Code provided with many thanks to willstargames.
Videoclub Simulator is a sim game about running a VHS rental store that has some serious retro vibes. Not only do you have to buy videos, work on the layout, and check customers out, but you also need to run every aspect of the business.
The Gameplay of Videoclub Simulator
Like many others of its kind, Videoclub Simulator is all about making the best possible store and filling it with VHS tapes, games, and snacks for your customers. People come in, pick out what they want to watch, and then come to the register to pay. You check them out while keeping the floor clean, restocking with new videos when needed, and paying your bills.
Customers drop off videos when they are done with them, and you need to rewind them with the rewind machine before putting them back on the shelves for more customers to buy.
As you level up, you will be able to upgrade the space. There are expansions, employees you can hire, decorations, furniture, and more videos, games, and snacks to sell and rent. For example, you can’t get an employee to help you until level 6, but they come in every day and help you with ringing customers out and restocking. You also need to pick up the boxes you’ve ordered, refill the shelves, and take out the trash outside, too.
There is also a mechanic where you need to interact with your customers when they can’t find an item; an exclamation mark appears over their heads, and you have to go talk to them.
The Pros of Videoclub Simulator
Videoclub Simulator has a lot going for it. It has a ton of things to unlock, items to decorate with, and fun artwork on the cassette tapes’ boxes. You can hang up posters, move shelves around, and all sorts of things inside the space. The tutorial is great; it really helps you to figure out how to interact with the world you are now in. The day stays paused until you open the store up, allowing you to move things around and refill shelves without having to hurry.
Unfortunately for Videoclub Simulator, that is about all the good things I have to say about it.
The Cons of Videoclub Simulator
Keeping in mind that Videoclub Simulator is still in Early Access, I think it needs a lot of work. There are a lot of bugs and things that don’t do anything in the game, for one. It crashed several times while I was playing, and sometimes items would get left behind when I moved shelves, as shown in the screenshot below.
The interaction with customers stopped working immediately before I could ever finish one single conversation because I accidentally moved a shelf when I missed the customer’s hitbox. I never got another customer interaction again; I think I completely broke it. Even turning the game off and on again didn’t fix it. The hitboxes of all the items are weird or too small, and it’s super easy to pick up a shelf when you are just trying to move a movie out of the way.
There were other small issues, including this bat shown above; it had no purpose that I could figure out, and it was never tutorialized. I wish there were more things to unlock with every level. There is a bathroom in the shop, but it seems like you can’t interact with it at all. There are some walls you can’t hang posters on, and it doesn’t seem to have a reason for why you can’t. Those aren’t all the issues, but you can see what I mean by Videoclub Simulator having a lot of problems that need fixing.
Final Thoughts
Videoclub Simulator is very much a game in Early Access. I think it has a fairly good set of bones, but it needs a lot of polishing before it can be considered done. I was disappointed with the bugs, and I think the developers have a lot of work ahead of them before Videoclub Simulator is worth picking up.
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