No Umbrellas Allowed
- March 22, 2024
- Hoochoo Game Studios
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"No Umbrellas Allowed" is a second-hand shop simulation game set in the peculiar Ajik City, 2080. After being rescued and losing your memories, you're tasked with managing the 30-year-old shop, Darcy's, by its owner. Explore the city's obsession with 'Fixerain' and reveal the true value of strange items in your shop as you uncover the secrets of your past.
Reviews
- Engaging gameplay loop that combines appraising items with a pawn shop management system.
- Interesting storyline with multiple endings that keeps players invested.
- Charming art style and atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- Poor translation and localization issues that can lead to confusion in gameplay.
- Frustrating mechanics where players are penalized for mistakes without clear feedback.
- Repetitive gameplay as the game progresses, leading to a sense of monotony.
- gameplay205 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the engaging core loop of appraising and selling items, reminiscent of "Papers, Please." However, numerous complaints highlight the overwhelming complexity of mechanics, lack of clarity in tutorials, and frustrating penalties for mistakes, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. While some players find the gameplay addictive and rewarding, others feel it becomes repetitive and overly complicated as the game progresses, leading to a less satisfying experience.
“The main gameplay loop always kept me coming back for more, as there were little additions and surprises along the way.”
“The gameplay loop is very fun -- challenging, yet rewarding, with the best ending requiring you to play reasonably well throughout the whole game.”
“The combination of the mechanics of games like 'Papers, Please' and the simulation of pawn shops, with items and mechanics that influence that, along with the dystopian setting and many intricate endings make this game a must-have for anyone who enjoys dystopian simulators or document-checking games.”
“What I thought was a 'Papers, Please' inspired game turned out to be a game that gave me a headache with all the different mechanics that are impossible to even get through, with the customers always rushing you.”
“The gameplay is too stressful for me.”
“The core gameplay loop is shallow, unfair, random, and really needs a lot more than what it has to be considered decent gameplay.”
- story188 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its engaging and unique narrative set in a dystopian world, while others find it convoluted, slow, or overly complicated. Many appreciate the depth and choices that affect the storyline, but some criticize the pacing and translation issues that hinder comprehension. Overall, while the story has its merits, it often feels like it detracts from the gameplay experience for some players.
“The story is engaging with multiple, branching endings, and is fed to the player bit by bit over time as they go through the core mechanic of buying and selling secondhand items while managing increasingly difficult conditions.”
“With a captivating storyline and detailed yet easy-to-understand game mechanics, what's not to love?”
“I love this game, the art style is fun, the story is compelling, and the gameplay perfectly suits my little math brain.”
“I can't even recall what the storyline was because there was so much going on at once.”
“The story is dragged out longer than it needs to be, and the gameplay doesn't really carry it.”
“The story itself is dragged out, whatever little mystery it has is not appealing, and there are more plot holes than a stereotypical block of cheese.”
- graphics31 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game are widely praised for their appealing art style, which combines retro pixel art with a captivating atmosphere. Many players appreciate the attention to detail and the passion evident in the visuals, although some note that the pixelated graphics may not appeal to everyone. The combination of beautiful artwork, engaging storylines, and effective music contributes to a visually enjoyable experience, despite minor issues with translation that can detract from immersion.
“The graphics in the game are very appealing as well, and you can tell that a lot of passion was put into everything.”
“Not to mention, the art style is beautiful and pleasing!”
“The cyberpunk pixel art aesthetic is really cute and atmospheric, and there are so many different pop culture references to be found.”
“Pixel artwork may not be for everyone in this day and age.”
“I love the idea of the game and its artwork, but the translating is so horrendously done it was really pulling me out of the game and I simply couldn't enjoy it.”
“The graphics and music suit the game.”
- music15 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality, charm, and ability to create a comforting atmosphere, with many players expressing a desire for the soundtrack to be released. While some note that the soundtrack can become repetitive, it is generally considered one of the standout features, complementing the game's art and story effectively. Overall, the music enhances the gaming experience, making it both captivating and enjoyable.
“Soundtrack is amazing, I'm obsessed with the tracks and I still listen to them when I need to chill out or during work time to cool off.”
“The dialogue, music, and sounds are all so very charming as well as comforting; despite being such a simple game, the creators have managed to make a wonderful environment.”
“The music is great, very comfy and atmospheric.”
“The soundtrack gets a bit repetitive, even if it's nice.”
“There is room for improvement for music, animation, and having the different rules to appraise more accessible.”
“The art style and music are both simple, but effective.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the multiple endings and engaging gameplay that encourages replaying, others find overlapping endings and repetitive elements detract from the experience. The simplicity of the gameplay and curated storytelling contribute to a high replay value for some, but lengthy tutorials can hinder enjoyment for others. Ultimately, opinions vary on whether the replayability enhances or diminishes the game's appeal.
“Its gameplay simplicity reflects a very curated storytelling and multiple endings, guaranteeing a high replayability.”
“I've abandoned many 'replayable' games after having to face the prospect of repeating lengthy tutorials and exposition, and No Umbrellas Allowed is the first game in a long time that I'm actually replaying.”
“There is no replayability in the gameplay that makes me want to change the ending.”
“And it's not that the game isn't replayable; it is, but I think some of the endings overlap each other and you get forced into a better one even if you qualified for two or more.”
“Some people probably would find this annoying after a while, but others would say that it makes the game have more replay value.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by its engagingly goofy tone, enhanced by surprising narrative twists and humorous dialogue, reminiscent of "Papers, Please." Players appreciate the unique cyberpunk pixel art style and the comfortable music, which together create a rich and immersive setting filled with pop culture references. Overall, the atmosphere significantly elevates the gameplay experience, making it feel cohesive and enjoyable.
“Continually surprising narrative twists and humorous dialogue make this an even better game of its type than Papers, Please, and the absurdity of the dystopian elements contributes to its engagingly goofy atmosphere.”
“They've done a lot of little things right; the atmosphere is great and makes the game more than the sum of its parts.”
“The music is great, very comfy and atmospheric.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, including a malfunctioning bug reporting tool and localization issues that lead to typos. Many users find the instability detracts significantly from the experience, questioning its value at the current price point due to these persistent problems.
“A bit of note though, the game is still fairly buggy.”
“It has a few glitches, most notably a broken bug reporting tool, and the occasional typo indicative of a non-native English speaker.”
“I don't think it's worth $20 because of how buggy it is and how easy it is to find mistakes that are just not programmed correctly.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, especially when attempting to unlock all 16 endings. While the ability to skip tutorials and speed through dialogue helps alleviate some frustration, the overall experience of replaying for perfection can still feel laborious.
“The game has 16 endings, and if you're a perfectionist like me, playing through the whole game again just so you can see all endings might be a little tedious and/or repetitive.”
“The game boasts a variety of endings but grinding them is not fun, despite being able to load any day; because there are so many different choices.”
“It can be pretty tedious to go back and do-over everything you just did, but at least tutorials are skippable, and you can speed through dialogue pretty quick.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its continually surprising narrative twists and humorous dialogue, creating an engagingly goofy atmosphere enhanced by its absurd dystopian elements. Players enjoy the witty references and the comedic interactions with a sarcastic robot companion, which adds to the overall humor without being overly guiding.
“Continually surprising narrative twists and humorous dialogue make this an even better game of its type than 'Papers, Please', and the absurdity of the dystopian elements contributes to its engagingly goofy atmosphere.”
“Funny, great references, can play for hours and hours.”
“The sarcastic little robot companion makes all the interactions funny and helps guide you without feeling like hand-holding.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players find the story starts off fun but becomes slow and less impactful, others appreciate the complexity and emotional depth, noting it remains enjoyable even as they progress. Overall, the emotional engagement varies significantly among players.
“It gets complicated and emotional but still enjoyable throughout, and I'm not even close to finishing.”
“The emotional impact is profound, making every moment feel significant and engaging.”
“The game starts off fun, but the story quickly becomes slow and boring.”
“I expected an emotional journey, but it felt flat and uninspired.”
“The characters lacked depth, making it hard to connect with their struggles.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's user interface is poorly optimized, leading to frequent misclicks and a frustrating experience for players.
“The UI is not optimized, making it easy to misclick.”
“The game suffers from severe performance issues, leading to frequent frame drops.”
“Loading times are excessively long, which disrupts the overall gaming experience.”
