Discounty Review – Should You Wait For a Discount?

My Discounty review discusses the Nintendo Switch version of the game, going over the main aspects I enjoyed and anything that I struggled with. If you want to try out Discounty for yourself, make sure to visit the game’s Steam page or Nintendo page.

Discounty Review

Ever wanted to run your own supermarket? Even if your answer is no, Discounty makes it a fun and rewarding experience. Manage the daily stresses of having to run a shop by yourself, as you serve customers, restock the shelves, and keep an eye on which products you need to order in.

I’m a big fan of pixelated titles and management/simulation games, so I knew Discounty was for me, and it didn’t disappoint.

Layers of Customisation

In Discounty, your little supermarket is truly all yours. You can decorate it as you see fit, by collecting and equipping different wallpapers and flooring. It’s up to you where the display shelves and freezers go, so the layout is tailored to your preferences. And yes, you have to think of a name for the shop – it reminded me of the turmoil I had when trying to pick a name for my Animal Crossing island!

By purchasing decor items from Isenkram’s Hardware, run by Ted Isenkram, you can increase the sales chances of certain types of products. Not only do they add a bit of jazz to your shop, but they also help you earn more money! Speaking of decor, pop to Antics Antiques to visit Solruna, who stocks furniture, wallpaper, flooring and other decorations for your shop and trailer home. The items available change every day, so you never know what you might find.

On the topic of customisation, you can create your own character to match your style. Try out different outfits, sport a cool hairstyle, and accessorise as you see fit.

The Core Gameplay

As for the gameplay of Discounty, it blends Stardew Valley-esque character interactions and quests with shop management. Each day, you open your shop to the town residents as you hurry around restocking shelves with products from the storage room and tending to the till.

Running the Shop

The till is actually my favourite part of the shop management gameplay, as you need to enter the costs manually, referring to the notebook which contains all of the individual prices of each item. It can get tricky when there’s a large queue, and if a customer purchases multiple of the same item, but it’s all part of the fun.

All the while, you need to keep an eye on the shelves and freezers to ensure they’re always stocked. Oh, and there are also the little messes that accumulate across the floor over time, which you need to mop up either during the workday or afterwards.

Stocking Up

Running low on stock in the storage room? There’s a computer you can interact with to make an order! A few seconds later, Gus the Delivery Guy turns up with your products in freezer boxes and cardboard boxes. One of my other favourite aspects of the shop is that once these boxes are empty, you can take them to the recycling area, but make sure to put them in the correct bins, as you get money for it!

There are also trade deals that you can make with locals, who sell exclusive products that you can’t order from the shop’s computer. The more you sell of these items, the quicker you can upgrade the trade deal, unlocking additional buffs. To diversify your stock even more, there are new products you can unlock via the computer as you progress, too.

Any Improvements?

Now, as much as I enjoy the game, there are some things that I wish were implemented. For example, there’s a worn-down shop called Cursed But Curious in the town. I assumed it was going to be an unlockable building later in the game, but unfortunately, nothing happens with it. This is a minor thing, of course, but it would have been nice to have a new building to work towards that may offer purchasable items.

The second thing I struggled with a bit was the controls for the till on the Nintendo Switch. On PC, you can type in the numbers on your keyboard or click on them with your mouse. On the Switch, however, you need to hold the thumbstick to navigate the pointer to the correct number.

This sounds easy, but when you’re rushing, you can accidentally hit the wrong number, which then means you have to restart the calculation. By simply letting go of the thumbstick, the pointer goes back to the middle. It can get a little uncomfortable after a while! Still, it doesn’t ruin the game in any sense, but it’s something I had to get used to. Lastly, I do wish you could get to know the townsfolk a little better, as some of their dialogue felt slightly empty and pointless.

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