Ridin' Dirty

I spent some time checking out the newest DLC for Two Point Museum recently.  The DLC titled "Rides and Relics" is a departure from your traditional museum setting and instead has you revitalizing a rundown amusement park.  It has definite Rollercoaster Tycoon vibes that made me feel very excited when it was initially announced.

Behold, the Lamb!

Before I get to my review, it's also worth mentioning that they've continued to add digiverse crossover content from some of my favorite games into Two Point Museum.  Now, you can tend to the spiritual needs of the clueless masses by adding in content from Cult of the Lamb.  You can unlock shrines, decorative items, and even the lamb (may he be praised) himself!

It's little kitty, in the city.

The newest digiverse content comes from a game I recently reviewed--Little Kitty, Big City.  There are new craftable perks that require shinies (a new commodity item that you can gather from a specific point of interest in the Kitty digiverse), a new wildlife exhibit (kittiy's friend, the hattted chameleon), and two new exhibits.  The kitty itself is the star of one of the exhibits!

Now, on to the "Rides and Relics" content!

What is it?

The newest DLC for Two Point Museum.  It adds an entirely new museum to the campaign map and features a wide variety of rides.  It is entirely un-museum-like...which, seems to be a tad controversial to some players.  It can be purchased for $10.99 on Steam.

How much playtime can I expect?

Like I always say...it depends on your playstyle.  If you just want to play through the three-star, story part of the museum, I would estimate ~20 hours.  If you want to unlock and upgrade every single ride, I would clock it much higher.

Pros:

+ Bang for your buck.  At $10.99 (which, sadly is a $1 increase over the typical $9.99 price for DLC's--inflation strikes again), it's a definite bargain.  You get a lot of additional playtime for a low price.

+ Rollercoaster Tycoon vibes.  (And, I'm going to chart this one as a pro and a con) One of the original Theme games from back in the day was Theme Park.  It saw you managing a silly amusement park and was the forerunner to one of my ultimate favorites Theme Hospital.  I'm fairly certain that the founders of Two Point are from the original Theme developers (Bullfrog), so in a way, it's getting back to their roots.

The amusement park theme is fun.  There are a wide variety of rides--ranging from your more traditional carousel all the way up to several different types of rollercoasters.  I was impressed by the sheer number of different rides that you can unlock.  The new map features over 20 points of interest (not all feature a new ride, but most of them do).

My wildest rollercoaster.

+ Creativity unlocked.  You can design whatever whacky rollercoaster idea pops into your head--loops, corkscrews, massive drops...as long as it's feasible, you can make it.  The controls to design coasters are very easy to use and minimally confusing.

+ Mascot fun.  A new feature is the ability to train assistants to don mascot uniforms to entertain your parkgoers.  You can unlock mascot uniforms at special points of interest and each has its own benefit.  The roachburglar (a mascot for the silly fast food chain Roachburger) uniform helps to reduce nausea.  Mascots also help ease the impatience of guests waiting in queues.

+ New decorative items to spruce up the outdoors.

Cons:

- Many people have pointed out that the museum and theme park theme don't really go together.  Some of the key gameplay aspects from the museum-based part of the game aren't in play--for example, you can assign experts to give tours, but your experts are also responsible for maintaining your rides (that's basically all my experts did).  There aren't donations either--guests pay for tickets and then pay for each ride.  Money is definitely not an issue in this DLC, but a key part of the museum gameplay is hiring security guards to patrol for thieves (also, not an issue).  If you're some kind of museum gameplay purist, there's a good chance you won't enjoy this DLC.

- Vomit everywhere.  The park is huge and I found that my janitors struggled to keep it clean.  You have to hire an absolute army of janitors to keep your paths nice and vomit-free...and even then they still won't get to many spots.

- It's a bit buggy.  I had an issue where one of my assistants got stuck in mascot mode (but wasn't wearing the suit...was just assigned the mascot task) and wouldn't shift out.  I ended up firing the employee and it fixed the issue.  I also had a story-related side task that wouldn't complete (there's a task to do "full maintenance" on a ride--this requires a ride to reach a low-medium maintenance level and then to fully shut down the ride so it can be fixed).  I had several rides enter this mode and the task wouldn't complete--it finally did after 3-4 different completions (and, it turned out that the side task did absolutely nothing...I guess the purpose was just to show you the option to perform full maintenance).  They seem to be working the bugs out, but don't be surprised if you encounter some weirdness.

- The variety of rides is great, but I wish there were more shops.  There's a new popcorn cart and a hot cocoa (weird choice...) vendor, but that's it.  Part of me wishes there were more carnival-like aspects--tickets to earn prizes, differing food and drink vendors (your typical fair foods--corndogs, whatever they have at British fairs--fish and chips?--maybe even some fried Twinkies), and giant plushies.

- Personally, I lack the patience and creativity to design cool coasters.  The controls are very easy, but I kind of wish there were some pre-built designs that you could just slap down.  I don't want to spend a bunch of time finagling my design to get it to a certain level of thrilling--just give me pre-builts at different levels.  Leave the design to the patient, creative folks.

Recommendation:

If you're in the mood for gameplay that is decidedly more in the vibe of Rollercoaster Tycoon, you'll enjoy this DLC.  If you're hoping for more museum-like content, you will likely be disappointed.  I played through the three-star story level of the DLC and then was ready to stop (I didn't even unlock all the rides--there are a ton!).  

Cat in Hat

Have you ever thought to yourself, "there aren't enough games that have cats wearing cute hats?"  Me neither, but then I played Little Kitty, Big City and realized that the genre is really lacking.  Please, give us more games that feature cute felines wearing a wide selection of silly, but adorable, hats.

What is it?

An action game where you play as a a poor kitty who has accidentally fallen from its favorite perch and has to figure out a way to get back home.  It's tags on Steam include, "cute," "wholesome," "cats," "exploration," and "sandbox."  All of those feel right with maybe the exception of "sandbox."

How much playtime can I expect?

I would estimate ~5-10 hours depending on playstyle.  If you're achievement hunting it'll be on the higher end.  The lower end estimate is also probably a bit high--you could just do the main story and be done in 2-3 hours.

Pros:

Prancing through the streets.

+ Cute kitty.  You play as an adorable, little black kitty.  Your character can do many, cute cat things, like jump, climb, meow, squeeze into tight spaces, and zoom around.  You can also unlock several emotes that include behaviors like laying down, grooming, walking in a fancy way, and some others.  All add to the overall cute vibes.

+ Enjoyable, exploration based gameplay.  As the little kitty, you run into several helpful animal friends--a crow with a predilection for "shinies"--AKA any slightly sparkly item laying in the street.  These shinies are sprinkled around the city (often hidden in high areas) and are basically the main resource for purchasing items.  There's an inventor tanuki who has created a system of portals to help you get around the city.  There are several other felines who mostly just want to catch birds...or naps.  The map is scattered with lots of hidden areas that require mostly upward traversal.  It's quite enjoyable to jump from ledge to ledge to reach the top of a building.

+Fun achievements that mostly revolve around the feline theme.  There's an achievement for pawing items off of ledges (a favorite of all cats), another for catching (and releasing--there's no bird murdering) birds, one for sleeping in boxes, one for finding various, hidden napping spots--they're cute and mostly easy to get.

Feelin' crabby.

+ Collectible hats.  Scattered throughout the map are tiny capsule toys (they look sort of like a Poke-ball).  Each contains a hat that your cat can wear.  These hats are extremely cute and make you want to find more hats.  You can also purchase hats from machines (with the help of your crow friend) at the cost of a few shinies.  There are over 60 hats and they're all awesome.

+ Customizable kitties!  Once you help the tanuki get back to his lab, you unlock a special piece of technology that allows you to create custom kitties.  You can play as the default kitty or one of your own custom creations.  There are a lot of options for creating any kitty you can dream up (I mean, purple kitty...why not!)

+ Gameplay that is enjoyable but not too easy or too hard.  Perfect for any gamer.

+ Saves often, so no worries about losing content if you need to quit.

+ Photo mode with tons of options.  (*You do have to explore and find special items to unlock all of them)  There are frames, specialized settings, stickers, and everything you need to take a billion photos of your cute felines with all the hats.

A custom kitty.

Cons:

- Controller recommended.  It's probably possible to do mouse/keyboard because the gameplay isn't too demanding.

- Short.  I want more kitty, and more city.  You'll also likely find yourself feeling a bit disappointed that the adventure is over.  Hopefully they will make another kitty game.

- I wish the in-game map was a bit more helpful.  It would be nice if the hat machines were marked on the map (I mean, the overall play area isn't that big, so it's not too bad).

Recommendation:

If you're looking for a relaxing, cute and wholesome title, look no further.  I got it on sale during the autumn sale and would recommend it for the sale price (maybe a bit steep for the short playtime at regular price).  It is a perfect game for kids (not too challenging and very safe, wholesome content), so it's a good option if you're looking for something to enjoy with a younger kid. 

Little Card Shop of Horrors--Mostly Horrible Employees

Since my disappointment at my own lack of reading and/or comprehending skills earlier this week (I thought that the "Songs of the Past" DLC for The Witcher 3 came out at the same time as the remaster), I've been spending my time running my Pokemon-akin card shop in TCG Card Shop Simulator.  Cardapalooza is truckin' right along thanks to my amazing management skills (ha.).

My star employee, Zack.

My little card shop has grown into a slightly larger store with hopefully fewer stinky customers (I invested in a device that sprays deodorant at the stinkers).  I've expanded my stock and even managed to hire an employee to help out.  I've named him Zack (I don't remember what his real name is) and he works at the pace of a glacial sloth.  To keep myself from firing Zack, I made up a story that he's either the teenage child of a friend or someone I'm trying to help out.  He cannot run the checkout because he is so slow that I would only make a handful of sales a day, so he does what he's marginally okay at--stocking shelves.  Does Zack stock empty shelves first?  No.  Does Zack take a stunning number of breaks?  Yes.  The best part about Zack is that he only cost me $50 a day.  And I just can't fire him because his imaginary parent would be upset.  (To tell you the truth...Zack's days are numbered.  As soon as I start making a bit more money, I think he's going to have to go)

I've also noticed that the customers in my shop buy some odd things.  Why do you need 5 deck boxes?  Or 6 playmats?  Or 6 different copies of the same comic book?  It's not my place to pry, and in the end, I'm making money, so keep on buying your weird quantities of stuff.

Card-wise, I've managed to purchase and find a few valuable cards.  Then, the real question is, what do I do with those cards?  I've been sending the most valuable cards off to be graded (because if they are of a high quality it can quadruple the value).  But should I hang on to them and keep them as part of my own personal collection?  Or should I be cashing in for the good of my shop (and maybe even poor Zack)?  I have been hoping to get some duplicates and then sell those off, but man, it's tough to get the more valuable cards in duplicate (which totally makes sense).

The play area in my shop has expanded to three tables and I conveniently located them close to the windows for the light.  I make a small amount from folks playing in my shop.  Only occasionally do I have to douse an entire table down with deodorant spray.

Being a fake card shop owner is hard.  Prayers for Zack and his slowness.  Have a great weekend!

What to Play While You're Waiting

While I'm waiting for the "Songs of the Past" DLC for The Witcher 3 (supposed release date September 29th), I'm spending what little gaming time I have with some relaxing titles.  Fall weather has slowly been settling in and there's something nice about grabbing a blanket, popping on some relaxing tunes, and playing something decidedly non-stressful.  If you're also feeling those vibes, here are a couple of suggestions for cozy, gaming time.

A stunning bouncy mess to clean up.

PowerWash Simulator 2 just released the last of its free Caldera Chronicles updates.  The newest level to spray down features an absolutely amazing bouncy castle.  This object could not exist in real life (it's huge!) but there is something very satisfying about levels that feature very bright, primary type colors.  Cleaning off all the muck and revealing the colorful playground underneath brings a very odd sense of joy and accomplishment.

There's also some additional good PowerWashing news--there's new DLC coming out later this year (official release date is "late 2026," so I'm thinking maybe Black Friday/holiday time).  It's possible that not everyone will be jazzed about the content, but seriously, the goal of the game is to powerwash things, so does it really matter what you're spraying?  If you've got some 80's & 90's nostalgia or are a big Barbie stan, the next DLC is perfect for you.  The Barbie DLC offers up the ability to powerwash some of the most iconic Barbie items out there--we're talking the Dream House and the camper.  And, of course, there are some new Barbie themed cosmetics so that you can do your powerwashing in pink style.  Personally, I am not someone who is a big Barbie fan, but I enjoy fake powerwashing and nostalgia, so I will be grabbing this DLC in all its pink glory.

If powerwashing isn't your jam, maybe running a fictional card game shop is more in your lane.  I decided to grab the newly out of early access TCG Card Shop Simulator and take a stab at running my own fake business.  Your goal is to open a shop that sells a Pokemon-like (but definitely not Pokemon because copyright) card game and other tabletop gaming items.  You have to manage sales, stocking/pricing items, and making sure to pay your rent and electric bills.  As you earn more profits you are able to expand your shop and buy a wider selection of items--plushies, accessories like card sleeves and collectors albums, special decks, and a ton more!  You can add tables so that customers can play (you make money from people playing in your store).

My card shop is fairly basic.

One of the surprisingly fun aspects of TCG Shop Simulator is collecting and managing the Tetramon (the fake Pokemon game) cards.  You can open card packs that you purchase and keep your own collection.  With the cards you gather you can sell them or send them off to be graded.  Grading cards takes time and costs a small fee, but can triple or even quadruple the value if the card turns out to be in a certain condition.  I have never played Pokemon but I can definitely understand the thrill of opening a pack of cards and finding a particularly valuable one.

As your shop levels up (you earn experience from your daily sales) you can purchase licenses to unlock additional items (they get more and more expensive) and can even sponsor tournaments in your store.  You can also decorate your shop with a variety of fun posters, statues, and other items to make it look nice.  Unfortunately a lot of the big upgrades are fairly expensive, so you have to wait quite awhile to unlock new floor and wall designs.

Probably the best aspect of TCG Shop Simulator is the ability to spray down stinky customers.  I'm pretty sure that they added this in as a bit of a joke/commentary on the personal hygiene (aka non-belief in deodorant) struggles that can impact the average con.  As a person who works with teenagers everyday I would love to be able to douse the stinky ones with some deodorant spray.  At least I can live out this fantasy in a video game.

EDIT 9/29/26:  It's future me here to reply to my own dumbness.  I excitedly logged into Steam this morning thinking that "Songs of the Past" released today when, in fact, it does not release until 2027.  The free "remastered" upgrade to The Witcher 3 did come out today.  My reading and/or listening skills really failed me and I think I just was so excited about new content that I completely ignored the fact that the DLC was not a part of the remaster.  Carry on with your life now (hopefully filled with tons of The Witcher 3: Remastered).

Semi-Familiar Kind of Farming Game

The Fields of Mistria have stopped calling to me, so it's time to finally write up my thoughts.  I haven't accomplished everything in the game but I've reached a point where I just have little desire to play anymore.  Don't read too much into that about the actual quality of the game, there might be a few issues that led me to this point.

What is it?

Fields of Mistria is a farming sim that feels like it was almost directly birthed from Stardew Valley.  You start a farm, you befriend the villagers, you fall in love (or not--it's up to you), and you work to restore a town to its former glory.  Seriously, it's very similar to Stardew.

How much playtime can I expect?

Depending on your playstyle and goals, you're easily looking at upward of probably 50+ hours (that's my low estimate).  I did not complete everything and am sitting about about 82 hours.  (*As a reference point, my town level is 87--Gold and my character is not married but has 10 hearts with a romantic interest)  If you're someone who wants to do all the things, you could easily be looking at 100+.

Pros:

+ Since it is so similar to Stardew, you'll have no problems understanding the basic controls and general gameplay.  Everything is fairly point-and-click so it's easy to get the hang of.

My decorating style is called "nothing matches."

+ Tons of cosmetic options.  One area where I think Mistria outshines Stardew is with the sheer number of furniture/cosmetic items that are offered up.  Many are earned through completing museum collections but others can be purchased from vendors or found while exploring the mines.  You can totally change the hairstyle, hair color, and outfit for your character at any point.  As you expand your base home you get tons of space (a full kitchen/living room area, two ground level rooms, and an entire upstairs area).  Many of the options are seasonally themed (you can get spring wallpaper, flooring, and beds) so you can swap the look of your home every time the seasons change.  You can even add small touches to give it more of a home-y feel like jars, hanging pots and pans, and other miscellaneous household items.  If you were so dedicated, you could undoubtedly design something much better than the mish-mash of random items that populate my Mistria home.

+ Enjoyable animal breeding system.  Rather than simply increasing your herd size you can also produce unique coat colors.  Initially you can purchase animals in one of three basic coat colors (make sure you purchase a male and female).  Once they've reached adulthood and you have befriended them to the two heart level, you can purchase an animal cookie from Hayden and feed it to the animals to have them breed.  After a short time they will produce offspring in in a new, unique color.  This new animal will be a tier 2 coloration (*they definitely don't care about inbreeding in this game) and if bred with another tier 2 animal will produce a tier 3 offspring and so on, all the way to tier 5.  It's enjoyable to see all the fun new coat colors and the cute (but totally unrealistic) offspring.  You can also enter your prize critters into the annual animal judging contest to win some prizes.

+ Hotter characters than Stardew.  Stardew definitely has wholesome vibes, but Mistria leans into anime-style characters.  All the dateable characters have a degree of cuteness to hotness.  Personalities range from friendly to flirty and even slightly hostile (it's always fun to see the cranky ones warm up over time).  Personally, I enjoyed the fact that characters will change their outfits to match the season (wearing lighter clothing in summer and warmer styles in the winter).  It's fun to see what they're wearing.  There's nothing too risque about Mistria, but definite efforts were made to make characters attractive.

+ Friendly neighborhood gossip can help shed light on the loves/likes of the community.  Figuring out what each character enjoys can feel like a huge pain in the buttocks.  Each day you can talk to Elsie and she will offer up a set of three characters to choose from.  You can pick one and she will reveal one of their liked or loved items.  There are a lot of characters and each has a TON of liked/loved items, so this process is slow moving, but it is better than trying to randomly guess (of course there are tons of dropped clues when you talk to people).

+ Dating/romance system that is fun.  Once you reach eight hearts (out of twelve) with a character you can choose whether or not to date them.  If you opt to date them you can ask them on actual dates--these are special cutscenes that take place on the weekend.  Initially you have two or three options, but as you do different daily activities you can unlock more options for dates.  Each date will advance your heart meter more than normal gift giving and you get a fun picture souvenir item that you can hang in your house.  Some of the dates do seem a little strange though--I unlocked an option in the mines for a romantic date where my character is forging something at the blacksmith anvil.  Sounds hot (because of the forge, you know).

Cons:

- I've already said it in multiple posts, but I feel like a lot of the basic gameplay is a direct copy/paste of Stardew.  The way farming works (copy), the mines (copy), gift giving (copy), the museum donations (copy--but slightly less cool), fishing (easier copy), crafting/smithing (copy)...etc.  I just wish that they had come up with something that didn't feel SO similar in a lot of aspects.  As I mentioned above, there are plenty of unique aspects, but to me, this feels a bit...I don't know, lazy/icky and like they could've come up with something different.  I think that's the challenge for games that want to fall within the "farm sim" category--how to make it unique and not just another version of Stardew.

- End game is draggy.  Once you've reached level 100 in the mines and unraveled the story of Mistria, there's just not much to do.  Levelling up the town becomes a lot slower and you have to rely on fulfilling villager requests (and there seems to be fewer capital requests as you progress).  You can add a new vendor who gives mine-related missions each week which reward 100 renown but if you don't complete the quest within the week you're stuck waiting until the next week.  I just got bored with it (there are other things to do like focusing on improving friendship levels, trying to complete museum collections, etc.).  I was hoping to max out the town level (I guess there are a couple other building related missions that are unlocked).

Recommendation:

I think Mistria is a great option for someone who is totally burned out on Stardew and wants something similar but just different enough.  There are aspects of the game that I like and are an improvement on the Dew, but I really wish that the gameplay itself was more unique.  If you enjoy the farming sim genre, this is yet another option and yeah, it has enough to offer in terms of enjoyment and length of play.

It's Over :(

With the beginning of the new school year my gaming time has been very minimal (*insert sad trombone noise here).  The start of the new school year is always a bit nutso so I've caught a few hours here and there and haven't really been playing anything new.  Once school starts and I just want to come home and relax I tend to seek out some soothingly familiar content or games that tend towards the "relaxing" side of the spectrum.  Lately I've noticed a new genre of game creep into the "wholesome/relaxing" game space--Steam tags them as "organizational" and they involve sorting a massive pile of random objects into a correct location.  There has absolutely been a glut of these games and I am feeling a bit curious because they definitely would seem to fall within my strange love of cleaning games.  I worry though that their simplicity means wading into a pool of AI generated slop and I don't want to venture into that.  The upside of these games is that they're generally on the cheap side.

My first tier 5 animal--a cute, golden calf!

My "new" gaming time has been spent in Fields of Mistria.  I haven't quite accomplished everything (and probably won't) but I've made to the bottom level of the mines (and revealed the shocking secret--no spoilers--about what is going on in Mistria).  My ultimate goal is to max out the town level (not quite there--I think I have maybe 2 more levels to go) and to befriend all the folks (or most of them...since some new townsfolk get introduced at various parts of the game...and they're market day only peeps).  My character hasn't managed to land a romantic interest yet (I've been focused mostly on the dang mines and have neglected my relationship building).  I'm leaning toward Hayden, a fellow famer and animal lover.  He seems like a perfect match for another farmer, he's cute, and he has a fun relationship with his prize-winning chicken Henrietta.

I'm a bit torn about Fields of Mistria because I still feel like many aspects of it are just a little too close to exactly Stardew Valley.  Why make something new when you can just copy what you already know works, amirite?  I think this specific genre of games needs something fresh and I'm not sure Mistria's really doing it.  That doesn't mean I'm not having fun--there are definitely some aspects that I am enjoying.

If you're a teacher who has recently returned to the grind--I hope all is going well and you're starting to feel a bit more settled.  It's the last gasps of summer around my neck of the woods, so I'm hoping to enjoy some outdoors time before fall sets in.  It is a bit nice to just cozy up with a nice game and relax though.

Nostalgic Repairs

My summer gaming time has come to its end with the start of the new school year (sad noise...), but I did finish up another of my "wholesome" finds.  If you're someone who likes simulation games that are focused on electronics and someone who is a millennial (or older), you'll get a kick out of ReStory: Chill Electronics Repair.  It's another of the gems I dug up during Steam's "wholesome" games sale.

What is it?

A simulation game where you run a small electronics repair shop in the Akiba district of Tokyo, Japan in the early 2000's.  Customers place orders and it's your job to diagnose the issue (or just simply clean the item), order the correct parts, and then restore it to proper working order.  There's a storyline that plays out, but the core gameplay circulates around the repair element.

How much playtime can I expect?

I finished the main storyline in ~10-12 hours, so it's on the shorter side.  You can continue playing infinitely if you want though.  I logged an additional ~4-ish hours simply earning more money to unlock better licenses and cosmetic items for my shop.  (*It seems like there will also be additional content added in future patches!)

Pros:

+ Enjoyable gameplay loop.  There's a bit of a timed/clock element--you arrive in the morning and open up your shop, customers can stop by the window (those are the story characters), or you can take online jobs via e-mail (I think it takes a couple days in-game for those orders to start happening).  A courier delivers the items and then you spend your day taking them apart, diagnosing problems, and ordering parts.  The same courier delivers the parts you order and takes away any completed jobs.  You can complete several jobs a day, but the courier service ends at midnight, so you generally want to close up (although...you don't technically have to) and go home.

Disassembling a ThinkerPad.

+ Point and click repairs.  To disassemble items you simply need to locate the various screws (handily highlighted) and remove them and then start pulling apart the various pieces.  You can lay out the parts on your desk  If a part is broken, it will appear cracked or burnt and needs to be disposed of and replaced.  To find replacement parts you have a couple of options--you can take a chance and buy used items off of the internet.  This is a bit of a gamble because you don't know if the item you purchase will have the correct usable parts (even if the buyer says the item works).  Alternatively, the more expensive but sure option, you can order the exact replacement parts.  After you've ordered, your friendly courier friend will deliver the parts and you can get to fixing.  You can store any usable parts that aren't needed in the current job for later.  Once you've fixed the item (and correctly reassembled it) you leave it on the counter and the courier takes it and delivers your fee.

+ There's a storyline with a set of silly characters who will bring by various items for you to repair.  You can choose your responses to these characters (and it might even have an impact on the outcome of the story).  The ultimate arc of the story is a bit confusing, but it revolves around saving the neighborhood from being demolished to make a mega-mall.  It's a nice touch for a simulation game to have some sort of story element.

A side view of the inside of my shop.

+ Upgradeable tools.  You start off with a few basic brushes and screwdrivers and can purchase better versions to help with speedier repairs.  Part of the fun is saving up enough money and getting to experience your shiny, new tools.

+ Fun, cosmetic options for your shop.  It starts off looking pretty raggedy--it's full of trash from the old owner, so the first step is throwing it all away.  You can purchase various paint colors to brighten up (and repair the holes in the wall) the shop and you can add in fun little touches of Japanese culture (the cute little waving cat--maneki neko or a daruma), gaming-related items, or even some 90's nostalgia (old VHS tapes...or a singing-fish).

All my repair licenses.  I can fix anything!

+ Tons of nostalgia.  The items you repair in your shop range from the 1970's to the early 2000's.  Atari must've agreed to some sort of licensing because multiple products will show up for repair (think the 2600 consoles, joysticks, and even a weird handheld that I've never heard of called a Lynx).  As you progress, you have to buy licenses to repair various other items (the cost for these licenses vary and you will generally find yourself doing several jobs to save up).  These items are recognizable, but go by an alternative name (for copyright purposes)--there's the Xi-Box, or the Nony PlayStation, or even the Patendo.  It's fun to see all the inner workings of these items and play at actually being able to fix them.

+ Achievements and collectible cards.  If that's your jam.

+ Challenges.  As part of the story you have to participate in several challenges where you have to disassemble and re-assemble items against a timer.  Luckily, you only have to beat a few to progress the story (and there are several items that are very easy).  If you choose to you can continue to do the timed challenges for progressively more complicated items.  It's pretty fun (at first...but I'll talk about the drawbacks).

Cons:

- Suspension of reality.  One of the core questions in any simulation game is "how realistic is it?"  True realism will likely kill the fun, but going completely whacky also is a bit of a head scratcher.  This game has some elements that stuck well to the simulation aspect--you have to put items back together in a way that makes sense and can't just have items floating in the air or doing something weird.  One area where you have to suspend reality is in the cleaning element.  Most of your cleaning is likely going to be done with brushes (or, you can spend some money to buy canned air/electronic duster that is a consumable item) but you can choose to buy an ultrasonic cleaner (one of those vibrating, water-filled devices that people use for things like glasses or dental items).  So you're (figuratively) going to be sticking sensitive electronic items into water.  This is where you suspend reality, because we all know that electronics and water are two things that do not go together. (I'd be fine with them allowing it for external/non-electronic components--like the plastic casing of a controller--but restricting electronics).  I sort of find the ultrasonic cleaners to be a bit of a waste because often it's faster to just clean the items with the brush.

- Ending the day.  There is a clock and the courier will stop coming after midnight (so no deliveries of new jobs or parts), but there's no penalty for not going home/sleeping.  If you timed things right, you'd never need to close your shop.  Part of me wishes that there was a penalty--like you start your day later based on how long you stayed past closing.  There's basically no reason to close your shop.

- I know that saying the challenge mode is too challenging will get some jeers.  My main gripe with the challenge mode is that the items have to be reassembled in EXACTLY the correct order.  It will make you start completely over if you do not do it EXACTLY in the same prescribed order.  It has nothing to do with the "sensical" way--the part fits/is connected (not like floating or in a totally unbelievable way).  I wish there was at least a bit of leeway with this, but I get it...it's supposed to be "challenging."  Some of the challenges are very nuts and have a ton of parts to memorize (Polaroid camera and laptop--I'm looking at you).  Fortunately, challenge jobs are mostly optional.

- Painting/stickers.  One of the features you purchase is the ability to do custom paint jobs on devices.  Some jobs will request a specific palette of colors (purchasable for various themes).  Doing more than simply slapping on one color requires some deft coordination (it does satisfy the job requirements though).  You can also buy stickers that can be (optionally) added to jobs.  No one will request the stickers...they're just sort of a fun addition.  I wish there was more to this part of the gameplay and that customers would request (or tip) for making their items look particularly cool (maybe like using multiple colors or a specific theme of stickers).

Recommendation:

If you enjoy simulation games (and especially those that deal with electronics), ReStory is a great option.  I liked the nostalgia factor of seeing the alternate versions of classic gaming consoles and early 2000's cell phones and I would never have the real life skills to repair any of them.  There's something oddly soothing and rewarding about taking something broken and fixing it.  It's also fun to see your little shop go from a trash filled hovel into a glowing beacon of repair. Some aspects of gameplay could use a bit more development, but overall it's a relaxing and enjoyable game. The first content update is coming out on September 14th and it looks like they're adding a few new devices, so that's fun.