inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories

(Scroll to bottom for short summary) [h1] Not really THAT many stories... or gameplay... [/h1] It pains me to rate this game so low, because I genuinely adore its appearance and gameplay concepts, but I’m just not fully sold on the execution. InKonbini was fun… while it lasted. I got around 5 hours of gameplay, which feels way too short for a $20 game. Going in, I expected more of a worker sim with a story twist, but it ended up feeling more like a story game with light shop gameplay. I have played a lot of worker sim type games so something new with a twist was more than welcome in my direction. Its my bad for not having done more research into the type of game this is. The trailer doesn't explain what this game is at all and nor does the description. I loved the little details around the store. The notes left behind, the signs of the people who work there, and the overall feeling that people actually existed in this space. But there were also a lot of objects and items that felt like they should have had a bigger purpose and just… didn’t. By the end, I kept thinking, when do I actually get to do more with this item? And then the game just ended. That was my biggest issue with InKonbini: it left me wanting more, but there isn’t really more to play. There’s no endless mode, no meaningful replayability, and nothing changes on a new save. This made me think, is this game in beta? Nope. Its out at full release. So this is the END. I’ve never been disappointed by a game because I wanted to keep playing it, but that’s exactly how this felt. I came back expecting to get deeper into it and instead realized I was already 30 minutes from the end. I totally thought Aunt Hina would call us and say "Hey! You own the store now! Good luck kid!" But no. The game ended. The story itself was okay, though a little depressing at times. It was also much more dialogue-heavy than I expected. Since the game leans so hard on story, only having four main characters made it feel a bit limited. Some of the characterization felt off too. Satoshi didn’t really sound like a 10-year-old kid. Naomi was meh, Chief was solid, and the silent man was probably my favorite just because he was so mysterious. However its sooo odd that these people are confiding in a random Konbini worker... and we are supposed to give them advice and fix their problems. I enjoyed when the story would have me picking out items they needed, either for a recipe or order. (its funny that the game is called one store, many stories because tbh... its not that many stories...) Visually, the game is gorgeous, which almost makes the short runtime more frustrating. There’s so much care put into the environment that it feels like a waste not to have more to do in it. I played thoroughly, completed every task I could, ordered everything, and it still felt over way too fast. To note though, the Japanese on the items isn't actual Japanese. Its just made up? The naming conventions of some of the items too seemed off. I don't know, something about the language in this game is just weird. The controls were smooth and sorting items was satisfying, but I got pretty severe MOTION SICKNESS after about an hour of playing. I really don’t think the third-person camera helps a game like this, especially when the store itself is so tiny. Makoto also moves pretty slowly, but that didn’t bother me much since it fit the vibe. Overall, I did enjoy InKonbini, but for $20 it feels too short and too limited. I wanted more shop sim gameplay, more customers, and especially an endless mode. Instead, it feels like the game ends right when it’s starting to settle in. Buy on sale... like 50 percent off... More than anything, I hope the devs do something with this. It has potential. SUMMARY [b] !!!THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL SHOP SIM GAME AT ALL!!! [/b] [*] Cozy atmosphere and a beautifully detailed store [*] More depressing dialogue-heavy than I could ever expect, with light shop gameplay that is good. [*] Too short for $20 and has almost no replay value, 5 Hour total. [*] Feels like it ends right when it starts getting better [*] Wanted more actual store management and an endless mode [*] Smooth controls, but the third-person camera caused motion sickness for me

Inkonbini — это про уют и внимание к мелочам. Игра сразу задаёт спокойный, располагающий тон: тут не хочется торопиться, а хочется просто побыть в этом мире, разглядывать окружение и вчитываться в каждую реплику. Особенно понравились философские диалоги — они не просто двигают повествование, а заставляют задуматься. Персонажи поднимают темы, над которыми потом ещё долго размышляешь после сеанса. При этом герои не звучат как лекторы: философские нотки органично вплетены в их характеры и бытовые разговоры, от этого только интереснее. Диалоги в целом отлично проработаны: у каждого персонажа своя манера речи, свой взгляд на мир. А благодаря вниманию разработчиков к деталям даже самые, казалось бы, незначительные элементы рассказывают что‑то о вселенной игры. Финал оставил смешанные чувства: было одновременно очень радостно и грустно. Именно такая эмоциональная неоднозначность и делает историю по‑настоящему живой — она не даёт простых ответов и долго не отпускает после прохождения. Inkonbini напоминает о японской философии ичиго ичие — о ценности единственного, неповторимого момента. Так что советую играть не спеша, чтобы по-настоящему прочувствовать каждую сцену. Пусть эта игра станет для вас тем самым уникальным мгновением, которое хочется бережно сохранить в памяти. Однозначно рекомендую!

One store, many stories - but there are only 4 customers? I really wish there were more customers and the dialog wasnt soooooo dragged out. I was just clicking through it by the end of the game because a lot of it felt so unnecessary and boring. The store managing mechanics and design of the game I really did love. If there was more managing of the store, more variety of customers without massive blocks of dialog, and way more days to play through it would be up there in my top games.

Купил просто по тематике комбини, но нашёл алмаз. Приятные личные истории в неторопливом темпе, уютная атмосфера. Хочется верить что где то там, в глубинке 93года действительно существовал подобный комбини и туда приходили покупатели, каждый со своей маленькой историей. А какой классный звук у выставления товаров на полочки! Короткая, но цепляющая игра. На деке пришлось покрутить настройки, но в итоге выбрал 30 фпс, чуть чуть графона и уменьшенное потребление батарейки.

Приятная игра, которая заставляет замедлиться. Геймплей монотонный, не грузящий. Всё интуитивно понятно, красивая приятная графика. В настройках можно добавить бег персонажу, но если проходить первый раз, то лучше насладиться отсутствием спешки. Игра не вынуждает носиться как угорелый и расставлять товары, как в большинстве игр про симуляторы супермаркета. Игра позволяет погрузится в вайб маленького японского магазинчика, с его покупателями. Единственное, что немного надоело, это то, что очень много нужно читать, хотелось бы поменьше болтовни. Но если вы разделите игру условно на 6 дней - по одному игровому дню на вечер, возможно вам будет легче. Для получения всех достижений потребуется 2 и более прохождений.

Милая игра, самое то если нравятся симуляторы магазинов только тут полный чил, никаких тебе статистик ^^

Viver o momento, ver o extraordinário no comum e no fim saber que em dias bons ou difíceis tudo vira memória e aprendizado. Pequenas escolhas e pequenos lugares vivem na mente das pessoas para sempre e mudam rumos. Um jogo tranquilo, adoraria ter todas as conquistas mas acredito que pelo menos por um tempo deixarei como esta, é um dos jogos que apesar de poder jogar de novo, o que fica é a primeira memória e aventura. Musica boa, jogabilidade simples, bom para uma pausa em pouco tempo antes de ir ao trabalho. Da para ver o carinho posto na criação do jogo, creio que todos por trás do projeto também refletiram pelo menos um pouco sobre suas próprias vidas dando vida para esta história. Obrigada pela experiência!

Genuinely enthralled the entire time I played, always wanted to keep coming back. The shelf stacking / sorting was super relaxing, even if I missed the occasional turned can. What I wouldn't give to restock the store from scratch honestly. I hope we can get an 'endless mode' one day, maybe playing as our Auntie Hina :')

I hate to say I wouldn't recommend this game. I really wanted to love this, but the story is way too short to feel any emotional payout at the end. It's heavy on the story and light on the management aspects, which is fine but the developers just didn't give enough time for the story to develop. It's a shame because I liked the concept a lot.

Очень крутая и ламповая игра, задумка реализована на отличном уровне! Интересные персонажи, которые уместно вплетены в сюжет. Приятные мелочи в виде проработки некоторых геймплейных деталей особенно порадовали. Ну и русскоязычная локализация не подвела! Спасибо разработчикам! <3