Discounty Review
Where Stardew Valley presents its agricultural asylum as an escape from the trappings of the 9 to 5, Discounty slaps you on the back and tells you to get to work.
Discounty immediately invites comparisons to games like Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon and other cozy, relaxing "life-sim" games. This, however, is a ruthless hoax. Where Stardew Valley presents its agricultural asylum as an escape from the trappings of the 9 to 5, Discounty slaps you on the back and tells you to get to work.
The similarities with contemporaries in the space start and end with the perspective, style and perceived coziness. Once you arrive in town, your aunt—who is about as likable as a swift kick in the teeth—puts you to work in her supermarket. The core gameplay loop is: wake up, go to work, restock shelves and serve any customers that come in. It might sound like a fucking nightmare, but it's oddly satisfying.
For me, the game was somewhat enjoyable when I played it on my Steam Deck, but it was even better when I switched to PC with a keyboard and mouse. The gamepad controls are fine—they're perfectly usable, but if you have a numpad, it quin-fucking-tuples your efficiency.
For as long as I played it, the work in the shop never felt too overwhelming. Where it can get a bit tedious is outside the shop. One example is the store where you buy furniture: displays and shelves for the supermarket. The way you purchase these items is by walking up to them in the store, interacting with them, which starts a dialogue with the owner, letting you buy them one. at. a. time.
Might not sound so bad once or twice, but after a few hours, your supermarket doubles in size, and all of a sudden, you need double the shelves. Similarly, you eventually unlock unique items by entering into trade deals with the townsfolk, like a farmer's oats or a fisherman's fish. As best as I can tell, the only way to order these is by tracking these NPCs down and ordering them in person.
It's small, underbaked design choices like this that detract from the core experience. Though unintentional, it made me happy to get back to work, where I could gleefully smash numbers on my keyboard. Running the store is the best part of the game, without a skerrick of a doubt. You can customise it to your heart's content, setting up displays for different types of items, and unlocking new cosmetic options.
What I wish the game leaned more heavily into is the idea of "running" the store. For the most part, your cunt of an aunt runs the show. Days after you arrive, she fires the only other employee after your training is complete. This feels like a pivotal moment in the game, but the weight of it is wrenched out from underneath you, because it's just your cartoonishly greedy aunt doing it.
Cartoonishly stereotypical personalities are abundant in the small town of Blomkest. There's the corrupt councilman, the stern fisherman, the little old lady who remembers how things used to be, the factory owner with dollar signs in their eyes, a cooky spiritualist, and so on and so forth. There isn't an in-depth affinity system in this game, so what you see in the cutscenes is what you get.
The writing isn't anything to, uh, write home about—but it is corny and harmlessly goofy. For a "cozy" game, it doesn't need to light the world on fire, but it would have resonated more deeply if the game lingered on some of the more despondent moments. The character that your aunt fires, for example, is doing just fine the next day.
The town itself is modestly sized, which I appreciate; everywhere you need to go is within a two-minute jog. It's visually stellar—gorgeous pixel art and excellent light direction, adding layers of depth and atmosphere to the world. The music? It's... present! It complements the cozy atmosphere well enough, but it isn't something I'd listen to on its own.
So, is Discounty worth it? Well, let me answer your question with another question: do you get a weird, zen-like satisfacton from job-simulator games? Whether it's Supermarket Simulator, Lawn Mowing Simulator or Laundry Store Simulator, there are a lot of job simulators to choose from in 2025. Discounty does try to set itself apart by being more stylistic and leaning into its Stardew Valley influences.
There is a full-length single-player story, plenty of customisation options, an addictive core gameplay loop and an outstanding visual style. The developers state that the campaign takes 15-20 hours to complete, and I can see the gameplay becoming a grind for some. It's clear that for the right player, that grind is the entire point. Discounty is unapologetically a modern job simulator at its heart. If that's what you're into, it will make a fine addition to your collection.
