Kardboard Kings: Card Shop Simulator

Have you ever dreamed of owning your very own hobby store? Well, Cardboard Kings: Card Shop Simulator is here to make your collector dreams a reality – at least while you play the game. Grow your business empire by trading, acquiring, and selling all kinds of trading cards to your select clientele, and raise to the top of the card food chain in this amazingly addictive tycoon sim.

As simple as Kardboard Kings may look, there’s a surprising amount of depth to collecting and trading cards in this game. It’s impressive to see a title like this giving the player as much freedom to choose how to run their business, and the result is a game that will have you hooked from start to finish.

Collect Them All

Being the owner of a new card store, your task is pretty simple: make some bank buying and selling trading cards. Inspired by card games such as Yu-Gi-Oh! and the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Kardboard Kings features an impressive selection of original playing cards made by very talented artists.

The game has an all-around cozy feel to it: from the warm color palette to the relaxed character designs – everything about this game evokes a sense of childhood nostalgia.

You play as Harry Hsu: a young man who has just recently inherited a seaside card shop. As a new owner, first, you’ll have to get accustomed to the ins and outs of running a successful business. While buying cards in bulk might sound like a great idea, a truly great card store knows how to cater to its clientele.

Some clients will come to your shop and make requests. It’ll be up to you to find the cards they’re looking for, by any means necessary – financially, I mean.

Quirky Mysteries

If you thought that the game’s seaside setting and retro sprites looked somewhat similar to Oxenfree, wait until you hear of the mysteries that this little shop has in store for you. Not only is Kardboard Kings an addictive tycoon simulator: there are also some social sections and an underlying mystery to keep things even more entertaining.

Befriending the locals will bring you more opportunities to discover the secrets of the town, and also unlocks more options to customize your store. Since you’re the owner of the establishment, it will be up to your tastes to decorate and renovate the place however you see fit.

Juggling market prices and building the ultimate card shop might sound fun enough, but thanks to the game’s outstanding narrative, you’ll hardly run out of things to do while you play Kardboard Kings. With over a hundred cards available (not counting their shiny counterparts) you’ll be collecting and selling cardboard rectangles for a while.

Developer Henry’s House has truly created something magical here, and the possibility of updated content and user-created mods opens up the opportunity to make this game even more impressive than it already is. If you ever played trading card games as a kid, and you always dreamed of ruling your own store with an iron fist, then this is definitely the game for you.

Pros

• Charming 2D visuals with great character art
• An impressive number of cards to trade, sell and collect
• Intriguing plot keeps you hooked all the way through

Cons

• The card’s artwork varies in quality depending on its artist