TRADESMAN: Deal to Dealer

About

In TRADESMAN: Deal to Dealer, players step into the shoes of a traveling merchant, buying and selling goods in various towns and villages while managing the challenges of transportation and combat. With a range of traits for each product and many unique mercenaries to hire, the game offers a rich and immersive trading experience. Automatic battles and the need to manage consumables add an extra layer of complexity to the merchant's journey.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 272 reviews

story6 positive mentions

grinding22 negative mentions

Great value for the price, offering a fun and engaging gameplay experience.
The game features a unique trading mechanic that adds depth and strategy to the gameplay.
Developers are responsive and actively updating the game, showing promise for future improvements.

The combat and soldier leveling system is poorly designed, leading to frustration and a lack of progression.
The game can become tedious and grindy, especially in the late game where reputation grinding is required.
New players may find the game difficult to understand due to a lack of clear tutorials and mechanics.

story
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
76%
8%
The game's story is generally well-received, with players enjoying the engaging quests and character interactions, particularly the humorous "chicken sanders" storyline. However, many users express frustration with the quest log's organization, which makes tracking multiple quests difficult, and some quests can feel repetitive or buggy. Overall, while the narrative has potential, players suggest that a deeper storyline and improved quest management would enhance the experience.
- “Good game, nice story, simple mechanics, small size game.”
- “Overall, really nice early access game; maybe you could add a bit more in-depth story.”
- “I like the Chicken Sanders story where you have to do something (in this example: collect), then beat someone, and in the end, you could hire this legendary character.”
- “The quest log needs work; you get a lot of quests thrown at you early in the game because you're going to random towns to try and get the best price for your goods, so you forget where and what you have to do for all the quests you've picked up along the way.”
- “A lot of the time, the quest log doesn't have a 'town name' or what you have to do to complete the quest (it only tells you during the flavor text when you pick it up and never again), so you have to go on Discord/Steam discussions and ask.”
- “Some quests require you to recruit someone into your team, and there's no 'guard storage,' so you're forced to delete a character you put a lot of levels and scrolls into just to get the quest done.”
gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
47%
12%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics and a rewarding loop, particularly in buying and selling goods across diverse biomes, though some players find key mechanics obscured by optional text, leading to potential frustration. While many appreciate the simplicity and addictive nature of the gameplay, others criticize certain mechanics as janky or unfair, especially in the early stages. Overall, the game offers a blend of enjoyable elements, but players may need to invest time to fully grasp its systems.
- “Great gameplay loop; it isn't too hard if you take it slow.”
- “Has an addictive gameplay loop of buying and selling goods while traveling across a large map with different biomes.”
- “The gameplay is like Darkest Dungeon meets Patrician, which is a pretty great concept.”
- “This takes an insane amount of time to do, and the gameplay loop is not good enough to justify sticking around for all that.”
- “It's frustrating when you can't progress past only three towns due to unfair gameplay.”
- “Its a battle game with horrible mechanics!!!”
grinding
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players noting that it becomes excessively tedious and time-consuming, especially in the late game where reputation grinding for legendary mercenaries is required. While the early and mid-game experiences are enjoyable, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly balanced, leading to frustration with mandatory battles and travel. Players who dislike grinding or repetitive tasks are advised to avoid this game.
- “At the same time, the game is obviously unfinished, and after reaching mid game, becomes extremely tedious and grindy.”
- “Once you get to the late game, it's just a pointless waste of time and insane grinding.”
- “The early and mid game is really fun, but the end game currently requires too much reputation grinding for legendary mercenaries.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The graphics of the game are highly praised for their satisfying and atmospheric 2D pixel art style, which enhances the overall experience. Players find the visuals engaging and enjoyable, contributing positively to the game's addictive mechanics and humor, despite some criticism of the combat system. Overall, the graphics play a significant role in making the game fun and appealing.
- “The visuals are really satisfying.”
- “I admit, I doubted trying this game due to the 2D pixel graphics, but it definitely satisfies that trader itch.”
- “The idea and graphics, music, and mechanics are really good.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humorous elements, featuring offbeat dialogue and quirky NPCs like the "killer sheep" and the "world's greatest chef." Players appreciate the funny moments woven into quests, contributing to an engaging and entertaining experience. The community and developers also add to the humor, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
- “There's also quests, and the dialogue has a lot of funny, offbeat humor thrown in to make it worth reading.”
- “Some NPCs in the game are really funny, like the 'killer sheep' and the 'world's greatest chef.'”
- “Graphic is atmospheric, and there are some funny moments; trying to max out stuff is addicting.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is consistently praised for being upbeat, catchy, and fitting, enhancing the overall experience. Reviewers appreciate the variety in the soundtrack, which keeps the gameplay engaging, alongside the detailed pixel art that complements the music well. Overall, the combination of music and visuals contributes positively to the game's atmosphere.
- “The dialogue is serviceable and not a drag, the music is upbeat, catchy, and fitting, and the pixel art is actually really good - I wasn't expecting things to be animated as much as they were either.”
- “The art and music are nice, and there's enough variety to where I'm not bored yet.”
- “I love the detailed pixel art design, the background music, and the setting.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report that while the game generally runs smoothly, there are notable issues with quest bugs and navigation difficulties that can detract from the experience.
- “The only issue is how annoying or buggy some quests are, along with figuring out where some places you need to go are.”
- “The only issue is how annoying or buggy some quests are, along with figuring out where some places you need to go are.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its impressive graphics, which create an immersive experience. Additionally, players appreciate the blend of humor and the addictive nature of striving to maximize in-game elements.
- “The graphics create an incredibly atmospheric experience, filled with both humor and addictive gameplay as I try to max out everything.”
- “The graphics are atmospheric and engaging, with a perfect blend of funny moments that keep the gameplay addictive.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The monetization in this game is criticized for being poorly balanced, with some users comparing it unfavorably to free games that employ predatory monetization strategies.
- “I have played free games with predatory monetization that had better balance than this.”