A Tiny Review for the “Tiny Bookshop” Demo
As a cozy gamer who is also an avid reader, Tiny Bookshop, an upcoming cozy bookshop management game for Steam, has been on my radar for a while. At the recent Wholesome Direct 2024, we finally got a release window (well, a release year at least), and the news that a free demo for this game was available. I finally sat down this morning and played through the demo, and once I was finished and realized that I couldn’t continue the game itself, I decided to get my thoughts down about the demo experience. Please enjoy this tiny review for the Tiny Bookshop demo!
Game Developer: neoludic games
Game Publisher: Skystone Games
Release Date: TBD 2025
Story: A
I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s had this specific fantasy before: You quit your boring city life to move to the seaside and open up a tiny bookshop. You work hard to curate a selection of books that will please your new customers/neighbors, and you make sure that your bookshop is painted, decorated, and stocked to your expectations. When customers come in with questions, you have an answer - or rather, a book - always ready for them.
This is the plot of Tiny Bookshop, at least from what was available from the demo. Although I wasn’t able to delve too deeply into the story, it seems that there will be opportunities to complete simple quests in order to build connections with the other townsfolk. The few characters introduced in the demo were all charming enough, and I can’t wait to get to interact with them more when the full game is released.
Gameplay Mechanics: B
The gameplay itself is simple, but in a delightful way rather than a boring one. You cycle through days following a similar pattern: pick a location, open your shop, (hopefully) make some sales, then close up and check out the newspaper to restock your book selection and make upgrades to your bookshop. Then repeat. By the end of the demo I had just fallen in the gameplay groove, and it was painful to be forced to stop!
My demo experience didn’t seem to have any major bugs. However, when playing games on Steam, I have to keep in mind that my MacBook is essentially a brick. Some games run perfectly fine, and some don’t. Unfortunately, the Tiny Bookshop demo seemed to struggle on my system. The animation transitions were a bit stilted, and my mouse seemed to lag just slightly every time I clicked or tried to complete an action. However, the lagginess wasn’t distracting enough to ruin my overall experience, and I truly believe that when the full game comes out (and when I have an updated PC set-up) these issues will be a thing of the past.
Vibes: A
The vibes of this game are immaculate. With a beautifully soft art style, soothing background music, and an array of entertaining bookshop customers, it was easy to fall in love with this game in merely the thirty or so minutes I had with it.
The dialogue was also more charming than I expected. Whether it was the bashful newspaper writer welcoming me to the town, or the precocious child customer unafraid to voice her opinion about my book selections, the dialogue kept me laughing and smiling throughout my demo run.
And yes, most importantly…you can pet the dog.
Overall Rating: A
Even with just a demo available, I can already tell that Tiny Bookshop will go down as one of my favorite cozy games of 2025, if not of all-time. My recommendation: snag the free demo on Steam ASAP, settle somewhere comfy with a cup of tea, and play through it so you can be just as desperate as I am for the full game!
