim as it looked like a nice, short, cozy game to wind down to - and that is exactly what Discounty is. It may not offer the most enthralling narrative, or complex gameplay that will keep you busy for 10s of hours, but it has charm, it's fun, and was exactly what I expected. If you work in retail, you might not want to come home to then unwind by playing game about working in retail - but I definitely recommend it to those that are looking for their next cozy experience.

Score = 7.5 / 10