Developer: Take IT Studio!
Platform: PC
Genre: Simulation
Publisher: Take IT Studio!
Before Exit: Supermarket is a looped walking simulator. The game was developed and published by Take IT Studio! Before Exit: Supermarket seems to take inspiration from loop anomaly hunter games like Exit 8, Stairway 7 and Shinkansen 0. This review was done on the PC.
Before Exit: Supermarket is a single-player game where you are on closing shift and have to complete a list of tasks before leaving the supermarket. As you walk through the supermarket, you have certain tasks such as cleaning toilets, trashing damaged items, mopping the floor, turning the open/close sign, and many more. For you to exit the supermarket, you have to look out for anything out of place and clean it up. If you leave the store and your manager is outside waiting for you, you get a warning and have to start the day over again. The main premise is to carry out all the tasks possible within the day and progress to day seven without getting fired by your manager.
The controls to Before Exit: Supermarket are extremely simple; you can interact with objects and tools with controls on the keyboard and use your mouse for the camera view. Most of the interactable items have a little white cursor that shows up, and some have the keybind button. Now, the game does not provide any tutorial besides you being spawned in front of a general to-do list. At first, it got a bit confusing because I had thought those were the only tasks I needed to do, but later, I found out that restocking toilet paper, removing fresh bread, and mopping the floor also existed.
The visuals of Before Exit: Supermarket look realistic, yet it has a cartoonish tone. The game has somewhat similar graphics to the game ‘The Forest’. I do have to say the supermarket itself looks extremely accurate, where you can see many detailed objects like fruit, frozen foods, dairy products, and so much more. Even the design of the cleaning cart is simple yet effective. The graphics are nothing out of the ordinary, especially because it is a simulator type of game. I do have to say that the scariest part of this game would have to be the daunting old manager you’ll find at the exit if you are being warned. The game does have a good selection of sound effects, from your thumping footsteps to closing doors and flushing toilets. The game did not seem to have any music, but honestly, I think playing your own playlist is the vibe for this game.
From someone who has played anomaly-hunting loop games, I found this to be similar yet with an interesting take. What I mean by it being similar is that the gameplay is basically you looking out for anything out of place/missing and making sure you get rid of it thoroughly to progress onto the next day. Personally speaking, I found this game to be super nerve-wracking at times because it would be hard to know if you got everything that needed to be done before exiting. Plus, as you progress through the game more and more, you unlock additional tasks that can completely be thrown blind at the player. For instance, when checking up on the bathroom, I did not know that closing the toilet lids would cause me to lose the day I was on, which was a bit frustrating, but I did like that tips were shown after being warned by your boss. The game gets you to trial and error at first, and once you get a rope off all the tasks that need to be done, then things become somewhat easier. The warning system in the game, I felt, was quite nice because you could have three warnings before being fired from the job! Being fired would mean you would have to start all the way from day one, which is definitely not ideal. The game is daunting because you have so many things you need to keep an eye out for, but being able to interact with tools like the cleaning cart, trolley, and bakery cart made the game much more interactive. The game’s premise it’s nice and simple but just makes the player rethink their choices before fully leaving the store and honestly seems to portray the reality of a closing shift. I would say the only thing I wish was added would be a task counter or tally because, some days, it would be very hard to tell if everything was done.
Someone else who played this game named Moody had the following to say about it, “I really liked that you had to look out for the tasks; it was almost like a scavenger hunt but with dreadful results. One of the instances where I thought I was safe was the complete opposite. I had completed all my tasks and then had exited; to my surprise, the manager would always be on the right side, but he wasn’t there, so I thought I had passed the day only to find him jumpscare me on the left. I would say that was one of the scariest interactions I had in this game. Before Exit: Supermarket is not a game I would play continuously for hours on end. I would mainly only be able to play up to an hour and then come back to it another time because it got a bit too much at times. The game is perfect if you want something different to hop on to every now and then as it’s simple yet effective.”
If you’re looking for a game where you can put your closing shift skills at a supermarket to the test, then this game is just for you. Before exiting the supermarket, you have to make sure you complete all possible tasks, including cleaning up, closing doors/lights, restocking and whatever else that may seem out of place. You need to be able to complete a consecutive seven days without missing any tasks; otherwise, you will get fired. Before Exit: Supermarket is a calm yet somewhat intimidating walking simulator that is definitely worth checking out. Be sure to get Before Exit: Supermarket.
Overall: 6.5/10
This is S & S. We are world game explorers. We play games. We have played over 10,000+ games! We travel, we write reviews AND we play more games!!!!
