Recettear: An Adorable Business Simulation and Strategy Game
Introduction
Recette’s father has mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind a massive debt. It is now her responsibility to repay the loan on time by managing and selling items in her shop. However, failure to meet the debt repayment schedule results in Game Over.
Controls
The game can be played using six main keys:
- Z – Confirm, Attack
- X – Cancel, Use Skill
- C – View Item Information
- V – Change Camera Angle
- W – Open Menu
- Esc – Skip Events
Time System
The in-game day is divided into four time periods:
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening
- Night
Level Progression
Player levels are determined by continuous successful sales. The experience points (EXP) gained per consecutive customer transaction are as follows:
- 1st customer: 2 EXP + 10 Bonus
- 2nd customer: 4 EXP + 10 Bonus
- 3rd customer: 8 EXP + 10 Bonus
- 4th customer: 16 EXP + 10 Bonus
- 5th customer: 32 EXP + 10 Bonus
- 6th customer: 64 EXP + 10 Bonus
- 7th customer: 128 EXP + 10 Bonus
- 8th customer: 256 EXP + 10 Bonus (maximum level chain)
Achieving an 8-customer sales chain grants a total of 590 EXP. Higher levels unlock new merchant skills for Recette, enhancing her business abilities. The maximum level cap is 99, while skill progression is capped at level 50.
Tear’s Menu
When in the shop, players can interact with Tear through the following menu options:
- Store Atmosphere – Displays the shop’s ambiance, which influences the type of customers visiting.
- Merchant Level – Shows level-based abilities, such as store expansion, automatic vending, item synthesis, and increased dungeon inventory.
- Tear Lecture – Allows access to previously viewed tutorials.
- News Summary – Provides updates on market trends.
- Outstanding Order – Displays customer pre-orders.
- Time Lecture – Explains the daily time cycle and how different activities (selling, purchasing, and dungeon expeditions) consume time slots.
Shop Management
At the counter, players can access the following options:
- Open Store – Start selling to customers.
- Change Wallpaper – Modify the shop’s wall design.
- Change Floor – Change the flooring pattern.
- Change Carpet – Replace the carpet design.
- Move Table – Adjust the counter placement.
- Change Table – Swap out the counter.
Mercenaries
Mercenaries assist in dungeon expeditions to collect valuable goods for the shop.
🔵 Louie – The Destitute Hero of Pensee
- Status: Poor
- Weapons: Sword, Shield
- Louie is the first mercenary available. He joins for free as gratitude for Recette registering him as an official hero.
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| Louie – The Destitute Hero of Pensee |
🔵 Charme – The Agile Thief
- Status: Wealthy, Rogue
- Weapon: Dagger
- A rogue-class mercenary often found at the tavern.
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| Charme – The Agile Thief |
🔵 Caillou – The Frail but Powerful Mage
- Status: Poor, Rogue
- Weapon: Staff
- A magic-class mercenary with immense power but slow movement. He becomes available after customizing the shop to attract rogue characters and fulfilling his requests.
- Chance to Encounter: Turning the Shop into a Demon Lair
- Set up your shop as a demon lair, and Caillou will come in to place orders.
- After delivering all the requested items, Caillou will occasionally visit the shop but has not yet joined your group.
- Wait for about 7 days after giving the items, and Caillou will eventually become part of your team.
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| Caillou – The Frail but Powerful Mage |
🔵 Tielle – The Innocent Elf Archer of Pensee
- Status: Holy
- Weapon: Bow
- Dungeon Unlock: Level 3
- A high-damage archer with low defense. Encounter her at the park at noon and complete dungeon challenges to recruit her.
- Chance to Encounter: Turning the Shop into a Demon Lair
- Go outside around noon (Period 2) and head to the garden—you will find her there.
- When you return and open the shop, Tielle will inform you about a new dungeon (if not, wait a little).
- Clear the dungeon up to floor 30—after the battle, she will return to the shop to recover and will eventually join your team.
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| Tielle – The Innocent Elf Archer of Pensee |
- Status: Poor, Holy
- Weapon: Knuckles
- Dungeon Unlock: Level 4
- A monk-class mercenary with high attack and defense but limited magic ability. Found in the weapons shop and recruited by selling primarily sweet treats in the store.
- Chance to Encounter: Turning the Shop into a Demon Lair
- After recruiting Charme, go to the bar at night—you will find Charme drinking.
- The next morning, visit the weapon shop, where you will meet Elan.
- After opening your shop for a while, Elan will come to talk (aside from decorating the shop, most of the items sold should be sweets, such as filling the shop with candy).
- Keep the shop open for a bit longer, and Elan will eventually join your team. (Afterward, Elan will visit regardless of what you sell.)
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| Elan – The Fist-Fighter Monk |
- Status: Holy
- Weapon: Spear
- Dungeon Unlock: Level 2
- A powerful and fast spear-wielding mercenary. She appears randomly after Day 6 in dungeons or by clearing 15 floors in Dungeon 2.
- Chance to Encounter:
- You can encounter him starting from Day 6, possibly in the dungeon. If you meet him four times, he will visit your shop in the morning.
- Alternatively, if you actively want to find him, it's recommended to clear Dungeon 2 in one go up to Floor 15. When entering the shop, he will appear around midday.
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| Nagi – The Fearless Spear Warrior |
- Status: Rogue
- Weapon: Claws
- Dungeon Unlock: Level 4A highly agile assassin from the demon world. He appears after Dungeon 3 completion and through specific shop customization.
- Chance to Encounter:
- Go outside at night after completing Dungeon 3, and you will find Griff in the garden.
- Go outside again on the same day next week to encounter him once more.
- Open your shop in the evening or late at night, and he may visit (depending on the shop’s setup).
- Around Day 20 or later, Louie will inform you about a new dungeon.
- Reach Floor 30 of the dungeon to encounter Griff for the first time—defeat him and continue.
- Reach Floor 50 to fight Griff again—defeat him.
- Griff will visit your shop again.
- Continue running your shop, and he will eventually become available for use.
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| Griff – The Merciless Claws of the Demon Realm |
- Weapon: Fists
- Dungeon Unlock: Level 5
- A highly durable mercenary requiring ammunition for attacks. Unlockable in Endless Mode after recruiting all other mercenaries and clearing Dungeon 5.
- Chance to Encounter:
- Finish all characters and enter endless mode.
- You need to have all characters (end game cards) to use them on the 20th day, along with pushing to level 5.
- Go ahead and tackle 100 floors.
- Once completed, you will get cards to use from the beginning of the game.
- In the image, Day 16: Arma secretly appears to get us excited.
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| Arma – The Golem in Search of Humanity |
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| In the image, Day 16: Arma secretly appears to get us excited. |
Missions
This will complete the debt repayment missions. From here, you will proceed with running your own business.
New Life: After completing the debt repayment mission for your father, you will get to enjoy the credits and a beautiful song, and you will receive the "Louie's True Card," which is Louie the Brave Beggar of Pensee's passcard.
The appearance when entering the game will change, and there will be new menus for us to choose from.
Tips & Tricks
- You should not set the price too high or push the price too low... because if customers don’t buy, the time + day will pass quickly.
- Store decoration affects the level of customers. For example, if the store is well-decorated, it will attract higher-class customers.
- If you allow customers to bargain, Combo EXP will stop immediately.
- When selling to children and the elderly, you should not charge high prices.
- When selling to rich people, you can charge up to double the price.
- When selling items, the price should not increase by more than 120%, except when selling to the weapon merchant (Guild Master).
- If customers ask to buy an item that is already on sale in your store, it means they cannot afford the listed price, or the item doesn’t meet their preferences.
- When entering a dungeon, if you die, you can take 1 item with you.
- Entering a dungeon once takes 2 periods, meaning you can enter a dungeon twice a day, unless you die, in which case you can only enter once.
- When entering a dungeon, you can carry up to 20 items.
- Customer mindset:
- White = Normal demand: Sell at 100 - 120% average // Buy at 40 - 60%
- Red = High demand: Sell at 240 - 320% average // Buy at 80 - 120%
- Blue = Low demand: Sell at 40 - 60% average
- Customer mindset based on customer characteristics:
- Men: Sell at 120 - 130% average // Buy at 40 - 45% // Men usually don’t bargain much.
- Women: Sell at 110 - 120% average // Buy at 45 - 50% // Women tend to be more particular.
- Children: Sell at 110 - 115% average // Buy at 45 - 50% // Girls tend not to have much money.
- Elderly: Sell at 100 - 130% average // Buy at 40 - 50% // Elderly people are hard to please.
- Rich girls (blonde hair): Sell at 130 - 160% average // Buy at 30 - 40% // Very rich.
- Rich girl’s fairy: Sell at 90 - 100% average // Buy at 50 - 70% // Very frugal with money.
- Weapon merchant (Guild Master): Sell at 110 - 130% average // Buy at 40 - 50% // Easy-going.
- Short-haired female thief: Not recommended to trade with, considered a "thief."
- Recette mindset:
- White mindset = Selling items to customers.
- Yellow mindset = Buying items from customers.
- News messages: These messages indicate updates on item status, such as:
- Red item name: The item will be sold at a higher price than usual.
- Blue item name: The item will be discounted... If you want to sell, it is better to hold onto it, as the sale price will only be 50%.
Review
This game is worth playing! It offers an engaging experience with exciting gameplay, great mechanics, and an immersive world. Highly recommended for both casual and hardcore gamers.
Marketing Is All Around
Applying Marketing and Business Management Theories in Recettear
In Recettear, players step into the role of a shopkeeper, running a store while also managing inventory, setting prices, and dealing with customers. The game provides a perfect opportunity to apply various marketing and business management theories in a practical setting. By incorporating strategic decision-making, consumer behavior analysis, and market segmentation, players can see firsthand how these concepts influence a small business's success.
1. Marketing Mix (4Ps) in Recettear
The game can be used to explore the Marketing Mix (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion). In Recettear, players must make key decisions that mirror real-world marketing strategies:
- Product: In the game, the products are various goods such as potions, weapons, and accessories. Players must decide which products to stock, how to differentiate their store offerings, and how to meet the demand of their target customers.
- Price: Pricing is a central element in Recettear. Players must determine the right price points to balance profitability and customer satisfaction. Here, the concept of Price Elasticity of Demand is highly relevant: if players price their goods too high, they may struggle to attract customers, but if they price too low, they may not cover costs.
- Place: The game’s setting plays a role in how businesses perform. Place refers to how products are delivered to customers, and in Recettear, this translates into the shop’s location within the town, as well as the in-game economy that affects product availability.
- Promotion: Recettear allows players to set up shop events and negotiate with customers, which ties into the idea of Promotions. Strategic promotions such as discounts and limited-time offers can boost sales and customer loyalty.
2. Customer Behavior and Relationship Marketing
The game’s customers display varying preferences, and players must understand these preferences to create effective marketing strategies. This relates to the concept of Consumer Behavior, where understanding the wants and needs of customers leads to better product offerings and customer service.
Additionally, Recettear is a perfect example of Relationship Marketing. By building strong relationships with regular customers and offering them good deals or quality products, players can build customer loyalty—leading to repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth promotion.
3. Inventory Management and Supply Chain Theories
Inventory management is a core aspect of running a successful business, and Recettear provides a fun way to apply Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory management and Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) theories. Players need to track their inventory levels, deciding when to restock and how much to order, ensuring that they don't overstock and waste resources or face shortages that might lead to lost sales.
4. Financial Management and Budgeting
Recettear introduces financial management concepts such as budgeting, cost analysis, and profit margins. Players must balance expenses (such as purchasing goods from adventurers) with revenue (generated through sales), which is a great way to apply Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) analysis in a practical, hands-on way. This helps players understand how fixed and variable costs impact their business’s overall profitability.
5. SWOT Analysis in Business Strategy
The game's strategic decision-making elements allow players to conduct an informal SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) within the context of running their shop. Players must evaluate their store’s strengths, such as unique items or loyal customers, while identifying weaknesses, such as insufficient inventory or pricing issues. Opportunities may arise when a new adventurer offers rare items, while threats may emerge from competition or a fluctuating economy.
Conclusion
By diving into these business and marketing theories through Recettear, players can gain valuable insights into the workings of a small business, while enjoying a fun and engaging experience. Whether it's learning about pricing strategies, customer loyalty, or financial management, the game provides a playful yet practical platform for business simulation.
I hope this guide helps you get the most out of your gaming experience. Enjoy the game and have fun!
