When I spotted a friend buying TCG Card Shop Simulator on my Steam feed, I had to check it out. And let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint.

There’s no real storyline in this simulator. In TCG Card Shop Simulator you start as the proud owner of a humble card shop with just a single shelf for products. Aside from the occasional smelly customer and clock-punching employees, there's not much drama to be found here.

Your main goal is to buy booster packs and resell them, or, If you’re feeling lucky, open those packs for your own collection and sell any duplicate cards. At first, you’ll be restocking shelves and ringing up customers yourself. But as you level up, you can hire employees to handle those mundane tasks, leaving you free to enjoy endless booster pack openings. Well, sort of *Cough* scratch that. The employees are not exactly employee of the month material. They mismanage the warehouse, dump products on the floor when their shift ends, and abandon customers at the register. Thanks for nothing, guys.

Everything is managed through your in-game phone, from stocking up on products to expanding your shop. Don’t forget to pay your bills daily, or they’ll pile up fast, and you’ll be left scrambling to pay them by the week’s end.

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One of the cool features is the ability to buy tables for customers to play card games in-store. They pay by the hour, and you can tweak the rulesets, which gives you some influence over the market, making certain cards or booster packs fluctuate in price. Another great feature is that you can bundle your unwanted cards into a bulk pack in the workshop and sell them to your customers.

There’s also a level-up system, where each level unlocks new goodies for your shop, from bigger expansions to exclusive products like special card sleeves, figurines, special dice, or high-end booster packs. It’s a great progression mechanic that keeps you hooked.

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But not everything’s perfect. One tedious task involves customers with terrible body odor (yes, really) that can scare away potential new buyers. You’ll need to spray them with deodorant (seriously) until you unlock automatic sprayers. Even then, restocking those machines becomes another chore. Not exactly the glamorous card shop experience I was hoping for!

Another gripe is the slow, repetitive process of opening booster packs. The sound effects get old fast, and it’s a bit of a grind. Fingers crossed the devs add a fast-open feature soon!

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Also, every day starts with flipping the "Open" sign, and you have to end the day by pressing enter. If you don’t flip the open sign, the in-game clock stays stuck at 8 o’clock, giving your employees extra time to restock the shelves without customers flooding in.

That said, keep in mind the game is in very early access, so it’s missing a lot of features that are likely to be added over time. Here is a small list of things yet to come:

• Customer review app
  
• Customer trade cards
  
• Organize tournaments
  
• Random events may occur
  
• More shop product types
  
• More shelf & table types
  
• More TCG types
  
• Playable TCG
  
• Shop decoration
  
• Grading cards
  
• Difficulty mode

Despite its quirks, TCG Card Shop Simulator is addictively fun, especially if you enjoy the thrill of opening packs and collecting cards. It’s not perfect, but for anyone who’s ever dreamed of running their own card shop, this game scratches that itch.

The graphics in TCG Card Shop Simulator are fairly simple but get the job done. The game opts for a clean, cartoony style that’s easy on the eyes. While it’s not going to blow anyone away with hyper-realistic visuals, the charm lies in its straightforward design. The shop layout is clear, and the interface is intuitive, making it easy to focus on managing your business. However, don’t expect much in terms of visual flair, this game is more about the mechanics than wowing you with its graphics.

The music in TCG Card Shop Simulator is pretty laid-back, fitting the casual vibe of the game. It’s pleasant at first, but after a while, it can get a bit repetitive. The sound effects, like the cash register and card packs opening, add a nice touch, but hearing the same sounds over and over, especially during long pack-opening sessions, can get annoying. It could really use some variety to keep things fresh.

TCG Card Shop Simulator lets you run your own card shop, from managing stock to opening booster packs and dealing with quirky customers. While the gameplay is fun and addictive, especially for card collectors, the repetitive sound effects, tedious tasks, and basic AI can get frustrating. It’s still in early access, so there’s room for improvement, but it’s a solid pick if you enjoy managing a business with a collectible card game twist.

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In Horrific Xanatorium, you step into the shoes of Rui Genzaki, a boy infected with Spiria, a virus transmitted through animal blood to mosquitoes. Spiria wreaks havoc on the mind, causing hallucinations, delusions, and memory lapses. Rui, plagued by the virus, constantly sees disturbing humanoid figures and sees things that are "not really" there, making it difficult for him to discern reality from illusion. Accompanied by his sister Mone, he embarks on a bus journey to Kamikawa Sanatorium Hospital for treatment, though no cure for Spiria exists (yet). Rui's hallucinations come and go, leading him into trouble as he struggles to differentiate between what is real and what is not.

As he arrives at the hospital, he finds himself among other Spiria patients, each battling their own hallucinations and challenges. The gruesome story unfolds in a perfectly slow-paced and interesting way, keeping me thoroughly engaged.

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Meet your loving and caring sister Mone. She is behaving weirdly lately. Is she hiding a dark secret or is it just another of your hallucinations?

One of Rui's hallucinations, Gelni, takes the form of a floating, talking, skeleton head, inspired by his favorite superhero TV show, Sword Rangers. Gelni constantly tempts Rui towards malevolence, often appearing to make disparaging remarks. Is Gelni a manifestation of Rui's subconscious?

Anri, the eccentric hospital director who greets you with a gun to the head, adds to the surreal and quirky atmosphere.

While Riza, a beautiful but eccentric girl from Rui's past with an affinity for the occult, reenters his life within the Spiria ward. Riza, struggling with her own hallucinations, believes the world is on the brink of ending. Together, she and Rui engage in nightly occult activities, while reconciling their past connections.

Revealing more would spoil the plot(s), but suffice it to say, the story is a rollercoaster of uncertainty and surprise. And all the endings are either twisted, beautiful and/or cruel, catching me off guard with the twists. In the end, one question is what matters most. Will you choose reality or fantasy?

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As is seen in a lot of visual novels, your choices have an impact on the story, leading you to different endings. The game offers you two options per choice. Post-ending, the game menu offers an "IF" option in the menu, providing other additional perspectives and optional storylines and depth to the narrative or perhaps yet another way to make you doubt what is real or not?! It is recommended to start this after you got the GOOD ending.

It took me 2.5 hours to complete the game, though I hesitate to say it never felt truly finished. It leaves me with an eerie feeling, like there's still so much more to uncover, as the developer likely intended.

The game features pretty hand-drawn anime-style graphics that contribute to its unique atmosphere. The artwork is detailed, with a dark and surreal aesthetic that complements the game's psychological themes. Each character is distinctively designed, from Rui's haunting hallucinations to the other patients in the Spiria ward, adding depth to the storytelling. Scenes are rich in atmosphere, from the eerie corridors of the hospital to the occult rituals Rui and Riza partake in. The game's graphics are visually striking, drawing you into the story.

As for sound, the game does a great job in creating an immersive audio experience. The sound effects are carefully crafted to create an eerie atmosphere, from the creaking of doors to the growling of monsters and the background noise when travelling by bus. These sound effects contribute to the tension and uneaseness felt throughout the game.

There are a few typos and grammar mistakes here and there, but they're not too bothersome or difficult to understand.

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Horrific Xanatorium is a captivating psychological experience that keeps you guessing throughout. With its intriguing story, interesting characters, plottwists and surprising endings, it's a game that leaves a lasting impression. While there are some typos, the twisted storyline, fitting sound effects and stylish anime visuals totally make up for it. This game has left me feeling uneasy (in a good way), like I still don't know the truth. Now I'm sitting here, contemplating this mind-bending experience. If you enjoy mind-bending thrillers like I do, with beautiful and at times gory hand-drawn sprites and environments, Horrific Xanatorium is definitely something for you! Highly recommended!

The Butterfly Effects wishes to thank KEMCO for supplying a review copy of Horrific Xanatorium.

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