One part cryptozoology, one part resource management, crafting, and social sim, Mineko’s Night Market from Meowza Games and Humble Games is an artistic feat worth raving about. In this narrative-driven game, you play Mineko, a child whose father just moved them to a semi-remote island that’s increasingly falling into disrepair as more residents relocate to the mainland. The once-bustling, weekly Night Market—which used to attract vendors and visitors from all over—now only plays host to one or two booths.
Your arrival breathes new life into town as you’re tasked with collecting items like flowers, rocks, paper, wood, and gems to craft items to sell at your very own Night Market booth. But that’s not all: Upon arriving, you discover there are “agents” crawling all over the village and caging any cats they find. There’s some connection to the mythical creature Nikko, a giant cat, whose following has decreased in recent years. Still, a handful of worshipers persist at the Temple of Nikko, which is here on the island.
As soon as you get to town, another kid named Bobo asks you to follow him, thus beginning the game’s major mystery. Together you search the island, free the cats, and try to figure out what the agents are doing—as well as what happened to Nikko, whom Bobo swears he’s seen. All the while, you try to form bonds with other villagers and craft “perfect” items. The village is counting on you!
Story and mechanics in Mineko’s Night Market
Mineko and her dad seem fairly close, but Mineko is clearly unhappy about their move from the mainland. While her dad is encouraged to see her making friends and selling her crafts at the Night Market, Mineko is a little stand-offish with locals—until she realizes how weird the agents are and starts freeing the cats they’ve caged. The story picks up pace from there, though ultimately the speed at which things move is up to the player. As Mineko gets more comfortable, you get more comfortable, creating a symbiotic relationship represented by determination.
Collecting and managing resources in order to craft dozens of items is an important aspect of Mineko’s Night Market, especially as you move through the seasons. Flowers and fish that only appear in spring or summer may be necessary for crafts that you unlock in fall and winter.
However, it’s also important to earn enough money either at the weekly market or during the week to purchase craft benches and gifts for the villagers. Each bench requires skill checks to successfully craft items, and if you fail, you lose the resources you put into the design. Balancing what you keep and what you sell is key to completing your objectives, especially as your crafts get more complex.
Each villager asks for five gifts unique gifts in a specific order, and at each level of friendship, they teach you new recipes or give you items you need to complete other friendship quests. In this way, acquiring resources, crafting items to sell, learning new recipes, and making friends all intertwine as Mineko settles into life on the island.
Simultaneously, unlocking new areas to gather resources (by purchasing tools, which the game will switch automatically based on interactions) means clearing out agents by releasing cats and destroying their communications equipment. Each new area is a puzzle. To solve them, you must combine the skills you’ve learned at previous locations and, in some cases, switch between characters. You can unlock areas at your own pace, as the story only moves forward when you make it.
The Night Market will also upgrade as you go: Your sales directly influence what is available at the weekly event. Each time you level up, more booths are added, including mini-games run by new characters you meet only after unlocking certain areas on the island. These new booths and mini-games give you the resources you need to complete friendship quests and crafts, as well as the items you need to open the four small museums in the village (food, flowers, fish, and gems).
Mineko’s Night Market gameplay experience
Mineko’s Night Market has been in development for nearly a decade, and the payoff is truly worth the wait. The game’s painterly art, vibrant colors, and unique story both celebrate Japanese culture and provide players with an immersive experience that stands out from other cozy games.
The overall gameplay experience is smooth and relaxing, even when you’re running from agents or trying to sneak past them to get to a cat. The stakes are high for the characters, but as a player, you’re never at risk of depleting all of your health or dying, which makes things seem much less dire.
In addition to the stunning art and intuitive level design, Mineko’s Night Market also boasts a lovely soundtrack and great SFX. Petting cats creates low, rumbling purrs, and chopping trees creates satisfying thwacks. The development team honed every detail, including how Mineko’s feet sound when she runs on different surfaces and what the doors of her home sound like as they open and shut.
It’s easy to lose hours to this game, especially if you get into a rhythm with resource gathering and crafting. Each day is broken down into day, evening, and night, and you can extend any of those periods for as long as you like. With no clock to knock you out like in Stardew Valley or Fae Farm, as long as Mineko has energy, you can keep on moving.
As for accessibility, dialogue is completely written with no voice actors, and the text is large, dark, and legible for people with dyslexia. The game provides small spyglass icons above everything interactive, including characters, resources, and items. It’s possible to remap buttons on both the Nintendo Switch and PC, and you can turn off screen shake and vibration.
Is Mineko’s Night Market worth the investment?
Mineko’s Night Market is a charming, well-written, beautifully illustrated, well-designed game worth sinking time and money into—especially if you’re a cat person. The story is complex enough to keep things interesting without bogging down the general vibe, and discovering new areas and crafting new items is always a little bit thrilling, especially since crafting is active rather than passive.
Aside from the slow loading screen (which happens in both the Switch and PC versions of the game) and occasional glitches, the game feels complete and fairly polished. It’s absolutely worth the price of admission, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it receive lots of attention from “best of” lists later this year.
Mineko’s Night Market will be available for $19.99 on Nintendo Switch and Steam on Tuesday, September 26. It will be available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4/5 on Thursday, October 26.
(featured image: Meowza Games / Humble Games)
