Developed By: Crinkle Cut Games
Published By: PQube
Category: Simulation
Release Date: 08.20.25
Price: $19.99
*Game Download Code graciously provided for the purpose of review
When I first found out about Discounty, I knew that I had to play. It reminded me of both Stardew Valley and Moonlighter, and that was more than enough to get me interested. But those are big shoes to fill and I was worried that I’d still be invested after a few hours.
Fortunately, Discounty ended up being even better than I was hoping for. There were a few minor complaints I had here and there, but for a shopkeeping simulator, there are quite a few intuitive mechanics. That was one of the main reasons that I liked the game so much.
Discounty takes place in Blomkest, a small and rundown town in the middle of nowhere. At first glance, Blomkest seems like it’s been abandoned for years. But that doesn’t stop you from moving there. Your aunt opens the supermarket of her dreams in the middle of town, and you’re her newest helper.
This is a fully fledged shopkeeping simulator where you operate every aspect of your store. When you first begin, you buy equipment like shelves and crates to display throughout the store. Once the layout of the store is done, you order groceries to sell, and then you’re open for business.
A few extra mechanics come into play later on, but this is where the fun really begins. You’re put in charge of the register, and while it’s not crazy realistic, there’s a lot of detail. There’s a sheet that shows how much each item costs, but the rest is up to you.
Select the price and how many of each item your customer has and the register does the rest for you. Then you just repeat the process until you’re done with your customer and move on to the next. The registers offer a fun gameplay loop, but there’s so much more to the game.
Discounty is played in real time. As customers walk around and grab items off the shelves, stock is obviously going to go down until you run out. Instead of waiting for the end of the day, you can make mad dashes to the back so you can quickly restock while customers are walking around.
However, it does become a bit much later on. You can expand the supermarket but juggling the register, restocks, and the other aspects of the store will become a challenge. Once you unlock more items to sell, you’ll have to flip through five pages in order to find the price of each. It’s a bit overwhelming but the game is pretty forgiving.
Even then, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Physically grow your supermarket until it’s a giant empire, negotiate trade deals with the locals, and explore the town. Blomkest is small and rundown but it’s lively in its own way with it’s farm, forest, harbor, and other quirks.
Discount does not offer farming, mining, or romance options, but there’s still so much going on. It’s a legitimate tycoon simulator with extra fluff, and that’s something that I really appreciate. I believe that people who grew up with tycoon simulators will feel the same way.
The game can get pretty challenging as you balance more tasks, and it can feel slow at times. But it’s a solid game for fans of this genre and an easy way to casually pass a few hours. For $19.99, Discounty is a must buy.
9/10
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