The Sorting Bureau Review (PC)

The Sorting Bureau gave me the kick up the backside that I needed to start organizing the four drawers of clutter in my own kitchen. I never would have thought it, either, that a simple game about cataloging old buttons, coins and antique gears would give me the motivation to get a few things done around the house. I figured it would be a dull way to spend an hour or two. Strangely, though, The Sorting Bureau, armed with its ASMR-fitted atmosphere, proved me wrong. It made a point that I didn’t need to find treasure to feel satisfied. Really, it just told me that I was able to find the same sense of satisfaction in an old drawer. All I needed was a reason to sift through the clutter.

On paper, it sounds all rather boring — to fumble with a collection of old coins and buttons and to catalog them in an orderly manner. The fact of the matter is that, contrary to popular belief, there is a lot more to the process of organizing clutter than making space for new memories. It helps, I guess, that The Sorting Bureau isn’t just about arranging old collectibles, but connecting with clients, learning their stories, and seeing for yourself what made their lives worth living. A pastry chef, for example, has a box of secondhand molds, whereas an artist has boxes of brushes, half-finished sketches, and a globe-trotting adventurer has troves of foreign coins. The point is, every box that the game brings to your table offers another story for you to explore.

With hundreds of unique belongings to work through, The Sorting Bureau ensures that you always have a job to keep your mind occupied. As a box lands on your desk, you carefully extract each piece, inspect it, and then organize it so that it returns to its rightful location. Coins; pins; screws; buttons; gears — the list goes on. It’s essentially your job to organize it all into neat piles. And yes, it is incredibly satisfying. But that’s a given, what with its adoption of an ASMR-inspired ambience, vibrant animations and a host of soothing sound bites that clink, chime, and clunk with each and every piece that you touch.

As there are no timers or challenges for you to fret about in The Sorting Bureau, you can quite easily slip into a box and get to work and enjoy the graft without needing to onboard any mind-boggling information. Before you begin each shift, you will choose your brew—a pick-me-up that will grant you various benefits as you progress through the daily boxes—and learn the stories of various clients. Drinks, which can be used to alter the setting, the flow of the orders, and the type of objects that fall into your lap, can then be applied. For example, if you choose green tea, then the game will give you fewer orders. If you choose coffee, then the boxes you receive will include more small parts to sift through. Cocoa, too, will allow you to begin your shift in the evening, effectively reducing your workload and giving you more flexibility. Regardless of the beverage you choose to consume, the process always unfolds in a similar way.

The Sorting Bureau is as satisfying as it is inviting, as is it an ideal place to hang your coat for a few hours whilst you gradually work through the archive. With hundreds of cases to unbox, dozens of categories to work through, and thousands of bite-sized pieces to separate and organize, there is a huge deal to keep you busy here. And that’s a good thing, too, as we’ve seen more than our fair share of cozy games that stick to a niche but never quite fulfill their promise to provide a substantial amount of content. The Sorting Bureau, while still filling a niche market, brings both quality and quantity.

Of course, The Sorting Bureau isn’t going to be to everyone’s liking. As there are no challenges here, but rather, a bottomless treasure trove of random boxes of items, a lack of structure might deter certain players from sticking around for the long term. To add, as there are no endgame elements, no secrets, and no noteworthy bonuses to unlock, it’s likely that just as many users will abandon the apple cart as those who will willingly stick around to sort out the cores. But that’s The Sorting Bureau, in a nutshell — it doesn’t claim to be a perfect game, but a short-term fix for a short-term problem.

If you’re a fan of cozy organizing sims à la A Little to the Left, Sticky Business or Unpacking, then The Sorting Bureau ought to be your perfect cup of coffee. It’s a simple game that knows what it is and how it can build on a niche genre. Again, it might not be for everyone, as it clearly lacks a proper structure and the complex plot elements. That said, it makes good on its promise to provide you with something that can keep your fingers active for several hours, and that counts for something here.

Verdict

The Sorting Bureau takes a different approach to the monotonous act of cataloging clutter in an effort to capture the satisfaction that comes with the task of meticulously organizing old buttons and coins. While it might not be the gift that keeps on giving, it is a cozy place to call home for a short while and, in all honesty, a workplace that you’ll likely never want to leave. With thanks to its bottomless pit of boxes, antiques and old gears, and not to mention its soothing ambience and ASMR feel, the game presents itself as a solid addition to a beloved, albeit niche genre.

Like most organizing sims of its kind, The Sorting Bureau proudly wears its heart on its sleeve and keeps the formalities to a minimum. It isn’t a game that will swivel every head in the room I’ll admit, but it is one that will easily cater to the target demographic. With that in mind, it feels like a no brainer. If you enjoy the idea of sifting through buttons and coins, then you’ll probably love The Sorting Bureau.