TCG Card Shop Simulator is a lovely hidden gem on the Steamworks platform. A random game that popped up in a discovery queue, and I decided to give it a try. For a game coming from a small team, it's every TCG player's type of game.

 

Here is what I enjoyed about the game:

--- There's a decent amount of variety in the cards and accessories that can be sold in the shop.

--- Pace picks up relatively quickly, especially if you get lucky and showcase some valuable cards.

--- A supercomputer isn't needed to play the game, yet the quality is still decent.

--- What's store-simulator game without customers walking in with a hovering stank cloud around them?

--- Requires a good balance between what you buy, how you sell, and when to get it.

--- Money isn't excessively easy to get in the beginning, which makes you play smarter.

--- Game isn't very expensive, at just $12.99 USD full price.

--- Shelves and tables auto-snap together, making arranging things perfectly a whole lot easier.

 

What could change?

--- The soundtrack is elevator music. No, I'm serious. You'll quickly get tired of the in-tame music, turn it off, and turn your own music on.

--- Card packs take a bit of time to open, especially when doing multiple packs at a time.

--- Unless played very smartly, the beginning takes a few hours to get past. First run, with me discovering the game... took almost 3 hours before I started getting any decent cashflow.

--- Some mechanics could use some work. The de-stank machine that sprays the de-odorizer doesn't work about 75% of the time.

--- Some items are quite expensive to buy, just for them to not do too much. Licenses are crazy expensive for nearly everything.

--- Apparently the store expansion is about 10 square feet at a time, with climbing prices.

--- Every card-type product has 4 licenses. Singles pack (1 shelf), Singles pack (2 shelves), Card box (1 shelf), Card box (2 shelves). They all cost about the same price-wise... but I'm not a fan of having to buy a license for something twice.

 

All-in-all for a random game that appeared in my queue that I gave a shot, it wasn't bad at all... as a matter of fact, I put in over 8 hours of play in the first two days... Maybe it's my TCG soul getting to me, I dunno.