Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale

 PC
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 178 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 148 out of 178
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 178
  3. Negative: 5 out of 178

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  1. wordy_actions
    Jun 14, 2011
    6
    It's presented well and is an interesting idea, but what keeps the game from becoming really good is variety. The dungeons are pretty boring for the most part, and store management is not complex enough to be compelling for more than say 4-5 hours. The graphics and visuals are lively and some (not all) of the character dialogue is amusing. This game is creative in its inception butIt's presented well and is an interesting idea, but what keeps the game from becoming really good is variety. The dungeons are pretty boring for the most part, and store management is not complex enough to be compelling for more than say 4-5 hours. The graphics and visuals are lively and some (not all) of the character dialogue is amusing. This game is creative in its inception but somewhat uninspired in its execution. I enjoyed playing it for a few hours but no more than that. However, I will be keeping my eyes out for a sequel.… Expand
  2. MOGEnrique
    Apr 19, 2011
    6
    Recettear is a bit repetitive but will keep you engaged for some time. Its main elements are dungeon crawling and store management. The story might be a bit boring but the characters are fun. Visuals and soundtrack are OK. Definitely worth to try it out.
  3. steven
    Apr 5, 2011
    7
    Recettear is not just for entertainment purposes, the game also has educational value. The game teaches you on how becoming an entrepreneur is both a rewarding and frustrating experience. Fighting through randomly created dungeons for items to stock your inventory or purchasing them wholesale from the market, there is no end to the fun. The takeaway from the game is to never make dealsRecettear is not just for entertainment purposes, the game also has educational value. The game teaches you on how becoming an entrepreneur is both a rewarding and frustrating experience. Fighting through randomly created dungeons for items to stock your inventory or purchasing them wholesale from the market, there is no end to the fun. The takeaway from the game is to never make deals with loan sharks. The exponential increase in paying off the loan eventually doomed me to repeating from the beginning. Although the items stay with you on the next loop, having to run through the same events to unlock dungeons and characters is tedious.… Expand
  4. JasperDonoven
    Dec 21, 2010
    6
    Quite a repetitive game after mastering all the basic. Could be made better by increasing the amount of time in a day. The Dungeon was not really great & could be made better. Overall game play was still OK for me. Many variety of items to sell and obtain. Although felt those random encounter where you character will talk to other people was a bit redundant. Good casual game.
  5. oblivion2011
    Jul 3, 2011
    7
    The gameplay itself is very unique. Definitely something you don't see in the markets today. What gives this score lower is the variety of the game. Simplicity is always good, but there is such a thing as repetition.
  6. gist95966
    Apr 23, 2012
    7
    7.5 would be my rating if I could give it. In Recettear you sell items you find in dungeons or that you bought from the store at a higher price to make enough profit to reach your goal every week. The game starts easy, but quickly ramps up the difficulty as you go. Unless you look up a guide or something, you can expect to fail your first playthrough. Fortunately when you fail you keep7.5 would be my rating if I could give it. In Recettear you sell items you find in dungeons or that you bought from the store at a higher price to make enough profit to reach your goal every week. The game starts easy, but quickly ramps up the difficulty as you go. Unless you look up a guide or something, you can expect to fail your first playthrough. Fortunately when you fail you keep anything that isn't story - related so the next playthrough will be much easier. The game is repetitive but also addicting. If you like Japanese style games or anime, etc you will feel much more at home playing this. If your a completionist when you play games, expect to play this for a very long time. If you quit once the story is done, I would suggest a different kind of game.… Expand
  7. paprik
    Aug 5, 2013
    7
    Pros:
    - Easy to pick up
    - Can be played in sessions ranging from a few minutes to a few hours - Great progression system you're unlikely to replace the cool item you just got for a while (common in a lot of games) - Trading & adventuring & story is well tied together - Randomly generated dungeons provide replayability - Item limitation and death penalty during dungeon raiding adds    Pros:
    - Easy to pick up
    - Can be played in sessions ranging from a few minutes to a few hours
    - Great progression system you're unlikely to replace the cool item you just got for a while (common in a lot of games)
    - Trading & adventuring & story is well tied together
    - Randomly generated dungeons provide replayability
    - Item limitation and death penalty during dungeon raiding adds difficulty and dynamic

    Cons:
    - Trading cannot be sufficiently automated (vending machines are not enough)
    - Gets grindy in lategame, especially with bad luck on some items
    - Hoarding money in lategame has no real benefit    … Expand
  8. suneater
    Dec 13, 2012
    7
    A dungeon crawling RPG and "Average RPG Item Shop" clerk sim combined into one humorous game. No single part of the game is really amazing or innovative but put together you have a lot of things to juggle. It reminds me of Persona in how your day is broken up into time slots where you have to manage your store, shop at the market, do quests to recruit mercs, and dungeon crawl for more lootA dungeon crawling RPG and "Average RPG Item Shop" clerk sim combined into one humorous game. No single part of the game is really amazing or innovative but put together you have a lot of things to juggle. It reminds me of Persona in how your day is broken up into time slots where you have to manage your store, shop at the market, do quests to recruit mercs, and dungeon crawl for more loot to stock your store. The game's main objective is making weekly payments to clear your family's debt. They really ramp up in cost quickly which is where most of the difficulty comes from. However, the last payment is really high and most people don't manage it on their first playthrough. While there is a NG+ mode, the second time through was way too easy and got boring without the dungeon crawling. Despite some balancing issues, this is a great JRPG and worth picking up. Just try to remember to keep multiple save games. Oh yeah, and the boss fights are pretty cool.… Expand
  9. blade01
    Jul 22, 2015
    5
    I never enjoyed this game.So many things are so repetetive and dull.Every day is the same.The dungeons and mobs there are boring and uninspired.The game is cute at first but lacks too many things.Its just a timewaster with no reward and it is not really easy because you "have to pay of your fathers depth".That payment you have to do, its redicilous what amounts you have to pay in weekI never enjoyed this game.So many things are so repetetive and dull.Every day is the same.The dungeons and mobs there are boring and uninspired.The game is cute at first but lacks too many things.Its just a timewaster with no reward and it is not really easy because you "have to pay of your fathers depth".That payment you have to do, its redicilous what amounts you have to pay in week 3.And the customers are stupid too.I had a child that was so pissed that i couldnt sell things for 100% base price.I dont buy things and sell them for less, stupid ****

    Conclusion:I dont recommend this game.Its bugfree, nice, but its a simpel game, no chance to overlook bugs in such an simpel game i thing.    … Expand
  10. carlosgtardon
    Jun 10, 2014
    7
    Jamás había visto un simulador tan claro del capitalismo, además es una vuelta de tuerca interesante al ámbito de los juegos de rol orientales. Horas de disfrute, aunque la historia es un poco plof.
  11. nilsy
    Jul 22, 2020
    5
    - You NEED game controller to play this, its clearly built for using that. not all PC users would own one

    -+ Charm overloads your brain in under 10min, and it keeps up the whole game. + sim style run a shop + dungeon crawling + crafting + cut scenes telling the story, it creates a circle of never ending small tasks while the clock is ticking. Its not a strategy game as each week you    - You NEED game controller to play this, its clearly built for using that. not all PC users would own one

    -+ Charm overloads your brain in under 10min, and it keeps up the whole game.

    + sim style run a shop + dungeon crawling + crafting + cut scenes telling the story, it creates a circle of never ending small tasks while the clock is ticking.
    Its not a strategy game as each week you need to pay back more money, so getting a good start does not "snowball" its a endurance race to keep alive financially were returns increase each week as well as costs.
    Anyhow its a solidly built game were all parts fits together well.

    -dungeon crawling can be a little well time consuming but its still addicting, and you might end up needing to use scummy save-reload to go back in time as the a dungeon run taking 30min+ failed and you needed that money to stay alive.

    +each part of the game is simple and intuitive

    Summation: its a GOOD game but each of its parts are on its own not as good as the best, the dungeon minigame is certainly not a second binding of isaac the store on its own is certainly not ... cant think of a game here but im certain there must be one.
    And the story on its own is not the best compare it to something like the dreamfall longest journey which makes many books blush in comparison its not on that level ether.
    This all being said there can only be 1best game in each genre and one cant throw rocks on all other 99,9999999% of games, this is a original combination making it a fresh new experience as a whole even though each ingredient are just "ok" it blends well and makes all the ok ingredients into more then the sum of its parts.    … Expand
  12. ChanReview
    Feb 15, 2015
    7
    Super addictive! It is a bit outdated and old fashioned, but you really cannot stop playing regardless. Art style is cute and chirpy and slightly humorous. Combat and the dungeons need to be worked on and I admit I only played through the game once to completion with no temptation to return to it at the moment. Some may find it only fun for a few hours as it does get very repetitive, but ISuper addictive! It is a bit outdated and old fashioned, but you really cannot stop playing regardless. Art style is cute and chirpy and slightly humorous. Combat and the dungeons need to be worked on and I admit I only played through the game once to completion with no temptation to return to it at the moment. Some may find it only fun for a few hours as it does get very repetitive, but I managed to be amused the whole time as I played it through to the end.
    Fantastic game to continuously rave about? No.
    Enough to earn a decent score and respect for what it is? Yes.    … Expand
  13. JimmyJams
    Apr 26, 2018
    7
    A fun little game that feels a tad dated. The game mechanics are more or less solid, the take on the RPG genre is fresh, and the game is deceptively challenging. The graphics are sort of charming, sort of awful. The storyline and characters are godawful, but it seems to be a sideshow anyway; easily ignored. I'd say the game belongs in the $10-15 range, $20 is pushing it, but ultimatelyA fun little game that feels a tad dated. The game mechanics are more or less solid, the take on the RPG genre is fresh, and the game is deceptively challenging. The graphics are sort of charming, sort of awful. The storyline and characters are godawful, but it seems to be a sideshow anyway; easily ignored. I'd say the game belongs in the $10-15 range, $20 is pushing it, but ultimately worth sinking a few days into.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

30
#30 Best PC Game of 2010
46
#46 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
95
#95 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 23, 2011
    70
    Although technically very outdated and quite repetitive game but still very funny and pretty original. [Issue#201]
  2. PALGN
    Jan 27, 2011
    80
    Recettear is perhaps one of the most unusual examples of a simulation game yet; with its engaging storyline, large ensemble of characters and action-RPG sequences, this is a game that really stands out from the crowd.
    Read full review
  3. Metro GameCentral
    Dec 26, 2010
    80
    One of Steam's best kept secrets and a cracking indie title that both pokes fun at and celebrates the charming absurdity of role-playing games.
    Read full review
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