Universe for Sale Review (Linux, PC, & macOS)

Got a raise? Why not buy yourself a universe? Universe for Sale is out now, and it’s, as you might expect, entirely out of this world. It takes you back to those once-in-a-lifetime moments when you walk into a shop and leave, never to be the same again. Precisely because you meet a mysterious vendor with whom you trade stories, perspectives, and life-changing values that shatter your world. Or, maybe your life-altering shop experience is something totally different, like a store heist. 

Still, Universe for Sale is determined to deliver an out-of-body experience; we’re here for all of it. Tag along as we explore all there is to love, like, and hate about Universe for Sale in our deep-dive game review. 

Casual, Indie

Without Steam’s demo, Universe for Sale may have easily skipped the minds of most gaming folk. But, thank God, it snuck into the airwaves because it sure is a story worth experiencing. The game kicks off light and easy with a bedtime story. A child is nudging her mother to read her the same story she’s been reading to her repeatedly. She wants that specific story and nothing else. 

So, we trudge on, teleporting to a space station on Jupiter. But we don’t get there in your usual point A to B thrust. Instead, it’s a casual point-and-click journey through winding alleyways and dilapidated slums. Quick to catch the eye is the intriguing visual art style, complete with hand-drawn animation. 

It’s elegantly charming, strikes the eye, and delivers an aesthetic experience akin to underground European sci-fi comics. In the background, a relaxing, immersive, original soundtrack plays along. Thereafter, it’s filled in with an excellent sound design that can make it feel like it’s coming from around you.

Weird, Weirder

Within the space station, floating amidst Jupiter’s clouds and built upon an ancient mining colony, you encounter a variety of intriguing and kaleidoscopic characters. Each one offers an intriguing story point you can choose to pursue, which you often will. I mean, meet a talking simian named “Bandar,” a skeletal, robotic, or human among aliens, and you’ll want to hear what they have to say. 

Their appearances aren’t as startling, given that your character, the cultist, is a man stripped of all flesh from his bones in order to reach enlightenment. It pretty much sets the stage for what to expect from Universe for Sale. Plus, thanks in part to the comic art direction, the character models are intriguing on their own.

I wouldn’t dare spoil the plot point for you; just perhaps allude to interesting themes of loss, self-acceptance, varying perspectives, human relationships, conflicting ideologies, religions, destiny, enlightenment, etc. All of which urge you to dig deeper and find out more. At some points of the story, you do have the freedom to choose which direction the story should take, creating room for feeling like a part of the adventure.

Mystery Woman

But none other comes close to the personal intrigue the mystery woman, Lila, achieves. She’s your date for the evening, running a bit late. When she shows up with tentacles for hair, though, you know you’re in for a pretty compelling night. Lila has an extraordinary power. She can create universes out of the palm of her hand. Tiny ones, of course, but feel free to tweak them to whatever form you like.

She engages you in deeper conversation, too, referencing Hindu scriptures and philosophies here and there. It quickly turns into an unforgettable universe-shopping experience that can change your perspective on certain things while inducing humor and relatable themes delivered by likable characters. 

It’s sad that there aren’t enough branching paths for multiple playthroughs, despite a choice-based narrative. You may also spot some grammatical errors, but none are terrible enough to derail the experience. All simply because the story is engaging, like the adventure you didn’t know you needed but can’t seem to get out of your head once done.

Master of the Universe

With Lila’s power, you can create personalized, custom universes. Through them, you can create your own stories and place your mark on history. You know, like the founding fathers of Mystical Falls, so will the people of your new universe refer to you, or at least as far as I can imagine. As Lila, you’ll craft unique universes according to your unique specifications.

The universe creation process is structured like mini-games of brewing potions to create unique outcomes. Different perspectives and notions pour into a cup, inferred by everyday materials like eggs and rust. From these, you conjure whole new worlds. However, they aren’t actually universes you can teleport to. Rather, visuals that are still unique and intriguing are all the same.

Particularly because the ingredients you stir up are influenced by the plot. Pay close attention, and you’ll get the recipe right. However, you need to trudge to the end of the story to keep track of any branching paths. 

Simmer Up

Besides crafting universes and selling them to clients on Jupiter, you’ll be spending your other free time walking around and interacting with the people at the space station. You can, of course, take your time admiring the sights – even take a couple of screenshots if you like. Grab a hot chocolate and get lost in the awe of it all.

The entire game is simple point-and-clicking. You follow a bittersweet and touching narrative adventure. You feel like you’re reading a comic book and looking at the world through an HD kaleidoscope. All along, you have probably put your feet up as you enjoy a peaceful and calming atmosphere that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Thumbs Down

Honestly, very few elements stuck out on the “downside” side of things. However, worth mentioning is that if you get stuck on the universe-building mini-games, there’s no easy way out. You do get three pages of doodles to help with sorting the ingredients, but they can be hard to read. 

You’ll need to build universes for different customers. Sometimes, it’s easy to get it right. Other times, you may need to do some unwelcome trial and error. Generally, it can take a few minutes to crack the puzzle, but even those few minutes can easily break the flow of an otherwise engaging game.

Alternatively, you can disregard a request. No customer reviews will come back to haunt you. And it’s better this way, so you can get a handle on the mini-games. With a little tinkering, it catches on. Plus, the recipes are different and exciting. So, practicing a little patience doesn’t hurt. You should be able to figure it out in time to advance the story.

Steam Deck Issues

Some Steam Deck users have been having issues with running the game and using the controller. It seems the game lacks a controller or deck support. You can boot up the game, but using the controls just doesn’t work. The same goes for DualSense controllers on PC. It’s a nightmare. 

Other complaints around Steam Deck layouts blocking the screen have been raised. The developing team is aware of these issues, though, and will likely release a patch fix as soon as possible. 

Perhaps the developing team can work on releasing future updates, too, as the only other thing missing here is “more of Universe for Sale.” More environmental interaction. More hours of playthrough – five to eight simply isn’t enough. Maybe an encyclopedia for every tried and tested universe recipe as some form of feedback system to reassure you that you’re on the right track.

Verdict

Nostalgic and endearing, the visual art in Universe for Sale speaks volumes, so much so that the game is up for nomination for best visual art on Steam. So does the story itself, which latches onto your soul and always piques your attention, even in parts that don’t seem compelling. It’s engaging in ways best experienced for oneself and, afterward, leaves your heart ventricles and nerve endings aching for more.

While the visual novel starts off confusing, the seemingly convoluted and, at points, pretty disturbing bedtime story gradually makes sense. It’s the beauty of Universe for Sale, always keeping you questioning what will happen next and curious to find out more. You pick up clues via stories shared by the versatile characters you meet. Meanwhile, the puzzles and recipes you get in the byte-sized universe-building minigame can be a little tricky to solve. However, most are easy to solve in a jiffy, or if not, are varied enough to keep you engaged.

Overall, Universe for Sale is such a fine work of art; very few games come close to the level of fluidity, detail, and nostalgic feel it manages to deliver. A lot of thought has been put into the design and gameplay. Hardly any moment feels wasted. You’ll easily plug away five to eight hours, which, for its “save 10% on Steam offer” at $28.00, feels like a steal for every type of gamer – sci-fi/visual novel lover or not. It’s a definite must-play on a rainy weekend with a hot cup of cocoa.