Image via Purpledoor Studios
As someone who spends a lot of time on my computer, I love a good idle game. So, it’s great to see that the genre has really taken off in the last year or so. There are plenty of great idle games to add a little joy to your work, from Spirit City: Lofi Sessions to desktop farming sims like Rusty’s Retirement. Last year, the simple but satisfying “rewards while you type” hit Bongo Cat took Steam by storm, and for good reason. What’s more satisfying for someone who spends time at their desk than seeing an adorable cat slap its paws in response to your keystrokes? Now, a new indie game combines the idea of rewarding your keystrokes with something near and dear to my heart: books.
Idle Bookstore comes from the indie dev team Purpledoor Studios. They created the magical restaurant management game Magic Inn, which is currently in Early Access. Idle Bookstore is a simpler, desktop management sim that lets you run a tiny pixel bookstore while you focus on other tasks. It was released on September 15th for PC via Steam, and as a huge idle game fan and book nerd, I had to check it out. It’s sort of like a blend of Tiny Bookshop and Bongo Cat, and I do mean that as a compliment.
Idle Bookstore Lets You Write and Sell Books Right from Your Desktop
Like many idle games, Idle Bookstore is pretty compact. It can be collapsed to show a small icon of your avatar and your type/click count, similar to the default display for Bongo Cat. As you type, you earn rewards to dress up your avatar. Once you unlock it, your typing and clicking will also let you write books that you can sell in your tiny bookstore! It’s relatively easy to let it fade into the background while you work, with helpful notifications to let you know when you’ve finished a book or unlocked a new avatar item.
As for the bookstore, you can click the little bookstore icon to open up the management screen. Rather than taking up your full screen, it pops up at the side so you never lose sight of whatever you’re working on while you play. In the management screen, you can add bookshelves and other decor to your little shop. You’ll also want to keep it stocked with books, including your own. Selling more books unlocks additional genres to stock, giving the game a satisfying sense of progression that mostly proceeds without your active attention. In other words, pretty much exactly what you want from an idle game.
If you like the feeling of virtual coworking, Idle Bookstore also supports multiplayer. You can create a lobby with friends, so you’ll see their avatar working at the bottom of the screen right along with yours. In all, it’s a relatively simple but cute idle game that’s perfect for bookworms who spend a lot of time working on their desktop computers. I know I’ll be splitting time between this and Spirit City for my work companion for the foreseeable future.
Idle Bookstore is available now for PC via Steam. It costs $5.99, with a 10% off introductory discount bringing it to just $5.39 until September 28th.
Looking for more idle game recommendations? Check out my thoughts on Spirit City: Lofi Sessions.
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