A Heartwarming Tale of Retail and Connection
I’ve worked in retail my entire life, and I must say there is a certain charm to it. Hear me out for a second, because amongst all the chaos you’ll meet all sorts of weird and wonderful people. I’ve met so many customers over the years whose only social interactions come with heading to the shops, and maybe stopping for a tea or a coffee there too.
Spending time getting to know them a little has created all sorts of memories over the years, and this is very much the theme of inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories. Think of it as a convenience store simulator, but with bags of charm and a big heart.
To clarify, Konbini is Japanese for convenience store. The one in question here is called Honki Ponki, and inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories chronicles the adventure that is working the night shift.
Set in the 1990s, you play as Makoto Hayakawa who is supporting her aunt by working a week’s worth of shifts at Honki Ponki. She is only visiting briefly, but starts to develop an attachment to her role and the Konbini itself. Tasks include helping customers find what they want, scanning items, giving change, ordering inventory, putting away deliveries and more. The most important part of the job however, is getting to know who walks through the doors.
Stockrooms and Cryptic Customers
When it comes to physically organising the products, there’s actually quite a bit of freedom when it comes to the placement, which itself can lead to some mistakes (as you’ll discover the day team are very prone to).
Despite the customers being polite and friendly, they are actually pretty useless when it comes to shopping (or perhaps it’s just a clever tactic to stimulate conversation). You’ll need to help them find all sorts of items, often with limited information or cryptic clues. This in itself was quite triggering, as I’m sure it will be for anyone else who has worked in the sector.
Still, life in the Konbini is slow and relaxed, with customers displaying – frankly unrealistic – levels of patience and no urge to steal from you even with the door to the stockroom left wide open. inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories does an excellent job of creating a snug and homely environment which is a joy to spend time in.
There are also lots of optional tasks for Makoto to do, often signalled with sticky notes left around the shop. These also act as a handover from the day staff with guidance on what needs to be done. Although not mandatory, ticking off these tasks is a good way of earning achievements and bagging Gamerscore.
Managing Time and Chatting on the Night Shift
Clearly the little store is busier in the daytime, as when you start each night shift, different products will be sold through and need replenishing. Not only this, abandoned items will need returning to their rightful place. You can fast forward time by visiting the restroom which brings the next customer into the store, or complete some of the additional tasks left for you to pass the time instead.
This also applies to conversations; you can ask about additional topics or cut straight to the chase to speed through your interactions. But I must admit, I found myself genuinely wanting to get to know each customer better.
A minor niggle of mine was the fact Makoto could not identify what was in each delivery box when looking, only finding out what it was after walking over to a shelf to place it down. If she could see what it was straight away, she instead would be able to head over to the correct area immediately. It slowed the pace of progress down a little too much for my liking.
A Charming, if Repetitive, Indie Canvas
As you may have grasped by now, inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories is not a difficult game to play. One could argue it isn’t much of a game at all in the traditional sense. As a result the magic of the first couple of hours wears off somewhat as you get deeper into the game, due to largely repeating the same tasks and interactions.
inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories, depending on how much of a completionist you are, will take around 6-8 hours to complete. Given this, and the type of game that it is, the price tag (£19.99 in the UK) feels pretty expensive.
inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories is a heartwarming, often mundane, tale of connection and perspective. In many ways it’s exactly what an indie game should be.
Important Links
inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories Opens Its Doors On Xbox And Game Pass – https://www.thexboxhub.com/inkonbini-one-store-many-stories-opens-its-doors-on-xbox-and-game-pass/
inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories brings Japanese narratives to Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC in 2025 – https://www.thexboxhub.com/inkonbini-one-store-many-stories-brings-japanese-narratives-to-xbox-playstation-switch-and-pc-in-2025/
Download via the Xbox Store, utilising Game Pass if you like – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/inkonbini-one-store-many-stories/9NVV0M74W05C
There’s a Deluxe Edition too – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/inkonbini-one-store-many-stories-digital-deluxe-edition/9P5J2DWNJQXS/0010
