Have you ever wondered what it's like to run an item shop in a Japanese role-playing game? EasyGameStation's Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the fast-paced world of RPG commerce. Capitalism, ho!


Ever since Recettear appeared on Steam last week, fans of the game have been bugging us to give the game a go. As Kotaku's resident Japanese role-playing game enthusiast, I figured it was my duty or something.

I'm rather impressed.

Released in Japan in 2007 and recently localized for the English-speaking audience, Recettear tells the tale of a young woman named Recette Lemongrass who finds herself up to her elbows in debt following the disappearance of her adventuring father. Aided by a collections fairy named Tear, Recette turns her home into an item shop, selling a wide variety of role-playing wares in order to pay off her debt in installments.


One portion of the game is all about buying low and selling high. You go to the market or the merchant's guild, stocking up on supplies to fill your displays. Customers come into the store to buy and sell weapons, food, books, armor, and such. Haggling while keeping up with market fluctuations on a daily basis is a simple yet entertaining way to spend time.

Those of you craving a little more action in their RPG will find some fun at the Adventurer's Guild. Recette and Tear adopt an adventurer, providing him with healing items and cash in order to finance his dungeon exploring. In simple action-RPG format you'll explore various dungeons, bringing home special items at 100% profit.





Your adventurer friend also becomes one of your customers, so keeping the latest powerful weapons and armor in stock for him to purchase and equip makes for an easier time delving into the dungeon depths.

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Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale is a rather entertaining little game that can easily begin to eat up the hours once you get into the whole buying and selling thing. It's available now on Steam for $19.99.