Shop Titans - Buy and Sell in a Fantasy World!

Turning a Profit is the Real Adventure.

Setting Up Shop

Shopping has long been a weirdly important part of the RPG world. Shops are where you go not just to get gear, but to get ready for the big quests ahead of you. Shop Titans' is one of the latest games to flip that entire concept on its head, putting players on the path not to conquering dungeons but to outfitting adventurers who need a few extra potions. The concept isn't new, of course, but it is one that is worth exploring.

Building a Better Business

Shop Titans' has a reasonably simple concept, but it is one that's at least intriguing. Instead of taking on the role of an adventurer, you take on the role of a shopkeeper. Your goal isn't to explore dungeons, but to make more money off those who risk life and limb. It's a neat flip of the usual script, and it allows the game to have some great fantasy trappings on top of its economic focus.

Don't be fooled by the marketing, though - this is a business sim first and foremost.

Unlike many of the other games in this genre, you won't be sending your character out to gather materials or delve into dungeons. Instead, you'll focus on the economics of paying adventurers to do your work and trying to turn a profit while you wait for them to come back with undiscovered loot. It's a nice twist that helps make this game stand out from the pack.

A Simple Storefront

Like many other mobile games, there's a real divide here between the graphics that you see in the game's ads and the graphics in the game. The ads look very stylized and unique, but Shop Titans' uses what feels like a very standard type of mobile visual design. It's very bright and cartoony, which is fine, but there's not really much special about it.

The same could be said about the audio, honestly. As with most mobile games, you can turn the sound off and miss absolutely nothing. There are some decent background music and a few reasonably good audio cues, but you're not going to find yourself missing the sound if you're trying to play quietly during a meeting.

Reading the Fine Print

On its surface, Shop Titans' has a fairly nice little loop. You create items to sell, which you use to expand your shop, which helps you to sell more items. From time to time, you'll pay and outfit adventurers, who bring back new recipes and allow you to expand your selection of wares further. There's nothing particularly notable here, but nothing offensive.

It's a shame, then, that the game does all it can to punish you for not spending more money.

Yes, the dreaded specter of micro-transactions rears its ugly head in this game. The game paces itself around wanting you to spend your real cash on its fake store, so those who try to play for free are going to find themselves spending more time waiting than doing anything.

Caveat

The truth is that Shop Titans is a reasonably mediocre game ruined by micro-transactions. If you aren't willing to pay into the system, you're not going to have that much fun. Give the early hours a shot, but don't feel compelled to stick around when the game tries to force its way into your wallet.

TL/DR

Shop Titans is an idle economic game that focuses too heavily on micro-transactions.