A Merchant's Promise

Leaving my negative review positive as to not discourage the dev, its got potential, needs a few more years. Probably its biggest issue is no guildance at all. Your dropped into the sandbox with no idea where to go or what to do. No go to whiterun and speak to the yarl with a map to help you. There is no map, no quests, the only progression is 2 larger carts you can get that I found while randomly wondering. Its game with no direction, no clear guidance. This is more of a tech demo and at $10 the price is already high. The dev may know everything about the game but a player does not. When the players dropped in, they need to know what their goal is, the first step in that goal and progression steps to work towards and where to go for that goal and progression. I spent most of my time bumbling around, 4 hours in and I still don't understand the map. The kings road stuff seems pointless, I actually bumbled into it once, got sent to prison for it and got massively sidetracked, lost my cart, it was a mess. There is alot I can point out but really it comes down to this is a year or two from being a game and is still more of a tech demo with ALOT of empty spaces and WIP areas. Too soon for steam.

I dont know. I played for an hour and did the tutorial beforehand. I understand your wares get damaged when in rain, but that they simply ... explode or shatter into pieces when they get damaged enough is just a stupid design decision. At least let me sell them for a bad price or something. But how it is currently is not cool and not fun.

Expected a bit of whimsy and a long journey, taking the scenic route and some trials or rough roads. Followed a sign to go the "long way" around. What was supposed to be over 7KM took only a couple minutes at most to walk without sprinting. A tiny stream that got my toes wet and a small hill that wasn't even inconvenient. Sense of achievement is heavily watered down due to lack challenge, scenery, and general vibes.

I love this game! Despite the limited content in the early access, I easily sank 80 hours into it before I got burned out (and still keep coming back to put a few more in here and there). The cozy aesthetic, the merchant gameplay loop, and the physics engine really make this game something unique. There's a charm to packing your items into your crates very carefully and making sure you don't drop or break anything. I'm so excited for the upcoming update that will overhaul the entire game! I need another 100 hours of this game ASAP! Adding my specs to show that I have a pretty old, barebones gaming laptop and it runs this game very well on low/mid graphics (the shadows really impact my performance so I turn them off). I've had some stutters here and there but that's probably more on my outdated specs than the game itself. Never crashed. So even the people on the low end of the SPEC-trum like me can enjoy this game!

Fun game, great concept amazing dev thats extremely vocal in what they are working on and always active in discord to awnser question and or take suggestions!

This game has so much potential and already satisfies that certain little itch you get to just do something peaceful and simple. The developer genuinely takes into account what their community is saying and their love and care for the game shows in the world that you meander through. The small details, homey atmosphere, and quirky graphics make the game peaceful and so easy to get lost in.

I really like the concept behind this game and hope it develops into something great. In it's current state it didn't take too long to get to King's Merchant. Once I got the biggest cart and sealed crates, I could just load them up, struggle through a long journey and make thousands of profit in one trip. It could use balancing to discourage just buying the most expensive items and taking them as far as possible for the greatest profit. I like how there is an alternative route to taking the King's road if one doesn't mind it taking longer and being rugged. In my mind, this game could be great if it got the life and depth the developer says is aimed for. When I was young, I played a game, the name I can't remember, where the player arrives to an island community and helps the locals out. Interactions start with the locals being wary of the player, and as they are helped, they become more welcoming. The gameplay was very simple. If I remember right, it was basically fixing the supply chain on the island. The tavern was closed because they didn't have a yeast starter from the bakery. The bakery was closed because the mill didn't have grain. The mill was closed because the farmer needing something I can't remember. I think there were even letters/mail to deliver between different people. Despite how primitive the game was, helping the community and seeing it come to life was very rewarding. By the end, the Tavern was full of patrons in the evening, the bakery and mill were operating, and everyone was happy to see the player. NPCs even had daily and weekly schedules they followed. Most games these days do one or two things very well and lack everywhere else. Once the player masters what the game focuses on, there's no answer to 'what next?' other than to move on to a new game. I am painfully aware of how difficult it is to do many things decently instead of doing one or two things very well. I think a really fun path for the game would be to start out as a nobody, as the player already does, and be able to have a tangible impact on the communities over time. For example, seeing Yorlen Village destitute provides opportunity to help them out by bringing them what they need to produce goods they can sell and improve their situation. It would be cool to see the village get improved over time and also provide a good reason to do trade there. Most places already have unique goods that other villages want. In time, an actual supply chain in the game would be amazing instead of shops magically restocking every day. Then there's reason to transport a variety of goods as the other towns need them to produce their unique items. If they don't have necessities, their production stops. The premise behind it could be that the towns are isolationist and can survive on their own, but the player's transport services can help everyone flourish. I imagine arriving, seeing the towns being burdened by feuds and taxes with failing infrastructure, and gradually developing into thriving communities that depend on and appreciate the player for putting in the effort to make a difference. So here's hoping for the best! I've spent a lot of time looking for a game that is simple yet has life to it. If the developer goes that route, this could be a masterpiece. If not, so be it. I'll keep searching.

i see the vision but it will take a bit

this game rubs my autism just right.

The game is great!! I love testing my greed and stuffing my cart with as much ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ as possible even if it sometimes ends up in me recollecting everything in some random place