Kardboard Kings: Card Shop Simulator Switch Edition: A Business Simulator For Collectable Card Fans

Business simulators is one of the oldest and most saturated markets for video games. Look at Steam Next Fest or any number of other independent video game showcases and they will populate more than a fair share of games. When one of these games comes forward and rises above what would be normally expected from the genre, it can be something truly special like Stardew Valley or Game Dev Tycoon. Kardboard Kings: Card Shop Simulator
manages to cross over that threshold into the realm of being a unique experience with a new conceit that makes the game fun.

Kardboard Kings has a pretty simple premise; you are given control of your grandfather’s card shop and have to buy, sell, and collect trading cards to make a profit. Beyond the general buying and selling, the player can decorate their store, interact with customers to increase their reputation and sometimes get good deals on cards, run tournaments, and host launch parties for new sets as the game goes on.

The biggest issue with the game is that it is a little on the short side, leaving little to do after the game is completed besides completing the collection. The new DLC does add the ability to play the game that is fun and adds roguelite elements, however additional expansions to the collection aspects would be welcome. Some of the dialogue also is not the best, however that is easy enough to ignore if one finds a problem with it.

The collecting and stock market-like fluctuations make the game fun and rewarding, especially in the early game where players do not have a ton of money. Buying cards online and then flipping them for a profit makes for fun gameplay, while sitting on cards as the player waits for some event to happen to increase the profitability of certain cards is an interesting change from other games in the genre.

If there is one other thing that is commendable about this game, it is the fact that simulators in this format tend to not transfer to consoles with the most intuitive of controls. When these games are made for PC, the use of a full keyboard does not translate neatly into a gamepad in a lot of cases. Kardboard Kings however has some of the most intuitive and easy to use controls of any simulator on a console. The menus are easy to access and keep straight and all aspects of customization are easy to use.

Kardboard Kings is a pretty fun simulator that is a great entry point to a lot of the gameplay systems that are now the standard for the genre. It’s the type of game that one can lose time playing, spending hours expanding their collection and upgrading their shop, without a second thought. It is totally worth a purchase for anyone who enjoys simulator games, or wants to introduce someone to the genre.

Final Rating: 8.5/10

Kardboard Kings: Card Shop Simulator is available on PC worldwide and on Switch in Europe and Japan with a North American release date to be announced in the future.

Disclaimer: This review is based on a copy of the game for the Nintendo Switch provided at no cost by Akupara Games.