This Space Station Shop Sim Feels Like Papers, Please Meets Cyberpunk 2077

A new shopkeeping sim on a cyberpunk space station blends elements from Papers, Please, Dredd, Strange Horticulture, Fallout, Recettear, and Cyberpunk 2077, offering a unique mix of moral choices and trading.

Ever dreamed of running a shop in a dystopian sci-fi world? One player's experience with an upcoming shopkeeping sim on a cyberpunk space station shows it's a lot like mixing Papers, Please with Cyberpunk 2077.

The game puts you behind the counter, but it's not just about selling goods. As in Papers, Please, your decisions have weight. Spot someone on the wanted list and you can report them to security for a reward—but they might be resistance fighters battling a cruel regime. Every choice echoes.

Customers come from both the poverty-stricken lower levels and the wealthy upper levels, giving off serious Dredd vibes—like you're working in one of those massive towers. Even though you're on a space station, the social divide feels familiar.

If you loved Strange Horticulture, you'll appreciate the detective work here. A magnifying glass lets you examine items to spot counterfeits and appraise their value, much like identifying plants in that game. It's a fascinating twist on the shopkeeping formula.

There's also a touch of Fallout: you can farm rats for meat, set up water purification systems, and scavenge trash heaps for scrap to turn into sellable goods. It's not a wasteland, but the survivalist hustle feels similar.

Recettear fans will enjoy the trading mechanics. You buy and sell, haggle over prices—sometimes hurting your reputation—and adapt to changing demand. When a mining expedition docks, metal prices plunge as supply spikes, so you'll need to stay nimble and watch daily values.

And of course, the cyberpunk setting itself screams Cyberpunk 2077. No need to elaborate, choombatta.

With so many influences, this space station shop sim could be a dream for fans of management games with moral dilemmas. What do you think—will you be picking this up?