Review of "Mineko's Night Market," a curious blend of adventure and management simulation! Start a night market on an island full of cats!

Start a new life on an island full of cats!　A little strange story of a girl who pursues the mystery of the sun cat "Mr. Nikko" begins. ......

Mineko's Night Market" is an adventure game set in a Japanese-style village. The game features cute and warm graphics, just like a picture book, and just looking at it makes you feel a little bit warm and fuzzy. Let's start with the storyline of the game.

The main character of this work is "Mineko," a girl with a strong sense of curiosity. She and her father move to a new house at the foot of "Blowfish Mountain" on an island and start a new life in a small town full of cats, which used to be prosperous but is now completely deserted.

Mineko spends her days listening to the requests of the town's unique and slightly eccentric residents, pursuing the mystery of "Nikko-san," a sun cat who is worshipped in the town, and participating in the weekly night market. Will Mineko be able to help the town regain its past glory and revitalize itself while living in this town? ......

The story, which centers on the fantastic theme of the search for the giant cat "Nikko-san," the mysterious group of black suits who reside on the island, the slightly poisonous and strange inhabitants of the town, and the characters full of individuality, is very unique, yet the overall atmosphere is relaxed and mysterious. The dialogue between the characters is also very interesting. Each character's dialogue is unique and full of flavor. Combined with the picture book-like graphics, this creates a strange, addictive, and one-of-a-kind worldview.

Weekdays are preparation time for the night market!　Explore the island and enjoy collecting materials and making items!

While the game is based on adventure elements, such as following the mystery of Mr. Nikko and interacting with the town's residents, the main feature of the game is that it is also a simulation of a store where you manage a "night market," as the title "Mineko's Night Market" implies. The main feature of the game is that it is like a simulation of a gift shop.

The night market is held every Saturday night. There, Mineko sells handmade items to earn money. What Mineko has to do before Saturday night is to collect materials while exploring the island and craft items at home. The materials can be collected from a variety of things on the island, such as the colorful flowers that bloom on the island and the hairballs that are dropped by the many cats all over the island.

Collecting materials is simple yet addictive, and it is tempting to walk from one corner of the map to the other to make sure you collect all of the materials. You can regain hearts by consuming food items such as sweets and juice, but there is a limit to the number of items you can eat in a day, so it is important to collect items systematically. The game's interesting aspect is the game of picking up and passing up items with your limited stamina.

After collecting materials, return home and craft. Choose what you want to make from the items for which you have memorized the recipe and start crafting. Crafting is done in the form of a mini-game. For example, if you want to make an item using flowers, if you stop the cursor at the right moment, you will be able to make a high-quality item. This easy-to-play mini-game also adds a nice touch to the game.

On Saturday night, we opened a stall at the night market!　The price negotiations with customers are realistic and hot!

After spending weekdays collecting materials and crafting items, the long-awaited Saturday night finally arrives. Mineko opens her own store at the town's weekly night market. The items to be displayed at the store are the items she is proud of, which she has collected and crafted with great effort during the weekdays! Once the items are displayed, they wait for customers to arrive. This is a thrilling time that those of you who have had the experience of setting up stalls at cultural festivals and coterie events will surely remember.

When a customer who is interested in your product arrives, it is time to negotiate the price. You offer the customer a price from among the displayed prices, saying, "How about this price? and offer it to the customer. However, be careful not to offer too high a price, because if you do, the customer will leave without buying. You can either set the price low and be sure they will buy, or you can offer a higher price until the last minute. ...... This troubling sensation is exactly what it feels like to simulate the "skill of a merchant. Some customers will try to bargain with you for a lower price than you have offered, and some will even try to negotiate with you for a lower price, making the game even more mind-boggling. This feeling of being able to experience the feeling of doing business with real customers, even though it is a game, can be said to be an interesting feature unique to this title.

After your store is closed, it is time to visit the night market as a customer. Buy materials from other stores and prepare to start making products next week. Also, be sure to participate in the night market's weekly entertainment, which is different each week. For example, "Cat Race" is a mini-game in which you ride a cat around a course and try to get to the top. The unique and bizarre worldview of the night market is still alive and well, with "cats on cats" among the participants.

The basic flow of the game is that players accumulate money at the night market to purchase new tools and other items, which in turn advance the storyline. The main cycle of this work is to explore the island and collect materials on weekdays, create items through mini-games, earn money at the night market on Saturday nights, and when the story progresses, collect materials again and repeat the process at ....... The game is a successful fusion of an adventure game and a management simulation game, and the simple but addictive material collection and business parts make it an addictive title that will keep you playing.

Mineko's Night Market" is packed with a strange and unique charm!

So, I have introduced "Mineko's Night Market" to you.

This title is packed with a variety of attractions: a unique worldview reminiscent of picture books and folktales; cute and strange characters; easy-to-use, addictive exploration, collecting, and crafting elements; and a realistic business experience in a night market. The controls are easy to use and anyone can easily play this game, so it is recommended even for those who do not usually play games.

• Title Information
• Mineko's Night Market
• Maker: Meowza Games
• Genre: Adventure
• Release date: September 26, 2023
• Price: 1,980 yen (as of November 29, 2023)
• Steam site: ##

(C) 2023 Meowza Games