Discounty casts the player as the owner of a big-brand supermarket aiming to monopolize the small harbor town of Blomkest. The player is enlisted by an aunt who sold her struggling market to the Discounty chain and pursues expansion through acquiring local vendors, making backroom deals, and firing staff. Gameplay emphasizes hypnotic retail mechanics that mirror romanticized depictions of retail work. The narrative frames the player as a pawn in a capitalist scheme and creates morally uncomfortable scenarios. Storytelling often feels muddled and fails to turn that discomfort into a clear, compelling message.
Discounty does the opposite, having you effectively play as the bad guys in Stardew Valley: the outsider that has everything and is trying to weasel into the community. You're not literally playing a mirror of that game's story, but it's awfully close--instead of being the new farmer in a small, struggling town, you're instead the new owner of the big-brand supermarket that's attempting to monopolize the economy and push out existing vendors to increase your profit margins.
Roped into moving to her small harbor town of Blomkest to help out with her struggling market, you arrive to find she's sold out to the Discounty chain and rebranded. Your aunt is immediately portrayed as a suspicious person, keeping secrets locked away in sheds, making backroom deals with banks, and firing employees without a second thought.
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