Nukezilla Review: Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale (PC)

Recettear really struck me as a game that could possibly turn JRPGs on its head when I first heard about it. You play as a young girl who has a fairy companion, and you run a shop to try and pay off her father’s massive debt on the house-turned-item shop. “Capitalism, ho!” is the motto of the game, as you haggle your way through the variously dis-positioned patrons of your little store.

There’s also a dungeon system that you get much better and greater quantities of items than you can from any other method in the game, so you’re still basically dungeon grinding, which wasn’t what I was expecting; I kind of wanted something more like dispatch missions in Final Fantasy Tactics: Advanced as opposed to a clunky dungeon grind.

If the Dungeon portion of Recettear was easier to handle earlier on in the game, I feel like I would’ve enjoyed it more, but the great translation/localization (done by Carpe Fulgur), dialogue, and story almost make up for it.

Disclosure: We were sent a review copy of the game from Carpe Fulgur.

This review is Day 5 of the December Review Nukestravaganza.