Shop Crush

Shop Crush is a choice-driven visual novel and shop simulator about running a thrift shop, getting to know its customers and solving puzzles tied to their secrets. As you manage the business, your choices affect both its profitability and its reputation.

Run the shop

Customers visit daily looking for particular products. Set prices, bargain with clients, turn down suspicious offers, order stock from a catalog and keep the shelves supplied. Products appeal to different customers: selling common goods such as milk provides safe income, while selling sin goods carries greater risk. You also deal with shoplifters and customer rage; low reputation can drive people away.

Each of the 10 clients has a distinct personality, shopping pattern, preferences and needs. Build relationships with customers, offer them deals and respond to their demands. You can level customers up through more than 50 levels, improving their visit frequency, average check and reputation. Choose a customer’s skin—alien, female or male—and change it during the game.

Meet the customers

• Leslie: A poor customer who usually buys trash, but may sometimes make a good offer. Cheap goods sold at a small margin always bring a little profit. Leslie likes Rubber Ducks, Bananas and Mushrooms, and dislikes Daily Care.
• Chelsea: A rich customer who prefers shiny items and may overpay for them. Serving Chelsea involves balancing profit and reputation; refusing service improves your shop’s reputation. Chelsea likes Brand Clothes, Vegan Products and Animals, and dislikes Empty Shelves.
• Brinley: A coupon hunter who likes good deals and cheap items, and guarantees a small income margin. Brinley likes Discounted Groceries and dislikes Full-Priced Arrivals.
• Zoe: A passionate customer with strong values who likes people who agree with them. Agreement may bring generous returns in both profit and reputation. Zoe likes Obedience and dislikes anything that is not essential.
• Casey: An inspector who may confiscate items and demand a fine. Refusing to pay saves money but costs reputation. Casey likes high-value home essentials and dislikes refusal to cooperate.
• Alex: A mayor who is difficult for entrepreneurs to influence but enjoys negotiating prices. Alex likes Natural Cosmetics and Healthy Food, and dislikes Mystical Objects.
• Nata: A hacker who may buy groceries to conceal offshore activity, make fake purchases to exploit taxes, or threaten to take down the shop for fun. Nata likes Fun Stuff; their dislikes are unknown.
• Sibs: Siblings with opposite tastes who disagree constantly. Their unpredictable visits can benefit either profit or reputation. They like Fun and Parties, and dislike Consensus and Routine.
• Kaycey: An assertive therapist who is skilled at manipulating sellers. Refusing service leads to retaliation: Kaycey damages your reputation and makes you sell at extra-low prices. Kaycey likes Voodoo Dolls and Talismans, and dislikes you.
• Mx Malkoff: A rare, careful and delicate buyer with a taste for impressive items who may generously sponsor their favorites. The description also refers to this customer as Claire. They like Violins, Cigarettes and Poetry, and dislike Wine and anything banal.

Uncover hidden stories

The game’s visual novel follows a dark story about insanity, doubt and reality. Each customer has a Literal Illusion puzzle connected to their persona. Zoom, rotate and drag hidden pictures to uncover their secrets, then complete all the puzzles to discover the horror hidden in the shop.

Locations and stock

The game includes five locations with their own storylines and more than 70 products, ranging from essentials to unusual goods. Its core gameplay is procedurally generated and choice-based.