PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox; Crinkle Cut Games/PQubeDon’t be fooled by the graphics, there is no twee, relaxing vibe in this intense and work-heavy game where you are taken in by your aunt and put to work in her supermarketWe are thick in an era of retail simulators. In the comet-trail of Stardew Valley, a genre is now fat with titles wherein a protagonist restarts their life and career in a bucolic, quasi-rural landscape and undertakes a blue-collar job. They get to know the local people, interfere in some lives, solve some community issues – maybe even a mystery or two. Maybe even get married. In a way, they are all Harvest Moon’s pixelated offspring – but Discounty, Crinkle Cut Games’ new offering to the genre, tackles the cozy shop life simulator a little differently.In Discounty, you are taken in by your tricky, cantankerous aunt and are put to work in her branch of a franchised supermarket. A fascinating approach, given that the road less taken through Stardew Valley involves prioritising the growth of a local supermarket rather than a community centre. Discounty is a game about business and injecting the economy of a small town. For a cozy game, there are elements of it that are very sharp indeed. Continue reading…