tinyBuild and Questing Goose Studio have announced Probably Stolen, a cyberpunk pixel-art shop simulator packed with dodgy customers, illegal goods and some very questionable business decisions.
The game’s debut Steam playtest is available now. Players can also wishlist Probably Stolen ahead of its full release.
Run a shop in a corrupt space station
Probably Stolen takes place on the Lower Levels of a dystopian space station divided by wealth, crime and corruption.
Your job is simple, at least on paper. Buy goods, sell them for profit and keep the shop running. The slight complication is that much of your stock may not be entirely legal.
As per the press release, survival is less about doing the right thing and more about staying profitable. You will trade suspicious merchandise, manage faction loyalties and occasionally reach for a gun when negotiations go badly.
Choose your trade and your trouble
Players can begin as a gunsmith, chemist, water merchant, fence or farmer. Alternatively, they can start from rock bottom and build a business from nothing.
Each trade brings its own risks. Weapons attract inspections, while contraband can trigger raids. Some products require machinery and permits. Others simply need somewhere discreet to hide them.
Therefore, choosing what to sell also means choosing which problems you are willing to deal with.
Customers are another potential headache. Security officers may be searching for evidence, while revolutionaries could be looking for leverage. Other shoppers may simply want to test how useful you are.
Every transaction gives you a choice. You can approve the sale, refuse it, report the customer or pretend you saw absolutely nothing.
Balance risk, profit and rising rent
Every item in Probably Stolen comes with its own risk and reward. Players must judge both the merchandise and the person selling it.
Making the wrong call means taking the financial hit. You can lower a product’s quality to improve your margins, but that may upset Security or attract mob justice.
Meanwhile, your landlord keeps raising the rent regardless of how well business is going. Falling behind can damage your shop and force you into even riskier deals.
One bad purchase or illegal bust could be enough to close the business for good.
There is also the small matter of rogue AI-augmented individuals. These figures allegedly kidnap people for sinister purposes, and every faction agrees they should be shot on sight.
Probably Stolen is available to wishlist on Steam now, while its debut Steam playtest is also live today.