Mineko’s Night Market isn’t the kind of thing I usually discuss when it comes to games articles on Disposable Media. I look at screenshots of games like this and within moments I’m furrowing my brow in confusion, wondering how you build a super meter, or which command is used for just guards, or how many demons you can recruit. However, I did lose an embarrassing amount of time to the likes of Happy Street, Animal Crossing and other “let’s befriend the citizens and collect things and build our stalls” types of games, so this could be one to watch. The official website for Mineko’s Night Market promises crafting of items, shopping and collecting, minigames and more – all with your faithful pal Abe the Cat. Meanwhile, PC and Mac are the only platforms listed on the official website so far, but a mobile release isn’t hard to imagine.

Mineko’s Night Market – next year’s addiction?

Mineko’s Night Market will be released sometime in 2018 courtesy of Meowza Games and Humble Bundle. Outside of the gameplay and activities on offer, the art direction is gorgeous and everything’s presented in a breezy and inoffensive style that will appeal to all kinds of gamers. Of course, the real test for games like this comes from the variety of activities on offer and the longevity of the experience – too many cooldown timers or too few distractions could be a problem, but on the other hand nobody wants to be overwhelmed with activities otherwise the whole experience becomes a bit of a mess. It’s way too early to make serious speculation about any of this, of course – but I hope to follow news and updates on Mineko’s Night Market as it emerges. And even though it looks like the kind of experience that’s suited to handheld, I’m equally open to playing these kind of games on PC. Provided that my ageing desktop can handle Mineko’s Night Market, I’ll try and cover its release next year.