- Game: inKONBINI: One Store. Many Stories.
- Developer/Publisher: Nagai Industries
- Review Platform: Steam (Played on Steam Deck)
- Release Date: 2026
As part of LudoNarraCon 2025, there are a handful of games that I’ve been excited to dive in and explore. While inKONBINI is one of these, this is in fact a game I’ve been following online for a little while now.
InKONBINI: One Store Many Stories has been described by Nagia Industries as a slow-paced game that allows players to look at the human connection between others, nostalgia and discovering the quiet beauty of day to day life.
You play as Makoto, who is a college student. She finds herself helping her aunt at a small-town convenience store while on a break. During the time Makoto is there, she’ll not only maintain store standards, stocking shelves and serving customers, she will also be discovering the many stories from a variety of locals who come into the store.
Inspired by an early 1990s Japan, inKONBINI is the first game from the independent Tokyo based Nagai Industries studio. The team are dedicated to creation of experiences which mainly focus on narrative depth that will inspire and stay with players for a long time after playing. They also strive to create emotionally resonant and accessible interactive experiences through their games.
A Prologue With Charm
Don’t let this short but sweet introduction pass you by! This is honestly such a warm and welcoming way to get to know Makoto as well as one of the many customers.
The demo truly showcases what inKONBINI is about. From the day-to-day tasks that you can really get a real feel for what it’s like to work in the convenience store. Even simple things like ensuring the stock is on the shelf, faced up correctly and easy for customers to navigate and find what they need. However, what did surprise me was how interactive, realistic and easy it was to process customer’s shopping and using the till.
Helping and assisting customers as well as being a listening ear comes naturally in the game. Guided by a few small prompts, your interaction does feel unique and one of a kind. I also found myself wondering what happened to the gentleman you meet in the demo after you finish talking to him and the demo comes to a close.
The demo took me around forty-minutes to complete, and the overall experience playing through inKONBINI on Steam Deck was actually pretty flawless. I didn’t run into a single issue that I noticed and was pleasantly surprised at how well it played on the Steam Deck too.
This really was the perfect introduction to the game, and I’m very excited to see what else is in store for Makoto as well as playing the game in full when it releases next year!
If you are reading this before 8th May 2025, you can still check out this exclusive LudoNarraCon 2025 demo for inKONBINI One Store Many Stories on Steam right now!
InKONBINI One Store Many Stories is due to release in 2026 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox and Steam.
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