Vending Machine Co. Review (PC)

Behind Vending Machine Co’s bubblegum pink aesthetic and oh-so-kawaii signature is a sweet and unapologetically fuzzy business simulation game that relishes the act of building memories on wholesome ideologies. Unlike your typical chore core sim, it turns a blind eye to invasive UI and abrupt changes in the business environment, and instead chooses to dally on down the primrose path of peace and prosperity. Rather, it chooses to settle for the easy route—the kind of path that you would take to remove yourself from the hustle and bustle of the world and not, say, to put yourself directly in the middle of it.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve little experience in the field, because as it turns out, machines, of all things, are incredibly easy to manage, and Vending Machine Co. does a splendid job of illustrating that in its Japanese universe of pinks and blues, plushies and gadgets. Of course, if this was in any other world, then you would have the full works—the pre-fiscal predicaments; the financial constraints; and the fluctuating economic conditions. But in Vending Machine Co., you don’t have the stress that comes with owning a business. Rather, you have a chain of profitable items, and a community that needs whatever it is that you decide to sell.

As the title openly implies, Vending Machine Co. is all about maintaining a network of vending machines. As the proprietor of the network, it falls to you to stock the shelves, juggle the stock, and establish a firm understanding of what items are worth adding to your rolling conveyor belt of goodies. For example, if you decide to set up shop near an office building, then you will explore fast food and energy drinks options so that the local business acumen can obtain a quick fix between shifts, naturally. Likewise, if you establish an outpost in a tourist area, then you will want to add souvenirs and exclusive plushies to your shopping list, and so on and so forth.

The idea behind Vending Machine Co. is as simple as it sounds: earn money from your vending machines, and use your cash to invest in, well, more vending machines across the fluorescent cherry blossom-coated boroughs of Japan. As you begin to expand your horizons and unlock more machines, you earn the ability to acquire additional items and, with that, an extra source of income to help fund other projects. That, really, is all that the game is about: earning coin and building a network. Well, there’s a little more to it than that — but you get the idea.

While there are little to no difficulty spikes for you to clamber over here, the game does delegate some extra weight to your shoulders, in that you have to decide which products to shock, and how high to label your prices. Thankfully, though, you never have to look all that far for a helping hand, as the game frequently provides you with a bit of moral support and, should you need it, a transparent solution for just about any problem that you may or may not encounter during your business cycle. Say, for example, you’re unsure whether or not to fabricate the price tags, the built-in UI typically steps in to tell you how to make ends meet and progress further into the story. To that end, you can’t really fail in Vending Machine Co, as help is often within reach. That is, of course, if you require it.

In addition to stocking your machines and expanding your network across Japan, Vending Machine Co. also invites you to play through dozens of mini-games. For example, if a machine breaks, then you have the task of repairing it in an interactive manner; tighten a few screws here, or use a power drill there, and so on and so forth. Moreover, you have the task of stacking coins and bank notes in an orderly fashion, scrubbing graffiti from machines, and making various upgrades to enhance the quality of your products. Frankly, this is all incredibly easy to entertain, and to be honest, it doesn’t involve much more than a few clicks of a button or a scrub of a cursor. Don’t expect a challenge, basically, because you won’t find one here.

Above all else, Vending Machine Co. is a beautifully crafted job simulation game that’s as easy on the eye as it is to play. With little to no challenges to face, it offers a sweet and inviting opportunity to delve into the lightweight act of consumerism and pull a few strings as and when you see fit. If not for its mini-games, then all of this might feel a little barebones to the more experienced player. But, as luck would have it, the game does offer several jobs for you to enjoy alongside the vending business. Again, there’s little here that requires you to think outside of the box. However, there is enough to do between sittings and general maintenance tasks, which in itself is a real treat.

Provided that you are able to jump into Vending Machine Co. without superfluous expectations, you should be able to enjoy the game for the short time that it sticks around on the block. It might not deliver much more than a watered down business sim with light interactive gameplay elements, but it does, on the other hand, take full advantage of that ever-famous kawaii essence to create a sweet and incredibly satisfying pocket-sized experience.

Verdict

Vending Machine Co. delivers a sweet and soothing chore core simulation game that actively abolishes the intrusive nature of business and promotes the power of kawaii and all things wholesome. With a treasure trove of lightweight mini-games and just enough tiny details, upgrades, and activities to keep you going for the long term, you should be able to find a pleasant surprise here with enough shelf life to keep you busy for a couple of hours or more. It’ll make you smile, and it’ll make you wish you had a vending machine of your own, weirdly. If that was the aim of the game, then I can safely say that the team has hit the nail on the head here.