16bit Trader

About

16bit Trader is a single player casual role playing game with historical and business themes. It was developed by Forever Entertainment S. A. and was released on June 4, 2015. It received neutral reviews from players.

In 16bit Trader, you become a medieval merchant seeking revenge on your father's killer and seeking riches. Travel between cities, buy low, sell high, visit taverns for gossip, hire companions, and complete quests to amass wealth and upgrade your company. Discover local opportunities for profit and encounter various events in this old-school trading experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

51%

Audience ScoreBased on 998 reviews

graphics25 positive mentions

story13 negative mentions

The game features charming retro-style graphics that appeal to fans of 16-bit aesthetics.
Some players find the game surprisingly enjoyable and quirky, providing a unique experience.
The game offers a nostalgic feel for those who appreciate simple trading mechanics.

The gameplay is repetitive and lacks depth, making it feel tedious over time.
The trading mechanics are poorly balanced, often resulting in players losing money due to high travel costs and random bandit encounters.
The save function is unreliable, leading to lost progress and frustrating experiences for players.

story
126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
83%
10%
The story in the game is criticized for being simplistic and poorly executed, with many players noting that quests are repetitive and often feel like tedious fetch tasks that do not significantly enhance the gameplay. The main plot revolves around a clichéd revenge narrative, but it lacks depth and meaningful progression, leading to a frustrating experience where players often find themselves grinding for minimal rewards. Overall, the narrative fails to engage players, making the questing system feel more like a chore than an integral part of the game.
- “The plot of the game is not bad, but the gameplay is very hard.”
- “16bit Trader is a merchant simulator that focuses on the story of the son of a merchant who got killed doing business abroad, and your goal is to take revenge on your father's killer by becoming the richest man in Asavala.”
- “The major addition to this game are quests, so there is a nice closure to the game.”
- “The quests are simplistic, and the progression is slow, which makes it hard to stay invested.”
- “The story is pretty much similar to Merchants; your father gets scammed by his trading partner and ends up dead.”
- “There isn't a progression that helps you, and you lose so much money traveling around from place to place chasing quest to quest, that it doesn't feel worth it.”
gameplay
117 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
63%
21%
The gameplay of "16bit Trader" is characterized by a simplistic trading system that involves buying and selling goods across towns, but it quickly becomes repetitive and lacks depth, leading to a monotonous experience. While some players appreciate the engaging trading mechanics and exploration elements, many criticize the game for its broken mechanics, unbalanced gameplay, and numerous bugs, resulting in a frustrating and unpolished experience overall. Despite its retro charm, the game fails to deliver a satisfying and engaging gameplay loop, leaving players disappointed.
- “✅ Engaging trading system – the core gameplay revolves around buying goods cheaply and selling them for a profit, with different towns offering varying prices for goods.”
- “✅ Exploration and strategy – along with trading, you can explore mines for valuable gems, hire mercenaries, and engage in activities that add layers to your gameplay.”
- “The gameplay mechanics are easy to grasp, with a user-friendly interface that allows you to manage your inventory, track market prices, and negotiate deals.”
- “Repetitive gameplay – the core mechanics of trading and exploring can feel repetitive over time, especially for players looking for a more action-packed experience.”
- “The gameplay quickly becomes repetitive and shallow, offering minimal mechanics such as buying, selling, and basic quests.”
- “The mechanics seem poorly thought out as the bulk of the gameplay doesn't seem to be profitable to the player.”
graphics
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
66%
7%
The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the nostalgic charm of the retro 16-bit aesthetic, while others criticize the visuals as simplistic and lacking depth. Although the pixel art style is deemed cute and colorful, it often falls short of expectations for a 16-bit experience, leading to perceptions of the graphics as cheap or rushed. Overall, while the art style has its merits, it may not satisfy those seeking a more immersive or detailed visual experience.
- “Many players appreciate the nostalgic 16-bit aesthetic and the satisfaction of watching their trading empire grow.”
- “The retro pixel art style of 16bit trader adds a nostalgic charm to the game.”
- “The visuals evoke a sense of classic gaming, reminiscent of the era when 16-bit graphics reigned supreme.”
- “Limited graphics and visual appeal – although it uses a retro 16-bit style, some players may find the graphics simplistic and not as immersive as more modern titles.”
- “The graphics appear to be unique but end up being plain and cheap.”
- “If you think that 16bit trader will be some fun nostalgic retro-style game that hearkens back to the early 90s in terms of graphics and music, you'd be wrong.”
music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
52%
14%
The music in the game is described as a mix of charming retro chiptune-inspired tracks that complement the visuals, but it suffers from repetitiveness, with many players noting that the single looping track becomes tedious after a short time. While some appreciate the nostalgic feel and relaxing quality of the music, others find it lacking in variety and character, leading to frustration and the need to mute the game. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as decent but ultimately underwhelming.
- “The soundtrack of 16bit trader complements the retro aesthetics with chiptune-inspired tunes that transport you back to the era of classic gaming.”
- “The music is relaxing.”
- “Pros, the graphics although not 16bit are pleasing and the music is good too.”
- “The music is nothing special in this game.”
- “There's only one song in the entire game and it loops forever.”
- “The music is a loop so short that you'll be sick of it in the first few minutes, but there doesn't seem to be any way to disable it except muting your speakers.”
grinding
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and unrewarding, with players noting that the lack of meaningful rewards and high travel costs exacerbate the experience. Many reviews highlight the repetitive nature of quests and the slow hiring process, leading to a sense of boredom and frustration. While some players find ways to exploit diamond farming to progress, the overall sentiment is that the game is overly grindy and lacks engaging gameplay.
- “The game is all about grinding and finding the best possible deals; however, the game can be all over the place with its deals, and a lot of times you lose way too much on traveling with no way of knowing what is going up and down.”
- “There aren't lucky breaks, and the quests are grinding, scarce, and poorly rewarded.”
- “Despite its retro-inspired visuals, the game fails to deliver an engaging trading experience, feeling more like a tedious grind than an exciting adventure.”
emotional
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
96%
13%
Players describe the game as surprisingly wholesome despite its initially cursed appearance, evoking a strong emotional response that includes laughter and tears. Many express feeling deeply invested in the narrative, referring to it as an "emotional damage simulator" that effectively engages them, even if some side quests feel stereotypical and uninspired. Overall, the game successfully combines humor and emotional depth, leaving a lasting impact on its audience.
- “I laughed, I cried, I alt-tabbed.”
- “But I'm invested emotionally.”
- “This game cured my boredom and caused emotional damage.”
- “The side quests are absolutely stereotypical errand quests with boring storylines.”
- “I felt no emotional connection to the characters; they were one-dimensional and forgettable.”
- “The game's attempts at emotional depth fell flat, leaving me feeling indifferent to the story.”
stability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
90%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous users reporting significant bugs, including issues with save files, uncompletable achievements, and frequent glitches that hinder gameplay. Many reviewers describe the game as "broken" and "buggy," suggesting that it is unplayable in its current state, while a few note minimal glitches. Overall, the lack of developer support for these issues further exacerbates the game's stability problems.
- “No glitches.”
- “Little to no glitches.”
- “Many other users have pointed out that this game is very buggy.”
- “The game is also buggy (save files randomly fail to load; people offer you side quests like 'I know this is far, but I will pay you 0 gold for this trip'; etc.).”
- “Absolutely broken game, filled with glitches. Do not buy this game no matter what.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's replayability is considered limited, with a score of 6/10, as players can start differently in trading but find little incentive to replay once mastery is achieved. Overall, the consensus indicates that while there are some variations in gameplay, they do not significantly enhance the replay value.
- “Replayability: There is some since you can start off differently each time in how you want to start your trading.”
- “Replay value: 6/10”
- “Replay value: ★★”
- “I see no replay value past mastery.”
- “This also leads to limited replayability.”
- “Replayability: there is some since you can start off differently each time in how you want to start your trading.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized as simple and enjoyable, with a mix of cynical dialogue that often elicits chuckles. While some players appreciate the comedic elements, others critique the lack of creativity in character names and note that the humor may not be substantial enough to elevate the overall experience. Overall, it provides light-hearted moments that can be entertaining, especially given its low price point.
- “Second, the dialog is cynical and funny most of the time, without being dark.”
- “The humor of this game is enough to make it worth a $0.50 price tag, as it will give you a little chuckle from time to time.”
- “It's funny to see how lazy a developer can be if they cannot think of 30 different names (or any female ones either).”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is enhanced by its visually appealing graphics, which feature hand-painted elements that contribute to the overall merchant-themed experience. Users appreciate how these artistic choices create an engaging and immersive environment.
- “The graphics are quite nice; they look hand-painted in areas and give a wonderful atmosphere to the concept of a merchant-based game.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game is rated exceptionally high, with users reporting a perfect performance score of 100%. This indicates that the game runs smoothly and efficiently across various systems.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of 16bit Trader has been criticized as exploitative, with users labeling it a cash grab by mobile developers who have ported the app to Steam without significant improvements.
- “16bit Trader is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam by greedy mobile developers as a cash grab.”