What if running a tiny shop in a sleepy little town turned out to be one of the most charming games of the year? Discounty, the debut title from Crinkle Cut Games, takes the everyday chaos of retail, wraps it in cosy vibes, and sprinkles in just enough mystery to keep things interesting.
Don’t let the pixel art and quirky name fool you. There’s a surprisingly rich narrative beneath the surface, and a gameplay loop that’s equal parts relaxing and addictive. After spending 19 hours sweeping floors, scanning barcodes, and getting to know the oddball residents of Blomkest, here’s why Discounty might be your next indie obsession.
One Ticket to Blomkest, Please
You’ve been invited to the sleepy little town of Blomkest by your eccentric aunt, who owns a little discount(y) store. She’s stepping back due to health reasons and she needs you to take over. What starts as a simple handover from your aunt, turns into something much more.
During your stay, you’ll grow your tiny little store, strike up trade deals with local businesses, chat with the locals, and slowly uncover the secrets hidden in this quirky little town.
What caught me off guard was just how much story there actually is. This isn’t just a cute little shop sim set in the middle of nowhere, it’s a narrative-driven experience wrapped in retail chaos. The characters you meet are full of charm, giving Blomkest a real sense of personality. I adored the gameplay loop, but it was the story which kept me going.
Working Nine to Five
The game opens with a simple character creator. You can pick your frame, choose from a few hairstyles and outfits, and customise the colours of just about everything. It’s not the deepest system but it gets the job done.
Once you’ve arrived at Blomkest, you’re introduced to the town, a few friendly (and weird) locals, and most importantly your store, Discounty. After a brief intro, you’re set loose. And from there, it’s about keeping your store running like clockwork.
As you’d expect from a management sim, you’ve got a lot to juggle. You’ll need to order stock, keep it organised, make sure the shelves are stacked, clean up the mess customers leave behind, and man the till. It’s busy, but never overwhelming, and weirdly satisfying once you get into the rhythm of it all.
I didn’t know what to expect going in. I enjoyed the till mini-game. Customers bring their shopping to the counter, you need to manually enter the pricing of each of the products. The left side of the screen you’ve got a price guide and on the right side there’s cash registers input, it’s basically a calculator.
This can be upgraded later to a barcode scanner, making it easier to serve customers, it’s also a different mini-game. Honestly, there’s something satisfying about the beep of a barcode scanner that doesn’t get old.
There’s something chaotic about keeping on top of stock, cleaning, and sales, but the gameplay loop is just satisfying.
What I’ve especially enjoyed is the pacing. You’re not dumped with a massive catalogue of products from the start. Instead, new items are gradually introduced. Some unlock through a reward system: the better you and your store perform, the more points you earn, which can be spent on upgrade (like more pocket space) or new products.
The other way to expand your offerings is through trade deals. There are three local businesses you can build relationships with; a farm, a fishery and a manufacturer. Each one has three unique products to unlock, usually by completing sales challenges or missions. These deals also unlock perks like better prices or increased weekly supply. It’s a great system that makes progression feel personal and rewarding.
That said, I do have one minor gripe: once you’ve unlocked a new product, customers expect it to be stocked immediately. This led to a bit of confusion early on when I didn’t realise I needed to order it manually. It’s a small thing, but noteworthy.
Not Everything’s Half Off
Throughout the entire game, I used a controller, It fits with the cosy vibe perfectly. But one recurring issue popped up when trying to select something, the game was taking a guess depending on if I was selecting an object or a character and usually defaulting to the character. There were a few times where extra patience was required to make sure that the right object was being selected.
I’m unsure this is also caused by using a controller, but during the barcode mini-game. You need to rotate objects to make sure you’re scanning the barcode. Sometimes the rotation would lock, meaning you would need to wiggle your analogue a bit to get it to register.
Also, some of my customers were a little… off? They would come into the store, have a wander around and then just stop moving. I tried everything to try and nudge them back into action like removing the shelf they were nearby, making sure they had plenty of space, nothing worked. When the store closed, they would make their way angrily to the till, so they could pay for what they did manage to get. It just seems like the pathfinding was off.
None of these issues ruined the game by any means. They’re minor glitches in an otherwise smooth and charming game.
Oozing with Pixel Charm
Discounty is packed with charm. While the customisable character is a little basic, the town of Blomkest is anything but. From cosy shopfronts to cluttered aisles, there’s loads of visual detail that brings the world to life.
The story cast of characters is small but memorable. Each one has their own quirks, and if you pay attention, you’ll catch bits of their backstory just by spotting them around town. While there are little story events while wandering around the town, you’ll find objects highlighted in yellow. Pressing these will give you little interactions which give you backstory.
There’s a decent sized selection of customisation options available for your home and Discounty store, being able to get different patterns for the floors and walls, but there are also functional decorations you can purchase too. Feel that customers move a little slow in your store, put out a coffee maker, giving anyone who goes near it a little extra pep in their step.
Discounty? More Like Full Price Fun
I’ve spent 19 hours in, and after completing the game to 100% I honestly feel that Discounty is more than just a quirky shop sim. It’s a charming, story-driven management game that pulls you in with its cosy aesthetic and keeps you hooked with satisfying gameplay and a surprisingly heartfelt narrative.
Blomkest is packed with personality, and while you’re technically just running a discount store, it never feels like busywork. Juggling stock, manning the till, cleaning up after customers, it all clicks into a gameplay loop that’s both chill and chaotic in just the right amounts. The progression system, with its unlockable products and trade deals, keeps things moving without ever feeling overwhelming.
After trying the game with mouse and keyboard, all of my initial issues were cleared up and honesty, It feels better to play too!
There are a few rough edges, controller quirks, clunky object selection, and the occasional customer behaving like they’ve hit a wall, but none of it breaks the overall experience. These are the kind of small bugs you can overlook when everything else is this well crafted. Crinkle Cut Games have done a fantastic job with Discounty, especially as this is their first game, I can’t wait to see what they do next.
If you love cosy games, light sim mechanics, and a town full of weird but lovable characters, Discounty is well worth the trip to Blomkest.
8 / 10
Discounty proves that running a shop can be strangely wholesome and wildly satisfying.