Wild West Supermarket Simulator Testbericht (Xbox Series X|S & PC)

Wild West Supermarket Simulator (WWSS) keeps its revolver in its holster in an attempt to shed light on a calmer, slightly more romanticized version of the Wild West. Rather, it removes the typecast ideologies of the Gold Rush period to focus on the unsung heroes—the store assistants, the anti-outlaws, and the citizens who keep small ghosts towns from losing their identities and succumbing to the pressure of a dense tumbleweed massacre.

In an almost farm sim-like fashion, WWSS begins with a ghost town, an old broom, and a fickle promise—an “idea” that, should you be capable of bringing an old general store back from the dead, a community can be restored and brought back to the modern age. It doesn’t hand you the keys to the silver dollar; it just gives you the bare minimum—a lack of supplies, a bit of foot traffic, and a sense that you’re being paid to sit around and save the Wild West on your day off.

Like all of those traditionally themed chore core sims that have made their mark on the field in the past, WWSS keeps to a rather standard schedule, with a routine that feels oh-so-familiar, a checklist of jobs that you can accomplish with your arm behind your back, and a flow of citizens who each have their own idea of what makes the Frontier the best choice for capitalizing on new opportunities. As the proprietor of an old and seemingly forgotten general store in this dust-addled ghost town, it falls on your shoulders to return it to its former glory, one chunk at a time.

At its core, WWSS is a familiar experience that doesn’t disguise its primary influences. In an almost identical fashion as, say, Supermarket Simulator, it locks in to a concept that we, as casual gamers, know just about everything that there is to know. It doesn’t shy away from the usual gutter spiel or cannon fodder, either. In fact, it opens its saloon doors with a lot of the same basic tropes, with a quick cleanup job, a shelf-stocking procedure, and a few transactions that can get you on your feet before the outlaws make their entrance. It’s familiar, honest work that, frankly, doesn’t do a lot to invigorate fledgling gunslingers. But then, that’s sort of what makes it so darn appealing.

While the general tone of the campaign certainly has its fair share of tumbleweed moments, WWSS is, above all, a relaxing game that rewards patience. With each sale that you make, you earn cash, with which you can use to explore vast business opportunities, as well as unlock better stock, cosmetics, and items that can be used to restore the town. It’s a slow process that, like many of its kind, takes a lot of time and energy to capitalize upon. But, it’s also a soothing affair that just feels good to unwind to. Fortunately, there are no delinquents in the town, and the odds of an ravenous outlaw depleting your stock are slim. The only real obstacle you have is store itself.

WWSS finds comfort in a familiar routine—a cycle that primarily involves waking up to embrace the same tasks and responsibilities as the day before. With each bank note that you pocket, a fresh perk begins to line your account, and with that, additional opportunities to go beyond the confines of the store and into the town quarters. To that end, you have a pretty simple set of breadcrumbs to follow here. It might not be the most exciting road to eternal riches, though it is one that manages to pepper you with the odd perk along the way.

As far as visual components go, WWSS is about as on the edge of the knife as Wild West simulators can get. Truly, it captures the essence of a Frontier-inspired novella, with the familiar dust-drizzled dunes, murky yellow textures, and leathery exterior that practically bleeds 1850. It’s on the mark, if not bordering on a cliche. But then, it’s an aesthetic that we’ve come to love and appreciate. WWSS simply gives the fans of the genre exactly what they want, minus, perhaps the old-fashioned currency. But that’s a small gripe that we can gloss over.

For a niche game that builds its quarters on the Wild West and a meager general store, there is a good deal of customizable content to sink your teeth into here. For example, once you earn enough coin, you can expand your store with shelves, color schemes, stock, as well as furniture and decorations for your hillside home. Granted, none of these homestead furnishings add a lot of value to the experience, given that they’re purely cosmetic, but they do give you a small sense of accomplishment. It’s like a pat on the back after a hard day’s work. It means nothing, but it’s a welcome compliment, nonetheless.

While the game itself still fosters a few loose screws and a dainty setting that’s quite clearly lacking in graphical detail, it does bring forth a satisfying routine that’s as equally fun to work through as it is rewarding to see through to the bitter end. With just enough components to experiment with, items to shuffle and stock, as well as customers to befriend and serve, you shouldn’t struggle to find a sizable supply of content to carve through here. It might not boast the visual complexity of a souped-up simulator or the depth of a well-rounded RPG, but to give credit where it’s due, it delivers what it displays on its tin: a simple yet engaging business simulation game with a Wild West twist.

Verdict

Wild West Supermarket Simulator plays straight into the hands of a cliche — but in a good way. Given its themed trimmings and business acumen, its familiar tropes and role-playing elements, it certainly feels like a tip of the hat to the Gold Rush era. As a game, it gets a lot of things right, with the usual perks, milestones, and small bursts of satisfaction that stem from drawn-out stints behind the counter. As a candidate in the shopkeeping field, it blends into a familiar world that, when all’s said and done, is sadly overpopulated. But, that isn’t to say that it’s a bad game. A familiar game, true, but not one that’s without its own strengths.

While a little extra technical polish would certainly help WWSS to expand its horizons, the game itself has a strong foundation that has the flexibility to grow in future updates. For the time being, though, I’d say that it still makes for a great alternative to your casual business simulation experience. A perfect game, no — but a game that can keep the tumbleweed from knocking at your door, yes.