Tiny Book Shop [DEMO] - It is a great demo, but not a game for me.
0My daughter is a book sales person, which actually requires quite a lot more than one should think - like a degree in business. If you want to sell books for real that is, anyone can sell books, but not everyone knows how to run a bookstore. And yes real books are still bought and sold.
Anyways I wanted to try this, it looked wholesome a cute, and I was in the mood for wholesome, quirky sims (if you can't tell from all the damn demos I am uploading these days).
Personally I found this demo super un-intuitive for me, and I hated the fucking characters in it - there's wholesome, and then there is Tumblr-lame. I'm sorry man, I really wanted to like this, I promise. I think the book sorting is weird, the genres are amputated - and the selection is off. And the whole sales aspect in it is odd as all hell. (also why are people walking like goblins?)
Anyways, when I made it to 'scenario 2' where that woman Tildes bookstore once was, they introduced a game mechanic where you suggest books to customers, and even if I failed the first time (as you see in the demo) - because I wasn't quite sure what I was doing tbh (the tutorial is seriously lacking in some areas of the gameplay, and is overly annoyingly explanatory in others), and I must admit I don't find 'Dune' too gory, I know I failed finding her the right book, but I still say Dune fit her parameters. I enjoyed that game mechanic immensely, and wish it had been introduced right away, it definitely makes it more immersive and fun, especially if you're a lifelong reader (like me). You will recognize titles, and sometimes giggle a little at the blurb explaining what the book is about. But again, it was a great feature.
Sadly to me, it was the only good feature in the game, I found the rest of it slow and boring to be honest. And I take it there is a level of sandbox after the demo ends, but I just couldn't be bothered. With that said, I don't hate it at all - it's just not for me.
Go download the demo, because perhaps it's just your thing. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2133760/Tiny_Bookshop/