In a world flooded with store simulator games, it can be difficult to make yourself stand out in the crowd. Beauty Store Simulator by NovaraGames sets out to set itself above the rest by including some more diverse mini-games and expansion opportunities. Currently available on Steam for £8.99, I tried out the newest release to see whether it was worth adding to your library.
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There are certain things that are a foundation to any simulator game
Gameplay
As with most shop simulator games, the gameplay in Beauty Store Simulator comes from stocking and selling product. When you first load in you get two shelves and a small selection of the catalogue unlocked. This catalogue grows as you unlock more licenses. Not only do you unlock more products but you also unlock other areas of the shop. Also, you can unlock a completely separate salon and makeup studio to bring in money. You also have the role of keeping everything clean which includes picking up trash, mopping floors and washing windows to increase the happiness of customers and reduce the risk of losing store points.
You don’t have to be a simulator connoisseur to pick up on the gameplay mechanics. However, Novara has added a few mechanics that make this game a lot easier to deal with in comparison to other games. The main one that has really changed the game is the scanner that allows you to scan shelves and make a shopping list. Whilst it isn’t difficult to open your tablet and just shop the products, the addition of the scanner definitely made things easier.
I had a couple of issues where I simply forgot that I scanned something and then ended up with four boxes of the same product and no money in my bank account but that’s beside the point.
Growing your business
Expanding goes beyond just buying more products and owning more stores. Staffing your store is an integral part of becoming a success. I must admit that this takes some time to do. Progression feels slow going in many aspects of this game. With things like the salon, I know that’s going to take time, but even just to hire your first restocker your store needs to be level 15. To increase the level of your store you need to serve customers whilst managing stock, restocking shelves, and keeping the place clean.
Progression
If there were any main complaints for this game it would be that progression is slow going. Even when running around like a headless chicken, serving customers faster than an Olympic sprinter, that bar just didn’t feel like it ticked up. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by easier simulator games, but it really does feel like a long haul flight which, in the grand scheme of things, makes sense for what the game is.
Graphics & Audio
The background music in this game is really good. Even when I wasn’t actively playing the game, it’s enough to help you zone out. The graphics on the other hand are exactly what you would expect from a simulator game. I did enjoy the little twists on real world brand names. It added a nice little bit of humour to everything. Other than that, a lot of the assets were, as to be expected, very similar to those you would find in other supermarket/store simulator games.
There are a few visual bugs with models clipping through clothes and furniture. That being said, it is quite noticeable, especially on the character models where they’re wearing tanks.
Longevity
Like many simulator games, Beauty Store Simulator is a ‘switch your brain off and tap buttons’ kind of game. Once you’re into the swing of it there’s nothing that can really take you out of it. Unfortunately for me, one of the things I did have issues with was the fact that progress felt really slow so, if you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy the lack of feeling significant progress I can see you getting burnt out quite quickly.
What this game really needs is a multiplayer mode, in my opinion. That way in the early stages it is easier to feel like you’re actually accomplishing something.
Final Thoughts
Beauty Store Simulator adds a number of elements that give some necessary updates that I’ve been needing in simulator games. That being said, the slowness of the progression really hindered my ability to feel like I was making any strides in the right direction. Eventually I reached a point where I was struggling to stay in the game as a result. Ultimately, I have to give Beauty Store Simulator the Thumb Culture Silver Award . It’s a good game and you can definitely spend a lot of time in there but with graphical errors and the slow going nature of the game it’s difficult to get to the parts that really make this game stand out.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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