An award-winning 16-bit retail simulation game

Cart Life is a casual simulation game designed in 16-bit retro fashion. It tells the story of three street vendors trying to make ends meet. The game is set in a small city on the West Coast and each of the main characters has a unique background. You can play the characters in any order you prefer and witness their stories intertwine.

Cart Life was first released in 2013 by its creator Richard Hofmeir. It bagged three awards in the Independent Game Festival and gained recognition from Polygon and Slant Magazine as one of the best video games ever made.

Emotive storylines but boring color palette

Despite its numerous accolades, Richard couldn’t finish the game for a long time until he partnered with AdHoc Studio and finally released the fully completed version in 2023, 10 years after its initial launch. What makes Cart Life shine from other retail-themed simulation games is that you won’t be playing it to train and become a business tycoon but to closely follow the humbling journey of three simple vendors.

You will get to know where they came from and what their dreams and aspirations are. You will guide them in completing every step necessary to open up a shop in town and help them operate their small businesses. Like in real life, not every day is fruitful and there will be instances where you won’t meet your sales quota, so you have to help them manage their finances.

Since the game uses a grayscale color scheme, it’s hard to appreciate some of the smaller animation details. It is also hard to make out some of the items unless you look at them very closely. That said, the game’s graphics, although there’s beauty to it, overall, it is very dull and can be harsh on the eyes, especially when you’ve spent hours staring at your screen.

Casual and thematic 

Cart Life is a one-of-a-kind retail simulation game. It is more storyline-centric rather than goal-oriented, making it a treat for people who prefer playing casually and don’t like getting stressed over tasks and leaderboards. Plus, if you approve of monochromatic palettes, then you would appreciate its black-and-white 16-bit retro pixel artwork that thematically ties to the overall concept of the game.