Mineko's Night Market

Those who love both crafting items and cats, rejoice. Mineko's Night Market's got it all.

Despite a few flaws that harm the pacing, Mineko's Night Market is a truly impressive life sim that stands out among a sea of similar wholesome games thanks to its jaw-dropping visuals, unique emphasis on Japanese culture and arts and crafts, and a cute story at the center of it all filled with wonder. It's a terrific little game that can be enjoyed by those of all ages, plus, again, you get to pe...

Mineko's Night Market offers captivating storytelling, gameplay, and style in one charming package.

Mineko’s Night Market is a beautiful game. Its soundtrack and artwork are delightful; I could listen to the music all day and never tire of it. Unfortunately, the energy, money, and early-game task balances really left me questioning if I liked the game. I think it could be delightful with a few patches to balance and smooth aspects of gameplay. I just wanted to be able to do more because I could ...

Cosy games have become somewhat of a megalodon in the gaming space. With genre mainstays like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley becoming a blueprint for player expectations, it’s been interesting seeing how new games interpret this space. Mineko’s Night Market is an upbeat narrative-driven story game about a girl moving with her father to a small island town and it certainly fits the cosy game ni...

This long-awaited shopkeeper sim feels trapped between selling and storytelling.

Mineko's Night Market features an adorable art style and precious, pettable cats but is held back by overly slow pacing, a reliance on grinding, and extremely bland or outright unlikeable characters.

We’d be lying if we said we haven’t enjoyed our time with Mineko’s Night Market. We have: its world and its characters are just wonderful, and we’ve loved being part of it. But we just wish the game’s economy was a little more balanced so we didn’t have to spend so much time repeatedly gathering materials and completing menial tasks as we craft endless trinkets. Billed as a “narrative-driven adven...

Due to the tedium, I wouldn’t recommend the game to any category of folks. While the gameplay is basic enough for children and new players, it’s not engaging enough for either of them.  Ultimately, it’s a slow burn that takes a long time to go nowhere interesting. For folks who want an easy and repetitive game to play while watching or listening to something, there are far better options.

Mineko’s Night Market is a narrative-driven, social simulation adventure game that celebrates Japanese culture and invites players to craft whimsical items, eat delicious snacks, and ultimately enjoy all the cats. Switch version reviewed.

Mineko’s Night Market goes down as one of my biggest disappointments of the year. The early promise is entirely squandered through inane conversations, repetitive minigames and a feeling more akin to a mobile game loop than a cosy game. The art style and plethora of cats are cute, but I’m afraid this is one to avoid.