00:00:14
Welcome to my shop!
00:00:15
If you’re here for the big sword, that guy
bought the last one.
00:00:19
I’ve got other stuff though.
00:00:20
Whatcha comin’ in for?
00:00:22
A moon scroll?
00:00:23
You look like you got that moon scroll vibe.
00:00:26
No?
00:00:26
I got a 1976 Black Dragon out back if you’re
interested.
00:00:30
Let’s see here…
00:00:31
Lucky drops?
00:00:33
Cat Hat?
00:00:33
Oh, we got a new centaur heart today.
00:00:36
Best hearts in town right here.
00:00:38
Rock Candy?
00:00:39
Ghost powder?
00:00:40
Secret key?
00:00:41
Or just the usual?
00:00:43
Who doesn’t love a good game shop?
00:00:46
But not all shops are built the same.
00:00:48
A shop can be anything from the most basic
00:00:50
exchanging of money for
stuff, to a more complicated
00:00:53
system of bartering and negotiating, all the
way up to a set of mechanics so detailed and
00:00:58
nuanced that it BECOMES the game.
00:01:00
Since so many games are going to have shops
in them, it makes sense to make them as fun
00:01:04
as possible, right?
00:01:06
I think so.
00:01:06
Let’s talk shop.
00:01:09
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So how do you make a shop more fun?
00:02:26
Well, your options depend on what you want
your shop to do.
00:02:29
Game shops can handle a lot of different types
of things.
00:02:32
How complicated do you want it to get?
00:02:34
You can go way past just buying and selling
stuff.
00:02:37
Let’s break it up into a few levels, getting
more complex as we go up this big tall department
00:02:42
store of a metaphor, floor by floor.
00:02:44
At the start, though, it IS just about buying
and selling stuff.
00:02:49
Level 1: Basic Shops
00:02:52
If you want a no-nonsense, vanilla game shop,
you’ve got about a thousand RPGs to choose
00:02:58
from.
00:02:58
Super Mario RPG might be the most vanilla
of them all.
00:03:02
These shops are reliable sources of consumable
items, and basic, level-appropriate gear.
00:03:07
Not the best stuff.
00:03:08
Not the flashiest.
00:03:10
Not the weirdest.
00:03:11
Just the most sensible.
00:03:13
One common role of a shop is to provide a
way for a player to stick to a progression
00:03:17
curve in games where you get more powerful
over time, like in most RPGs.
00:03:21
As challenges get tougher, a shop can provide
a baseline of tools that ensure a player has
00:03:26
a clear path to make further progress in the
game.
00:03:29
Spend some coin to get a leg up on enemies
if you need it.
00:03:32
Sell your old stuff, since there’s not much
of a point to keep it on you, and get more
00:03:36
money to buy more stuff.
00:03:37
Grind for coins if you still don’t have
enough.
00:03:40
If you’re stuck, the shop can give you the
tools to get un-stuck.
00:03:44
Super Mario RPG’s equipment scales pretty
linearly, so there aren’t even many interesting
00:03:49
tactical choices you have to make.
00:03:50
Most of the gear you buy in one of these shops
is a straight upgrade.
00:03:54
The close-by dungeons might have some secret
treasure chests with some better gear, but
00:03:59
if you need a fallback option, these shops
are right here to give you just enough to
00:04:03
keep you moving forward in the game.
00:04:05
So if that’s the blandest shop you can find,
let’s start ratcheting up the spice.
00:04:10
What about selling stuff in a shop?
00:04:12
Game shops aren’t forced to adhere to any
real-life limit on what or how much a shop
00:04:17
could buy or sell.
00:04:18
In some cases, that can be disastrous for
game balance.
00:04:22
Elder Scrolls shops have limited funds.
00:04:25
You can’t just offload your house full of
cheese wheels onto one guy and expect him
00:04:29
to give you more than the fantasy equivalent
of fifty bucks.
00:04:32
In Elder Scrolls, since most everything
is stealable, a shop with unlimited buying
00:04:37
power could immediately wreck the game’s
economy, letting you sell as many forks,
00:04:41
plates and papers as you could hoover up,
and turning all that garbage into the most
00:04:45
expensive thing the game had.
00:04:47
Elder Scrolls’ merchant money limits put
at least a little bit of a cap on how many
00:04:51
shenanigans you can pull.
00:04:53
Not that you CAN’T pull any shenanigans
with the shopkeepers, but the game at least
00:04:57
makes it a little tougher to do.
00:05:00
Maybe you don’t quite have the funds to
get what you REALLY want to buy.
00:05:04
Some games give you another option.
00:05:06
A Link Between Worlds gives you access to
almost everything in the game from the outset,
00:05:10
through Ravio’s special item shop.
00:05:13
Everything.
00:05:13
From the hookshot, bows, bombs, and staves
- all of that is here, right away!
00:05:19
You don’t even need to pay much!
00:05:21
That is…
00:05:22
IF you’re just renting it.
00:05:23
For not much money, you
get to rent all this stuff.
00:05:26
The only catch is that if you get a game
over, you have to return everything you’ve
00:05:30
rented.
00:05:31
That can get very pricey in a hurry if you
rented out the entire stock of Ravio’s shop
00:05:36
at once.
00:05:36
For a much higher price, you can just permanently
buy everything instead, which not only lets
00:05:41
you keep the items on death, but gives you
the ability to upgrade the items later to
00:05:46
sexier, more powerful items.
00:05:48
Link Between Worlds’ gameplay loop and structure
are carefully designed with this rental system
00:05:53
in mind.
00:05:53
The game lets you tackle dungeons in any order
you want.
00:05:56
The high price and major benefits of ownership
work together to create a long-term goal to
00:06:01
work towards, and makes rupees in the overworld
that much more important to collect.
00:06:06
It’s an experiment in semi-open design that
opened up some new possibilities, even if
00:06:11
the dungeons themselves wound up being a little
too focused on a single dungeon item, instead
00:06:15
of all the possible options a player could
possess.
00:06:20
Basic shops don’t need to stick to traditional
items and consumables.
00:06:23
You could put lots of other kinds of things
up for sale.
00:06:26
A shop can take over what might otherwise
be shoved into a skill tree.
00:06:30
Like in the new Prince of Persia: The Lost
Crown.
00:06:33
It uses shops to buy the upgrades at the center
of the game’s character progression.
00:06:37
It’s a Metroidvania, so all of your core
abilities will be found as you progress in
00:06:41
the main story, but there are lots more helpful
extra perks you can find and earn as well.
00:06:45
There aren’t any consumables, and selling
items isn’t an option, but these shops give
00:06:50
you access to non-critical, power-enhancing
items.
00:06:54
Equipable amulets that give special perks.
00:06:56
Weapon damage upgrades.
00:06:58
Increased arrow capacity.
00:07:00
Additional potions and better healing efficiency.
00:07:03
There’s a lot to choose from and none of
the upgrades are very cheap, so choose wisely.
00:07:08
All of these sorts of upgrades would, in a
lot of other games, be shoved into a more
00:07:13
abstract setup, like a skill tree in a menu,
but there’s nothing preventing these things
00:07:17
from being items in something more skeumorphic,
like a physical shop to visit.
00:07:24
Skill Tree shops can have a downside when
they’re filled with both short-term consumables
00:07:28
and long-term upgrades.
00:07:30
These run the risk of clashing with each other.
00:07:33
Devil May Cry has a skill tree style shop
where the bulk of your moveset needs to be
00:07:37
bought.
00:07:38
The game’s moves vary in price, with more
broadly useful moves like the gap-closing
00:07:42
‘Stinger’ being cheap, and more powerful
late game abilities like Level 4 Swordmaster
00:07:47
being much more expensive.
00:07:49
The series’ early games also provide consumable
healing items for purchase, but they are bought
00:07:54
with the same currency.
00:07:56
Why waste the money on a temporary fix when
you’re trying to save up to get a permanent
00:08:00
upgrade?
00:08:00
Worse yet, they keep ratcheting up in price
the more you buy, which is double punishment
00:08:05
for a new player who needs healing the most.
00:08:07
Devil May Cry 4 tried to address this issue
by dividing its items and upgrades, tying
00:08:12
them to two separate currencies.
00:08:14
Proud Souls for upgrades and Red Orbs for
consumables.
00:08:19
This kept the two items from competing directly
with each other, though they do keep getting
00:08:23
more expensive as you buy more of them, so
you have to prioritize.
00:08:27
There is an option to fully respec and reset
the cost of upgrades at any time, so you couldn’t
00:08:32
paint yourself into a corner if you did something
wrong.
00:08:35
Eventually it was simplified in Devil May
Cry 5.
00:08:38
Consumables were de-emphasized in general,
with basic healing items being removed completely.
00:08:44
The ‘Devil Breaker’ weapons are consumables,
I guess, but they’re so cheap that it barely
00:08:49
matters.
00:08:50
The series took a while to get there, but
it has been a cautionary tale in how items
00:08:54
competing for your purchase can clash, and
to carefully consider whether the benefits
00:08:59
of one type of item might come at the cost
of something else.
00:09:04
Now it’s good to make a shop convenient
and easy to use, but there can be a charm
00:09:09
to making the shop a little…
00:09:10
quirky.
00:09:11
Lethal Company does it through the shop interface.
00:09:14
Lethal Company is all about you and your friends
collecting scrap on hostile moons and trying
00:09:19
not to hilariously die to SCP-style monstrosities.
00:09:23
E.D. - ‘I need to see what I’m trying to kill!’
00:09:27
‘Oop…’
*startled noises from everyone*
00:09:27
Dan - ‘Get ‘em! Get ‘em!’
00:09:28
‘Welp…’
‘E.D.’s dead.’
00:09:32
You have to reach a profit quota before time
runs out by selling that scrap to your cosmic
00:09:37
horror corporate overlord.
00:09:39
Maybe make a little extra on the side to upgrade
your stuff and make your scavenging easier.
00:09:43
The shopping in Lethal Company is obtuse on
purpose.
00:09:46
You’ll be using your ship’s ancient computer
terminal to buy everything.
00:09:50
Use the computer’s old command line system
to access the store, order equipment, and
00:09:54
install upgrades.
00:09:56
By typing it all out.
00:09:57
Manually.
00:09:59
After ordering, a delivery pod will land somewhere
nearby, and you can go pick up your stuff
00:10:03
off the ground.
00:10:04
Unless something happened to it.
00:10:06
Or you.
00:10:07
Who knows?
00:10:08
Your funds are shared across the group and
anyone can use the terminal to order anything
00:10:13
they can afford.
00:10:14
Your group will have to figure out how best
to use the system amongst yourselves.
00:10:18
In the process, you’ll probably figure out
how to WORST use the system.
00:10:22
Little Jiminy buys a TV instead of actual
gear, or something.
00:10:26
Even if you don’t make it back alive, at
least your group will get a story out of it.
00:10:31
No refunds!
00:10:33
Let’s get weirder with these basic shops.
00:10:36
What if you made one really really small?
00:10:38
Roguelikes get a ton of mileage out of shops
that only have like 3 things for sale and
00:10:42
they’re all randomized.
00:10:44
Roguelikes are a type of game that tend to
work better when you can’t plan out your
00:10:47
exact route.
00:10:48
Improvisation is what brings a run to life.
00:10:51
Stacking all the money in the world won’t
help you if you’re only able to get a mediocre
00:10:55
item.
00:10:56
Or, if you see something really good, maybe
you sell off everything you got to stretch
00:11:00
a little and grab it.
00:11:01
You don’t know what you’re going to be
able to get, which means you’ve gotta be
00:11:04
ready to swerve when an opportunity presents
itself.
00:11:07
The items need to be generally useful, though,
for this to work.
00:11:11
If you give players 2 different kinds of garbage,
the shop might as well not be there.
00:11:16
Randomized inventory shops are also perfect
places to showcase new items.
00:11:20
A weird sprite you haven’t seen before showing
up in a shop is a quick ticket to sparking
00:11:25
the imagination of a player.
00:11:26
Someone saying ‘I don’t know what that
is’ is a powerful incentive.
00:11:31
Even if the item isn’t strictly better,
maybe the player wants to take it out for
00:11:34
a test run, now that the opportunity has come
knocking.
00:11:38
Deckbuilders get a lot of
mileage out of randomized
00:11:41
stores, too.
00:11:42
My favorite newish one is Balatro, a deckbuilder
where your starting deck is just a normal
00:11:47
deck of cards.
00:11:48
Play the best poker hands you can, and rig
the deck in your favor to get higher and higher
00:11:52
scores and multipliers.
00:11:54
Between rounds you can buy jokers, which can
work together to create dramatic combos and
00:11:58
boost up the points you get per hand.
00:12:00
Your strategy in a run can be changed on a
whim if you see an especially great joker
00:12:05
become available.
00:12:06
The types of hands you play and what order
you choose to play them in can depend entirely
00:12:10
on what jokers you’ve been able to acquire.
00:12:13
Mix in the Planet cards that boost the value
of a specific hand, the Tarot cards that can
00:12:17
give any number of bonuses, and the Spectral
pack that can rewrite your deck on the fly,
00:12:22
and you’ve got a lot to choose between in
such a small shop.
00:12:25
The products in the shop in Balatro define
the type of run you’ll have, but the game
00:12:29
isn’t just governed by random chance.
00:12:31
Your success requires you to use the shop
smartly, to recognize opportunities that come
00:12:36
your way, and pounce on
them before they disappear.
00:12:41
Going up?
00:12:43
So far, the shop has been the shop.
00:12:45
You don’t get much say as the player about
what the shop looks like.
00:12:48
But that can change, too.
00:12:50
Shops can evolve just like anything else,
and if player actions make it happen, that’s
00:12:55
a recipe for a long-term player goal.
00:12:58
One easy way to do it is change up what you
can buy depending on the time.
00:13:03
The Goldenrod Tunnel is a secret shopping
district underneath Goldenrod City in Pokemon
00:13:07
Gold and Silver.
00:13:08
It’s like a little mall, and different shops
are available at different times of the real
00:13:12
life week, a feature made possible thanks
to the Clock that this generation added to
00:13:16
the game.
00:13:17
Buy your Pokemon’s friendship with a sick
haircut.
00:13:20
But not on Mondays.
00:13:22
Buy some herbs on the weekends.
00:13:23
Or stop by on Monday MORNING and get some
bargains on a bunch of expensive stuff.
00:13:28
Real shops have hours of operation, fake ones
can too!
00:13:33
You can change a shop by changing how prices
are determined.
00:13:36
O’aka XXIII is a traveling merchant in Final
Fantasy X.
00:13:40
He’s carrying a bunch of stuff, and he’ll
follow you to the ends of the earth to sell
00:13:43
you some.
00:13:44
O’aka asks you for periodic donations, and
if you oblige him, he’ll reward you with
00:13:49
better prices for everything he brings to
you later in the game.
00:13:52
Pretty steep discounts, too.
00:13:54
He’ll even ask you midway if his stuff is
too expensive, and he’ll listen to you!
00:13:58
He’ll even listen if you tell him his stuff
is too cheap, though I don’t know why you’d
00:14:03
do that.
00:14:04
Players being able to affect game prices can
make game shops feel a little more alive.
00:14:10
A little more like a person is running the
shop, and a little less like just a table
00:14:14
of items and prices.
00:14:17
Don’t get, like, TOO clever, though.
00:14:20
Playing games with the price of things rides
a very fine line before it gets more annoying
00:14:24
and cumbersome than fresh and fun.
00:14:27
Star Fox Adventures makes you play a dumb
hi-lo game instead of just knowing what price
00:14:32
something is.
00:14:33
Guess the price!
00:14:35
Go on, guess!
00:14:38
Nope!
00:14:39
That’s too low.
00:14:41
You can save like 3 scarabs per item by wasting
your time, or make the shopkeeper mad enough
00:14:47
to kick you out with nothing.
00:14:49
And then you can go right back in and do it
again.
00:14:52
Fun!
00:14:53
You can even get some extra scarabs right
around the corner from the shop, so what are
00:14:57
you really saving?
00:14:59
Ultimately the haggling in Star Fox Adventures
is just too rigid to be interesting.
00:15:04
There isn’t any real randomness or flexibility
in bargaining here.
00:15:08
It tries to make the world more immersive
but it really just makes buying stuff take
00:15:12
longer.
00:15:15
Star Fox isn’t even close to the only game
that has tried to get weird with basic shop
00:15:19
mechanics.
00:15:20
Is choosing things in a menu too practical?
00:15:23
What if, to buy something, you had to annoy
everyone around you?
00:15:27
Phantom Hourglass adheres to that classic
Nintendo tactic of shoving in every new platform
00:15:32
feature SOMEWHERE in a big new release, come
hell or high water.
00:15:35
The DS came with a microphone built in, so
guess who’s gonna have to look dumb on a
00:15:40
bus?
00:15:40
It’s you!
00:15:42
In between blowing out candles, dust, and
windmills, you meet Eddo, who will sell you
00:15:47
a Salvage Arm so you can grab treasure from
the bottom of the sea.
00:15:50
You could pay anywhere from 200 to 1000 rupees,
depending on HOW LOUD YOU… sorry.
00:15:56
How loud you yell into the microphone when
you buy it.
00:15:59
Blow out your voice for a steep discount.
00:16:02
Of course, you could game the system.
00:16:04
People immediately figured out that you could
just blow into the microphone slot to do the
00:16:08
same thing.
00:16:09
Or tap on it with the stylus, that’ll work
too.
00:16:12
The game’s not too particular about it.
00:16:14
Now you can play Phantom Hourglass on the
bus.
00:16:19
Shops can involve entire systems that take
your patronage and turn them into much more
00:16:24
complicated effects on other parts of the
game.
00:16:26
The World Ends With You is a very particular
RPG that revolves around fashion, and the
00:16:31
intricate details of how your clothing brands
interact with the world at large.
00:16:35
The entire game takes place in Shibuya, and
the neighborhood’s trendy shops.
00:16:40
The game’s mechanics are deeply tied to
who you’re wearing and what pins you have
00:16:43
on, and the stat bonuses you get depend on
how those brands are received in the areas
00:16:48
you’re fighting in.
00:16:49
You’ll want a wide variety of brands to
switch between, thanks to the game’s ‘Trend
00:16:53
Chart’ system, where a brand’s popularity
waxes and wanes over time in an area.
00:16:58
There’s no ‘best hat’, there’s only
a ‘best hat for today’.
00:17:01
Your gear might be buffed or even nerfed depending
on the brand’s standings.
00:17:05
You have some influence over the chart if
you complete fights while wearing a specific
00:17:09
brand in an area, but you’re still going
to want a variety of styles to pick from to
00:17:13
take advantage of the trends already present.
00:17:16
The shops can help you dress for success,
of course, but they’re also home to a relationship
00:17:20
system.
00:17:21
The more you buy from a specific store, the
friendlier that proprietor becomes, and the
00:17:26
more expansive that shop's inventory becomes,
too, granting additional abilities on clothes
00:17:30
you can buy.
00:17:31
The more you shop, the more options you get.
00:17:34
The result is a game that pushes players towards
being flexible with their gear, and helps
00:17:39
keep any one loadout from being the best option
in all scenarios.
00:17:42
Just like fashion, you have to keep tabs on
trends to stay on the cutting edge.
00:17:49
Maybe you’re looking for something a little
more dangerous than a normal shop might have.
00:17:54
Secret shops can be just like normal shops,
but with a little bit of window dressing you
00:17:58
have the material for a story moment, a cultural
vignette, or a great place to find some fun
00:18:03
new characters.
00:18:05
Secret shops work best when they’re a hard
contrast with the ‘normal’ shops in the
00:18:09
game.
00:18:10
Crazy Redd in Animal Crossing New Horizons
runs his own shop, filled with rarities and
00:18:14
treasures beyond what those literal children
over there can ever get you.
00:18:18
He’s got the Mona Lisa, dammit.
Somewhere out back.
00:18:21
Come by his secret boat on your secret beach,
or just head to Harv’s island and he’ll
00:18:26
do some business with ya.
00:18:27
But Redd is out to make a bell or two, and
what better way to do it than to foist some
00:18:32
bootleg artwork onto an unsuspecting rube
such as yourself?
00:18:36
If you’re looking for the real stuff, there’s
a strategy to buying fake art to encourage
00:18:40
that slot to be replaced with real art, but
00:18:42
this whole deal is probably
more for completionists.
00:18:45
Buy some art if you want.
00:18:48
Let’s change… what we expect to get out
of a shop.
00:18:52
Shops provide a place where you can stop in,
not just for items with stats, but for tips,
00:18:57
story leads, or just to chat a bit with whoever’s
behind the counter.
00:19:01
Many of the most memorable shops owe their
impact to the strong personalities of their
00:19:05
shopkeepers.
00:19:07
Deltarune has (as of now) five different major
shopkeepers, each with their own distinct
00:19:12
style, personality and purpose.
00:19:15
Seam is a wizened old mystic cat, running
a shop with some normal goods and some mysterious,
00:19:21
story-relevant goods.
00:19:22
Seam likes to put on a front, but they clearly
know a lot more about what’s going on behind
00:19:27
the scenes in the story than they first appear
to.
00:19:30
Spamton is an obsessive, deals-crazed weirdo
who you can barely communicate with.
00:19:35
Also deeply tied to what’s going on behind
the scenes, but in a different, colder way.
00:19:40
Sweet Cap’n Cakes is a bunch
of foes-turned-friends,
00:19:43
here to exposition their way into your heart.
00:19:45
Swatch is a shopkeep oozing maximum competence,
and maximum service.
00:19:50
He’s just doing his job, but he’s doing
it impeccably.
00:19:54
And Roulx Caard is a complete joke.
00:19:56
Now there’s a guy.
00:19:57
He’s got the best shop music, though.
00:20:00
The stores and items themselves aren’t anything
special.
00:20:03
Maybe a secret item here and there.
00:20:05
But the personality of each shopkeeper leaps
out of the screen, and creates a strong impression
00:20:09
that adds some dynamism to some of the otherwise
slower parts of the game.
00:20:15
NieR Automata has one hell of a special shop
and uses it to do one of the few overt callbacks
00:20:20
to its prequel game.
00:20:22
Emil was a major character in NieR, and it
doesn’t make… a LOT of sense as to why
00:20:26
he’d show up here at first glance, thousands
of years later, but that wouldn’t be the
00:20:30
weirdest part of this game.
00:20:32
Newcomers might not have any clue what’s
rolling around here.
00:20:35
After encountering him in the story, Emil
will randomly appear in several of the overworld
00:20:40
areas, blazing a trail in a scrappy little
cart with his own personal shop theme on blast.
00:20:46
He’s got some higher quality goods, but
you’re gonna have to put in some work to
00:20:49
get his attention.
00:20:50
Intercept him on his route, and shoot him
to knock him over, then conduct your dark
00:20:55
business.
00:20:55
Emil’s shop is a bit of fanservice for series
veterans, while still being a strong enough
00:21:00
personality to make it one of the more memorable
events in the game for everyone.
00:21:05
Let’s go up another level and… what the
hell happened here?
00:21:10
Uh…
00:21:10
I think we’re in a lawless area.
00:21:12
Or a PvP zone.
00:21:14
What if you break the shop mechanics entirely?
00:21:17
Stealing from shops is a popular one.
00:21:19
Link’s Awakening has a classic interaction.
00:21:21
The shop mechanics make you haul items up
to the register to purchase.
00:21:25
Or, if you felt like it, you could run for
the door instead.
00:21:30
If he sees you try to sneak out the door,
he’ll just ask you to pay.
00:21:33
He’s not always looking, though.
00:21:35
Leave by juking around his line of sight,
and BAM, five finger discount.
00:21:40
You did it!
00:21:41
Uh.
00:21:42
Hope you never need to get back into that
shop again.
00:21:45
You’re a memorable face.
00:21:46
The shopkeeper instantly spots you if you
enter a second time, and the penalty for thievery
00:21:52
is CERTAIN DEATH.
00:21:53
AND your name is permanently changed to ‘Thief’,
just so everyone knows what you did.
00:21:58
The rest of the game plays the same, but it’s
a fun touch.
00:22:02
Other games let you do more with thievery.
00:22:05
Spelunky has a legendary shopkeeper.
00:22:07
He’s got his cozy little store here.
00:22:09
You can trade in your gold for a handful of
randomized items.
00:22:12
Basic stuff.
00:22:14
But this shop is so tiny.
00:22:16
The exit is… right…
00:22:18
there.
00:22:19
I could just pick this up and run out the
door, no?
00:22:22
What’s this guy gonna do?
00:22:24
Well, this guy doesn’t take too kindly to
thieves.
00:22:27
If you take anything, if you break anything,
if you tear down the shop, or if you try to
00:22:32
take out the shopkeeper, he’s gonna go berserk.
00:22:35
And you’re the only one down here, so he’s
gonna take it out on you.
00:22:39
If we’re being honest, you probably did
it, even if you didn’t.
00:22:43
But maybe you make it out of the level without
getting killed, with your fancy new weapon.
00:22:47
You didn’t just steal from a lone shopkeeper.
00:22:50
He’s part of a big ol’ network of them,
and they all talk, somehow.
00:22:55
You are very banned from all shop franchises
throughout the caves.
00:22:58
Even if you manage to kill one of them, no
shopkeeper will ever do business with you
00:23:03
again.
00:23:03
Trying to set foot in one of their stores
after an incident will make them politely
00:23:07
escort you from the property, with a gun.
00:23:10
Sometimes it’s even one of the guns he has
on sale!
00:23:12
Spelunky 2 works much the same way, but with
a forgiveness mechanic.
00:23:16
If what you did isn’t quite so bad, maybe
just some light assault but not murder, you
00:23:21
might get a second chance, but only if you
stay out of their hair for a while.
00:23:25
They’ll let you know when you can come back.
00:23:28
Getting rid of a shopkeeper isn’t an impossible
task by any means, but it’s gonna take some
00:23:33
clever thinking and thorough knowledge of
the game’s systems to pull it off.
00:23:36
It better be worth it.
00:23:39
Lots of other games will let you fight their
shopkeeper, if it makes sense at all.
00:23:43
Usually as some secret boss-level character.
00:23:46
Starting the fight might be as straightforward
as smashing into them, or it might take a
00:23:49
little more finesse to figure out how to unlock
it.
00:23:52
Cobalt Core just shoves the option into a
menu.
00:23:55
It’s a roguelike deckbuilder, drawing inspiration
from both FTL and Into the Breach simultaneously.
00:24:00
Use your cards wisely to beat up enemy spaceships
and make it through.
00:24:04
At each repair yard, you can get Cleo to help
you out and fix your deck of cards.
00:24:09
Or you can fight.
00:24:11
You sure about this?
00:24:12
You’re immediately thrown into an intense
fight.
00:24:15
If somehow you make it out alive, your reward
is this broken pair of glasses.
00:24:20
And none of the repair bays are open for the
rest of the run.
00:24:24
What?
00:24:24
What did you expect would happen if you beat
the shopkeeper?
00:24:27
You won.
00:24:29
You had your fun.
00:24:32
Alright, let’s get out of here.
00:24:34
Onwards and upwards one more time, to the
penthouse.
00:24:37
You’ve made it.
00:24:38
All your hard work and selling garbage to
tourists has paid off, and now you own the
00:24:43
damn shop.
00:24:44
Here’s where all the games where you run
the item transacting business live.
00:24:48
OK, so I’ve already gone over two of the
big ones in this category in the Item Shop
00:24:52
video from a few years ago.
00:24:54
Shorthand: Recettear is cute, but rough to
play, especially these days.
00:24:59
Moonlighter is way more polished, but a little
hollow once you get deeper into the game.
00:25:05
So it’s been 5 years, what new stuff do
we have?
00:25:09
Let’s rapid fire over a few.
00:25:11
There’s actually still not a ton of these
around.
00:25:14
That’s weird.
00:25:15
There’s a few solid ones, though.
00:25:17
There’s Winkeltje, if you’re looking for
a more Sims-style item shop game.
00:25:21
There’s Potionomics, which has some cool
bartering mechanics on top of a roguelike
00:25:25
deckbuilder.
00:25:26
Use your cards wisely to maximize your profits.
00:25:29
Potion Craft has a cool visual style and a
cool map for mixing ingredients, though I
00:25:34
really don’t like the amount of what I can
only describe as waggle you need to do to
00:25:37
mix things.
00:25:38
Not enough time pressure, either.
00:25:40
No bustle.
00:25:42
And Shop-Like, which is a shop like.
00:25:45
Check back in in 5 more years, and maybe we’ll
get the item shop game renaissance we all
00:25:50
deserve.
00:25:52
Well, there’s no floor higher up from here,
so I’m going to rely on you all to do a
00:25:57
little more construction.
00:25:58
I’ve left some famous shops out of this
episode, so now’s your chance to head to
00:26:02
the comments and give a
shoutout to your favorites.
00:26:05
If it’s got a unique mechanic that we haven’t
talked about, all the better.
00:26:08
The shop concept gives a ton of room to mix
in extra mechanics and personality.
00:26:13
Game shops can be anything you need them to
be, from a simple exchange of stuff for other
00:26:18
stuff, to a hangout for memorable characters,
to a narrative linchpin, up to and including
00:26:23
becoming the entire game itself.
00:26:26
Invest in its purpose, and you can make your
shop the most memorable part of a game.
00:26:32
*chill vibes from Dead Cells*
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