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| 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).
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| 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.
