Screenshot by Bonus Action
As a shopkeeping sim fan, I’ve had an eye on Discounty for a while. This game falls into the trend of adding a layer of something darker to a pixel art game that looks cozy on its surface. It’s not quite the demonic horrors of Bloomtown: A Different Story, but it’s no lighthearted story, either.
In Discounty, you move to a small town to help your aunt run a discount supermarket chain. She’s determined to grow and expand, but the residents of Blomkest aren’t so sold. As new, strange environmental issues begin to pop up, you’re left wondering if you’re the one to blame.
This game is part shopkeeping puzzle, part commentary on the dangers of capitalism. As much as I wanted to love it, there are a few elements that are a smidge rough around the edges, leaving me with overall mixed feelings on this one. Even so, I wanted to keep coming back for more.
Key Details
- Developer: Crinkle Cut Games
- Publisher: PQube
- Platforms: PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
- Release Date: August 21, 2025
- Price: $19.99
- Copy Provided for Review: Yes
A Fast-Paced Supermarket Shuffle
When playing Discounty, your day is divided between shop opening hours and everything else. Before and after Discounty opens for the day, you get to know Blomkest’s locals, secure trade deals, and eventually solve mysteries. But once store hours roll around, it’s you, your products, and a bunch of customers.
The shopkeeping gameplay is fast-paced, as you’re challenged to keep things stocked while also checking out customers. They’ll get mad if you leave them waiting too long, and can even storm out. To check out customers early on, you have to use a calculator to manually type in the price of items from a list, then multiply by how many they’re buying. This control was a bit clunky with a controller, and I often mistyped because I failed to hold the joystick in place long enough. Despite this frustration, the shopkeeping is fun, if challenging. Eventually, you can upgrade to a scanner, which makes things a bit easier, but boy, did I put in my time with that darn calculator before I figured that out.
Keeping things stocked is another challenge. Your store layout is key here, and it’s up to you to optimize the distance from the stock room to your shelves and coolers. Not being a puzzle-minded person, I struggled a bit here, but I think those who enjoy organization puzzles would find this a fun challenge.
A Story With a Clear Anti-Capitalist Message
More than anything, what I enjoyed about Discounty was its story. As things unfold, you begin to see the price of your own actions. Even if the ideas are Aunt Tellar’s, are you culpable for putting them into motion? It’s sort of like the infamous Stardew Valley Joja Mart run, except you don’t have a choice in the matter. You’re along for the ride, and that ride is both entertaining and impactful in its messaging.
That said, getting to the story can occasionally be a bit of a slog. Each character has a series of dialogue bubbles they run through when you talk to them. These conversations run on the longer side and can get a bit repetitive, especially when I need to talk to Barbara or Fisher to get ahold of more products for my shop. As a result, getting from Point A to Point B in the story sometimes feels a bit sluggish and occasionally confusing due to a few unfortunate typos in the dialogue bubbles.
The order of conversations with NPCs doesn’t always make sense, either. I sometimes found them referring to events that took place a long time ago as if they were presently happening, which somewhat broke the momentum of the story for me. Even so, I was eager to keep playing to see what would happen next in the mysterious plight of Blomkest.
Days Are Too Long… Until They Aren’t
Sometimes, I found myself unsure what to do between opening hours at Discounty. This is especially true early in the game, before you unlock quests to track down between shifts. I found myself starting the store day early or going to bed before my time simply because I wasn’t sure what else to do.
I would’ve liked to see a bit more to interact with in town, something that does get better as the game progresses. Once you have a full series of quests and trade deals to manage, you learn to fill your days. But early on, it can be a bit unclear what you’re meant to do when you’re not behind the counter.
Final Score: 7/10
Discounty does something different with the shopkeeping sim, and I enjoyed playing a game with cozy mechanics but a more serious storyline. The characters have some fun quirks, and the overall narrative kept me pushing through. That said, some of the game’s issues with repetitive unskippable dialogue and clunky controls did take my experience down a notch or two. Despite it all, I found myself eager to end my real-life work days so I could pick up my Switch and clock in at Discounty.
If you enjoy a shopkeeping sim and/or a game with a story that’ll have you considering life’s questions, I think Discounty will certainly deliver for you.
**Bonus Action was provided with a Nintendo Switch code of Discounty for the purpose of this review**
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