Toy Shop

"Pretty fun for only $20"

Toy Shop for the DS is a fun and challenging game, and while it seems to have a child-friendly demeanor, children may have a hard time fully understanding the concepts of supply and demand associated with Toy Shop, as well as the sometimes frustrating need to resupply your store by building more toys that are quickly running out. The instruction booklet that comes with the game does not fully describe what each addition to your shop does (toy bins as opposed to display cases for example), and the in-game tutorials are hardly in-depth. This may be challenging for younger children, even though the game is cutesy, I recommend an age range of 10+.

The gameplay feels fresh and allows you to stock your shelves and display cases with the toys you have built. You are able to adjust prices, build more or less of certain toys, and as you build more of a toy (such as a train) that toy will become cheaper to produce. Also if you make more of that toy, it will increase your chances of successfully building it. It costs a lot of money to produce some toys, and at first your success rate at making that toy is very low (9%, increasing in increments of 10% every level gained).

The goal of the game is to make a profit of $50,000 by the end of 3 years. The days go by pretty quickly (5 minutes of real time versus 1 day of game time), and a difficult part of the game is to balance the amount of toys stocked in the store and how many to make of each toy. It reminds me somewhat of Harvest Moon in the dwindling days as you first struggle to get started, and the game picks up midway or earlier, becoming easier to make money.
Also you can help build the toys, instead of just dragging toys to the "build queue". You press up, down, left, or right on the directional pad when the thought bubble appears above the characters head. Correct button commands will yield a faster-built toy. Incorrect button commands completely wreck the toy and waste your money. This can become frustrating for the less-coordinated, as some toys later on require 5+ button combinations. If this is too difficult, you can let the toy-builder do it himself, but it will take much longer to build that toy.

Gameplay: Manage your store, prices, inventory, and keep shelves stocked as customers come in with different wants. Can be addictive. 8/10

Story: The story is the basic "you've been left this to make it better" plot. Nothing special. 4/10

Sound: The sound is decent. Music sounds very Harvest Moon, while sounds such as the cash register dinging or a toy being made quickly become monotonous. A standard "created" or "failed" sound will play, regardless of the toy made. 7/10

Graphics: The graphics are hardly cutting edge. Most of the game looks geared towards small children, and some graphics are blocky or jagged. 6/10

Controls: Almost all of the control is done with the stylus. The directional pads are used to switch between shelves or input button commands when helping build toys. Walking around town is generally unnecessary, but can sometimes be frustrating. It tells you to tap a place to walk there, but you walk faster if you hold the stylus down. 4/10

Overall, this game is definitely worth a rent. I've been hooked on it for several days, and it provides a fresh gameplay experience. It's only $20 and there's a lot worse out in stores right now. If strategy/store management games interest you, you should pick this game up.
7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/02/08

Game Release: Toy Shop (US, 04/29/08)