Tiny Bookshop had an equally tiny demo, but even in the small glimpse of about 2 to 3 days of running the shop, it was a lot of fun. In it, you run a bookshop on wheels that you cart around to different locations to supply the locals with second-hand books.
You get to stock the shelves with different types of books like crime novels, fact books, fantasy titles, and more. Generally, you’ll have an idea of what the demographic in any area may be more likely to buy, but you can tip that scale simply by stocking more of one type of book than others. When you stock the shelves, there’s a place that’ll show you the percentage of the likelihood of a purchase.
Catering to the preferences of your demographics is, seemingly, there to persuade your customers to buy more of the book they like provided they find a title within that genre that they like.
Every day, you get to choose where you set up. Most of the demo takes place at a seaside where most of your customers are dock workers and fishermen, but you get others peppered in. I assume the demographic will change depending on where you set up.
Each place will have a set fee for the day that you’ll have to pay for using that space. The seaside spot is only $3, but I did see one as high as $9. It’s not a huge fee, but it definitely cuts into your profits.
When you’re in a spot, the locals may strike up a conversation and give challenges to you, such as the fisherman who asked you to sell books to 25 of his friends.
While most customers are self-serving, they may ask you for recommendations. This is a timed request, so be sure to click it as soon as you see it. When you do, the customer will tell you the genre they want and then will usually detail something very, very specific. One customer asked for what was clearly Sherlock Holmes, but I didn’t have it.
There and back again, a Tiny Bookshop tale
You don’t seem to get penalized for wrong recommendations, but it’s not doing you any favors either.
When they ask for books, that’s when you can really see what’s on your shelves. All the books are modeled after real titles. So, it’s a cute little detail.
And, speaking of details, you can decorate your shop! Not only can you place down objects, but you can change the color of most of them. They’ll have special traits that will help you attract a certain buyer. Just be careful as some of them may have a negative impact on other customers. So, be sure of who you want your customer to be in those cases.
Lastly, you’re probably wondering how you keep a running stock of books. Well, you made friends with the local writer who graciously gave you a free subscription to the local paper.
In it, there are personal ads of people selling books. Sometimes they’re a mishmash with prices that range from free to lower pricing and other times they’re a very specific type. I saw boxes with just fantasy or just crime and so on. You don’t get to see the details of the books inside, but I really enjoyed getting to buy the boxes and see what genres they were and how many I got.
And that’s pretty much the bulk of it. You buy from the local paper, stock your shop, and cater to the locals.
If you want to try out Tiny Bookshop, you can try out the demo over on Steam. While you’re there, wishlist the game because it really helps out the developers.
If you want to check out our latest review, you can check out The Bear, it’s a cozy little interactive bedtime story.
No Comment! Be the first one.