Written by Rastafoo69, edited by Otaku Apologist
A Certain Shop in the Capital, a store management game developed by URURUC. Released October 24, 2020. Download on DLSite for $13.00. For PC Windows. No voice acting. Censored genitals. Free demo available.
You’ve finally started your very own shop in the big city! But when a new law creates fierce competition between businesses, will your shop be able to survive? If it does, there are plenty of sexy babes in the city just waiting to be filled by your entrepreneur cock!
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STORY
The game just drops you in. You run a shop. What else needs to be said?
After a short time, you learn that the Imperial government has passed a new law! In order to decrease the amount of shops in the city, only the highest earning will be allowed to continue! It’s sink or swim, grow your store or be destroyed by your competitors!
The game lacks a story. First you compete with Thiese, then Alto, then Charles, then Athena, and finally you reach the finale. Raise a quarter million dollars for the resistance movement to depose the princess and repeal the shop law. After that, you’re free to play and run the shop however you like. All of this is done in 40 in-game days, which is around four hours of gameplay.
Although the game lacks any story choices, it never feels restrictive. The girl you romance and your strategies on running the shop are entirely up to you. Your focus is on running the store, not going on quests.
There are four waifus to choose from. Each girl has her own ending where you get married and have a baby together. They also have unique backstories. Alto is part of the resistance. Athena was raised by a prostitute sister with a rough childhood. Pick your waifu!
GAMEPLAY
A Certain Shop in the Capital was created in the Unity game engine. The game is operated entirely by mouse. For a store management game, this style of play was the perfect choice. The gameplay falls into three categories.
First, what will you sell at the shop? Depending on what’s popular and how you set your prices, you’ll either be sold out or stuck with excess inventory. Second, what will you spend your profits on? You can buy renovations to the shop to boost sales or learn what’s popular. Alternatively, you can buy single-use items that bring in more customers or boost sales at crucial moments. Items can also be used to build favorability with your waifu. Third, what will your staff be doing? They can clean the store, promote the business, use a special ability, or engage in sexy time. Prostituting your women will help grow the business, but the game can be easily completed without ever doing so.
Often times, these three aspects of play overlap. For example, you can spend your profits on items that boost the special abilities of your employees. One ability keeps the store open longer, so you can sell more products. You need to master all three aspects of play in order to run a successful store.
The game has three difficulty modes. On hard mode, you’ll need to consider more complex aspects of gameplay. The game tracks your customer’s wealth, your store popularity, and what items are most popular at any given time. When purchasing goods for the shop, prices vary depending on the day. Sometimes a potion costs 40 gold, and other times it costs 60 gold. On hard mode, especially when buying many potions, this variation makes all the difference.
In other words, the game can be puzzling on hard mode or relaxing on easy mode. My advice is, do not prioritize high prices! Prioritize sales! The word of mouth and repeat business is much more important than making a quick buck!
GRAPHICS
The art is Japanese anime style. Each girl is drawn with a unique artistic flair that sets her apart from the others.
There are 18 unique CG images spread across over 30 sex scenes. This is because of dialogue changes that show the girl slowly come to enjoy prostitution.
Character design is perfectly matched to personality. Tiese wears thigh-high socks and a warm sweater – she’s the classic lovable brunette. Athena shows off her cleavage in a revealing but dignified attire – she’s the tsundere blonde girl. Just from a glance, you can already tell a lot about a character.
The character stills in this game are limited to two or three per character. With so many girls, it’s only natural that this is the case. While their pose never changes, their facial expressions present happiness, sadness, and a standard appearance.
As a simulation style game, everything is seen via menus. There is no big world, there is no exploration, there is only the store. The game’s title says it all, the only thing that matters is your one shop in the big city.
VOICE ACTING AND SOUND EFFECTS (SFX)
A Certain Shop in the Capital has no voice acting.
Sound effects are limited and rare due to the store management setting. The clatter of coins for a purchase is pretty much the only thing you’ll hear. Menu choices are light chime that reminded me of Nintendo DS. The lack of dramatic action limits the developer’s opportunities to present sounds.
MUSIC
The soundtrack has a handful of songs. A pure piano track plays at the home base that’s both classy and smooth. During the store phase, the music switches to an upbeat rhythm with violins and other instruments conveying the hustle and bustle of a shop.
HENTAI
The game has 18 base CGs spread across 30 scenes. The primary fetishes are corruption and prostitution. If you choose to romance a girl and prostitute her to others, you can also cuckold yourself.
Each girl has three stages of corruption. First, they’ll perform outercourse on customers like handjobs and footjobs. Second, she’ll have sex with you even though you’re her boss. Third, she’ll have sex with the customers!
Each girl has a bonus scene if you unlock their ending. Pregnant sex! There’s also two side-scenes for the evil princess getting fucked by the guards in her prison. These are only available after you complete the game.
Although the game can be beaten without prostitution, there are no consequences for it. Whether she’s a whore or a virgin, she’ll still marry you at the end of the day. This makes the corruption stat pointless, but I still enjoyed it.
My favorite scene was when Athena first had sex with another man. She mentions that she’s using contraception, but if she wasn’t, the guy probably would have impregnated her.
CONCLUDING WORDS
A Certain Shop in the Capital is one of the best store management eroge I’ve ever played! The music and audio are meh, but the gameplay is exciting, the visuals are gorgeous, and the beautifully drawn sex scenes are out of this world!
I highly recommend this game for fans of corruption games everywhere! Download A Certain Shop in the Capital. If you loved this game but want to manage a pub instead, check out our review of Ane Kasegi!
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