Free Steam download is one of the best games I've played this month

Growing up with my head buried in books, growing up and becoming a bookseller and owning my own little bookshop was a dream for me. Even with life ultimately getting in the way and that dream becoming more of a pipe dream, that urge will always linger beneath my skin but for some people, such as the main character in this management sim, it is real life.

Tiny Bookshop is a hand-drawn management life sim which follows our anonymous main character as they move to a seaside town and set up a tiny bookshop on wheels. The narrative-driven sim will see you set up shop in a variety of different locations, personalise and decorate the mobile library and run the cosy second-hand shop all whilst getting to know the locals.

neoludic games

Ahead of its full release, developers Neoludic Games recently released a short 20-minute demo allowing players the chance to leave everything behind and become a bookshop owner for a while. As a lover of books and narrative-driven sims, it is perhaps unsurprising that I loved my time with Tiny Bookshop.

The game starts with us seeing our intrepid bookseller arrive at the coastal town of Bookstonbury, tugging their mobile bookshop behind them. They soon pull up on a path overlooking the sea and we are tasked with opening the shutters and welcoming in customers for the first time.

With the lighthouse a constant beacon in the vista, customers come and go, adding books to their bags and making friendly conversation. The demo introduces us to Tilde, an ex-bookseller who is on hand for any advice as well as a local journalist who interviews us in exchange for a feature in the newspaper.

The newspaper in question not only informs us of the weather and any upcoming events but it is also the place to get our hands on some cheap secondhand books. These books are used to stock our shelves and come in a variety of genres with some selling better than others. It is up to us to pay attention to our stock and make sure we have enough books for our customers.

neoludic games

Exploring Bookstonbury-by-the-Sea is a short but sweet adventure in the Tiny Bookshop demo but gives us a look into the full release where we will be able to journey to different areas, collect items, meet new people and get to know our customer’s reading habits.

However, we are running a business and money is a pretty big deal. More sales equals more money which can be used to pay parking fees for our shop as well as decorate the mobile bookshop and surrounding areas. Whether that means adding more shelves, a guest book or even a cactus to the interior or hanging up signs and lights on the exterior, we can customise to our heart’s content.

My time with Tiny Bookshop made me excited for its full release and I’m ready to meet more locals, stock more books and make my mobile library the talk of the sleepy seaside town.

Oh and yes, you can pet the dog.