Retail Mage

Every so often, a game hits Steam that everyone’s talking about, and this one’s it. Normally, these games go all-in on horror, so it’s a nice change to be stressed out in a totally different, chaotic way. The best part? You solve problems however you want—or at least, that’s what I tell myself as I scramble through like it’s my first day on the job. As someone who’s worked in retail, it’s oddly satisfying to find joy in this mess. And as a party game? This one really shines. Bring friends, bring chaos, and get ready for some seriously unplanned moments. [i] Also… heyyyyyyyy, Thaddeus. [/i]

This was the first time I enjoyed reading customer reviews at the end of a game day! I'm impressed. It's a solid system that could for sure make a fun game. It's almost there. They forgot to make it into a game though. - There are no rewards to pursue or penalties to avoid. - There is nothing to build, level up, or buy - so a 1 star review is effectively the same as 5 star review. - It feels like a demo. I love the focus on multiplayer! + Specializing in a trade gives you unique creative abilities which is fantastic for needing each other. - I wish it was easier to keep track of what my ally was doing while I'm doing my thing. If I didn't keep demanding to know who they were helping and what they needed every 30 seconds in voice chat to avoid overlapping efforts again it would have felt like single player.

I've been playing games for many years but this is one of the first times I really felt like I was *playing*. What a cool experience to have the game actively responding to my inputs so convincingly. Having a blast trying new things and seeing how the game responds. Definitely want to try this out with friends and see how much trouble we can get ourselves into.

Retail Mage, places you in the role of a wizard employed at MageMart, a magical furniture store. Your objective is to assist eccentric customers and earn five-star reviews before the store closes. Pros: ✔️ Fun Customer Requests: The game offers a variety of amusing and creative customer requests, keeping the gameplay engaging and entertaining. ✔️ Intuitive AI: The AI-driven NPCs respond dynamically to player interactions, providing a more immersive and unpredictable experience. ✔️ Humorous Shoppers: The diverse cast of shoppers adds a layer of humor, making each interaction memorable and enjoyable. Cons: ❌ Item Availability Exploits: It's possible to manipulate item spawns, which can reduce the challenge and satisfaction of fulfilling customer requests. ❌ Dialogue Options Mismatch: At times, the provided dialogue options don't align well with player intentions, leading to confusing or unintended interactions. ❌ Limited Gameplay Duration: The game focuses on a single 30-minute day, and the lack of a shop-building mechanic may leave players desiring more depth and replayability. Despite these drawbacks, I found "Retail Mage" to be an enjoyable and unique experience. The blend of magic and retail, coupled with the game's humor and AI interactions, kept me engaged throughout my shift at MageMart. While the game could benefit from additional features and refinements, it offers a solid foundation for cooperative fun. Score: 7 out of 10 enchanted cash registers—A magical retail adventure that shines with creativity but could use a bit more polish.

I can't remember a time where games weren't promising us, "in this game, you can do anything!" -- and then disappointing. I'm not sure Retail Mage nails that promise in full, but it absolutely does get closer than anything else I've played. That uniqueness alone has made it absolutely worth my rec for anyone looking to try something new. In my last session, instead of finding what my customers wanted, I spent my time surreptitiously sliding vegan meatballs under the welcome mat while no one was watching. I cut stuffed animals into pieces and sewed them back together into franken-plushies, and I threw a brazier of fire at my friend who was [i]actually[/i] serving the clientele. At one point, I gave multiple cocktails to the friendly NPC co-worker, and told her that she was working too hard. Yep, I later found her wandering around the store, drunk. This is a sandbox game masquerading as anything else. Other reviewers are correct that the content feels low at the moment -- mostly due to NPCs asking for the same things. Thankfully, the real fun of the game is just messing around with your friends, seeing if you can convince an NPC that their entire life is a dream, or whether you can manage to enchant a sword with the power to stick to walls. The underlying AI tech is definitely not bug-free, which ends up feeling like a game in itself. Can you trick the game into letting you transmute raw fish into a ham sandwich? Probably. TL;DR: this is a bite-sized game that won't wow you with massive story content, tight mechanics, or AAA pizzazz, but at the center of it is something kind of...magical? In a world where I feel increasingly force-fed AI slop, I want more Retail Mages, that let me experience something new, in a charming, well-crafted way.

The game is an interesting concept and has a few cool ideas that need developing. - No entertaining single player mode - The AI chatbot is interesting for a minute, later the repeatability of it makes it very much annoying - Lack of any sort of competitive setting / score list, missions, etc. - cannot play with strangers

Retail Mage is a blast with friends—like a chaotic D&D session in a fantasy shop. The AI reacts to your wild ideas pretty well, making for hilarious moments. It’s a bit light on solo content and progression, but as a party game, it’s worth it

So much fun! Loved just exploring all the different ways to interact with the world. Reminded me of my first time playing DND :)

This game is extremely bare bones. More of a tech demo than an actual game.

I love this concept! the idea of saying whatever you want is super cool, never seen anything like it. so much freedom to mess around and explore. had a blast with this