inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories Preview
I’ve never worked at a convenience store but I can imagine, especially working overnight, can be a bit slow and unexciting. Not much to do but organize and wait for a customer to come in so that you have some form of human interaction. But, convenience store work doesn’t seem so dull in the prologue for the upcoming narrative simulation game, inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories.
From Developer Nagai Industries the prologue for inKONBINI follows Makoto, the niece of the convenience store’s owner who is helping out at the store for a few days before heading back to college. Her Auntie encourages Makoto to take notes in a journal in the store where you’ll get a glimpse into some of her thoughts on working at the store. You can also find notes from other employees around the store and sticky notes left behind by your Auntie.
The simulation part of the game comes into play before you open up the store for the evening. You’ll need to walk around the store and reorganize, making sure that everything is in its right place and facing forward. You can also restock any shelves that are empty using the storage shelves in the back of the store.
During the prologue, you’ll only welcome one customer into the store, an older gentleman named Chief who's looking for a particular soda and some food for his unhappy cat. During my playthrough he made a comment about bread being in the fridge which made me realize I’d forgotten to remove the bread and put it on the proper shelf. He’ll make some other comments too, if there’s anything you missed organizing before you opened the doors.
Chief will also ask you for a little bit of help choosing a ramen to eat. He’s used to eating the same kind but he’s feeling guided by his horoscope which encouraged him to take a different approach to things. He’ll take whatever your recommendation is and then ask for you help again in finding the correct food for his cat. He worries that his cat has begun to hate him so he wants to get them something special in hopes of reconciling.
When Chief has finished gathering his groceries, you’ll check him out and talk to him a little longer before rolling credits on the prologue. inKOBINI hints that each new day at the convenience store will offer similar experiences where Makoto with speak with the customers and learn more about them. It seems like it will be such a chill game and I can’t wait to play more. It’s a simple concept, with some wonderful touches that will have me thinking about it for a long time.
inKOBINI: One Store. Many Stories is available to wishlist on Steam now.