This game is a lot more than I thought, but then also became less. From screenshots and a couple of videos, I thought maybe this was just a little virtual gallery as a way to hide what is only a retro game collection, but no, there is an actual light work sim game in here.
You start off by running an actual landromat, doing people's laundry, with like one arcade cabinet in the back, and the game's major twist is that not only can you actually play the games, but achieving various tasks actually levels up how popular that game is and how much it earns, so there's clear incentive to play and become at least decent at the many arcade games included.
The game, when its at its best, is some 10-15 hours of casually doing some basic laundry, keeping your establishment clean, picking new arcade cabinets and setting some decent scores in order to level them up. All while some classic synth music streams through terrible, static-filled radios older than I am. If you don't like the crappy radio, you can purchase a jukebox that mutes all other music, including the games, so you can keep jamming your favorite synth or album-oriented rock constantly while hopping between tasks. The gameplay is simple, yet cozy, and the vibe is there.
But, unfortunately, that's also about it. You can't really do much to change the order in which you purchase cabinets, there's basically zero customization for your arcade and the game is too short and just kind of stops when the game runs out of plot. The developer posted on Reddit that they would've liked an endgame where you keep expanding and buying new shops but that it wasn't possible. It's too bad they couldn't even get some basic customization in here, like more free placement of cabinets and maybe some simple wall paint, because the game's biggest problem is how it just stops and it feels like there's little to no reason to continue. Sure, all games end, but this one feels like it ends too early and like there's too much potential left.
You start off by running an actual landromat, doing people's laundry, with like one arcade cabinet in the back, and the game's major twist is that not only can you actually play the games, but achieving various tasks actually levels up how popular that game is and how much it earns, so there's clear incentive to play and become at least decent at the many arcade games included.
The game, when its at its best, is some 10-15 hours of casually doing some basic laundry, keeping your establishment clean, picking new arcade cabinets and setting some decent scores in order to level them up. All while some classic synth music streams through terrible, static-filled radios older than I am. If you don't like the crappy radio, you can purchase a jukebox that mutes all other music, including the games, so you can keep jamming your favorite synth or album-oriented rock constantly while hopping between tasks. The gameplay is simple, yet cozy, and the vibe is there.
But, unfortunately, that's also about it. You can't really do much to change the order in which you purchase cabinets, there's basically zero customization for your arcade and the game is too short and just kind of stops when the game runs out of plot. The developer posted on Reddit that they would've liked an endgame where you keep expanding and buying new shops but that it wasn't possible. It's too bad they couldn't even get some basic customization in here, like more free placement of cabinets and maybe some simple wall paint, because the game's biggest problem is how it just stops and it feels like there's little to no reason to continue. Sure, all games end, but this one feels like it ends too early and like there's too much potential left.