"While Discounty has plenty of potential, its rough edges and relatively poor sales mean that much of that potential will go unrealised."
While I am not the biggest fan of Discounty’s aesthetic (preferring more traditional 2D pixel art), I will say that it is at least consistent throughout, and every aspect of the game feels like it was created directly for Discounty, which is not always the case with indie titles, where developers are often forced to cobble together various asset packs and artist commissions to see their game through to completion.
When it comes to gameplay, I have mixed feelings about Discounty.
While I enjoy arranging my store, running the business, and making deals with vendors to widen my offerings, I am not a huge fan of the busywork required to run the store, especially in the early game, in which I am sometimes forced to restock some items multiple times per shift, while also checking out customers, which is one of the most unique, and yet tedious, elements of gameplay.
While I like the option to “hop on the till” and play cashier, the mini-game involved quickly becomes a chore that consists of little more than grade school mathematics, which quickly loses its shine after the tenth time I have manually checked out an apple, can of soda, or pack of fish sticks.
I would love to see the developers introduce more automation, which would allow me to focus on running the business as a whole, instead of being forced to check out the same people day in and day out.
Shop life aside, Discounty does offer some activities around the town, but these are mostly quests that fall far short of the activities present in game franchises like Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing.
For the most part, town events and activities could be removed, and I would not miss them, with the exception of the trade agreement quests, which are the only quests I have actually enjoyed so far.
Discounty’s narrative is rather basic and similar to many other games in the same genre, a young person comes to town and fixes up an old farm or business while getting to know the townsfolk, and honestly, I am fine with it.
The problem is the developers have tried too hard to make it something greater, which results in reams of pointless dialogue that I find myself skipping endlessly.
While I am sure some people may care about small-town drama between NPCs, I am not one of them.
That said, I think Elmer is up to no good, and Aunty Teller is tougher than she looks, and appears to hold grudges far longer than necessary. Come on, Aunty Teller, remember what Jesus said about forgiveness!
One area in which I feel Discounty is lacking is character customisation, or rather it is lacking if you wish to play a masculine character.
While they have done a great job with skin tones, and pretty much every possible “pixel-art friendly” shade is present, players have far fewer facial customisation options than many of the NPCs in-game, with players being unable to grow facial hair of any kind from the character creator.
Considering that the vast majority of real-world men have at least some facial hair, and several religions and cultures place huge importance on having it, it seems strange to see it entirely absent, especially when hairstyles include an option for players to wear a hijab, while showing no such respect for cultures in which beards are equally important to the adherent.
It is notable absences such as this that give ammunition to far-right figures to decry positive representations of diversity as being performative or “woke,” due to the exclusion of customisation options that would be applicable to a much wider audience.
Game developers do not need to take an if/or approach, there should be all manner of customisation options so everyone can feel represented, and yes, that includes epic facial hair.
Facial hair aside, the player character is pretty much the worst-dressed person in town, which is a shame, as the NPCs often have much cooler outfits.
While I understand that I work as a shopkeeper during the day, I would like to have the option to dress in a more casual manner when “off the clock”.
Discounty is a strategy game developed by Crinkle Cut Games and published by PQube, it released on 21 August 2025, and is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Discounty supports the following peripherals:
Discounty is rated PEGI 3+ and contains no offensive content.
After spending a fair bit of time with Discounty, my overall feelings about the game are mixed.
While I love the concept, and designing and stocking my store is loads of fun, checking out customers soon starts to feel like a chore. While the scanner makes it slightly easier, more robust automation options would allow Discounty to cater to a wider audience.
Ultimately, it’s a very fun game, and I will play again, but its certainly not one of the “must play” games of 2025 (or any other year).
We found Discounty to be a good game, meaning it is likely to be enjoyable for most players, despite having a few areas that could be improved upon.
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