Newcomer developer Nagai Industries Inc. has revealed its debut game called inKonbini: One Store. Many Stories, and it's a love letter to one of the best parts of Japan: convenience stores. No seriously, Japan's convenience stores, whether it's a local mom 'n pop place, Lawson's (best chicken), Family Mart (best desserts), or 7-Eleven (best egg salad sandos), entering one of these is a treat.
As someone who just got back from a vacation in Japan, I'm heavily missing these stores, conveniently located everywhere throughout major cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and elsewhere. Perhaps that's why InKonbini's reveal trailer has me so excited to play this team's first game; but the game itself looks great, too.
You play as college student Makoto Hayakawa who is taking a break from her studies to help her aunt at a small-town convenience store. Nagai, which itself is based in Tokyo, describes the game as a "meditative narrative adventure/simulation game" where, while playing, you'll discover the joy and wonder hidden behind the daily routine of a konbini worker as you engage in "meaningful conversations with your customers and see how the stories intertwine in a beautifully rendered early 1990s setting."
Check out the inKonbini: One Store. Many Stories reveal trailer for yourself below:
As you can see in the trailer above, players will explore their store, pick up clues from interactions with their environment, stock soft drinks, bento boxes, sandwiches, and more, all while talking to customers throughout the day. Nagai says players will find rhythm in the mundane activities of a convenience store shift, like shelving and cleaning "to discover new meaning in ordinary things."
"Study your customers' purchasing habits and use your knowledge of the store's assortment to surprise them with new flavor options," Nagai's website for the game reads. "Change their ordinary routine in choice-driven dialogues and see how you can impact their lives.
"Focusing on day-to-day adventures of a convenience store clerk, it's an accessible and relaxing game tailored to the tastes of players who find pleasure in light-hearted stories and dialogue interaction with funny and relatable characters."
Here are some additional screenshots of the game:
As someone who loves both Japan's convenience stories and narrative-driven adventure games, inKonbini is a game I'm looking forward to playing one day. For now, there is no release date but you can wishlist the game on Steam. It's due out on PC, Mac, and "consoles," although Nagai has not specified which consoles.
Are you going to check out inKonbini? Let us know in the comments below!
Yesterday, Marvel Studios released a new clip from the upcoming Episode 4 ofX-Men '97, its sequel series to the '90s X-Men: The Animated Series, and in it, fans noticed a big homage to a classic arcade game featuring the mutants. Now, Episode 4 is out for viewing on Disney Plus, and it's clear what the team behind the series was alluding to: The 1992 Konami-developed beat 'em up arcade cabinet game, X-Men.
We won't spoil the episode here, but in the teaser clip released yesterday, we see Jubilee and Roberto taking on Sentinel enemies in clear sidescroller beat 'em up fashion, and it looks awesome. Check it out for yourself below:
If you enjoyed this clip, catching up onX-Men '97is easy as there are only four episodes out so far. And even if you're not interested in this series, today's new episode is worth watching if you've ever gone hands-on with Konami's classic X-Men arcade cabinet.
For more, readGame Informer'slist of the top 10 best Marvel games of all time, and then check out our list of the top 10 best superhero games of all time. After that, readGame Informer'slist of the upcoming superhero games, including Marvel's Wolverine.
Have you been watching X-Men '97? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below!