Universe for Sale

About

"Universe For Sale" is a single-player Point and Click game featuring fantastic hand-drawn animation and a relaxing original soundtrack. Immerse yourself in an intriguing mystery set in a unique, inventive world on a space station in Jupiter's clouds, where you can craft your own universe in a ceramic cup. Try the free prologue and get a taste of this imaginative game.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 127 reviews

story61 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

The game features a beautifully crafted art style and stunning visuals that enhance the overall experience.
The story is engaging and thought-provoking, with rich world-building and interesting characters that draw players in.
The gameplay, while simple, is complemented by cozy vibes and a unique narrative structure that keeps players invested.

The puzzles and gameplay mechanics can feel clunky and frustrating, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the story.
There are significant issues with saving progress, including long intervals between autosaves and a lack of manual save options.
The dialogue and pacing can be slow, leading to moments of boredom and frustration for players seeking a more dynamic experience.

story
115 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
44%
3%
The story of the game is widely praised for its engaging narrative, rich world-building, and emotional depth, often leaving players feeling connected to the characters and invested in their journeys. While some reviews note that the gameplay can be simplistic or slow, the overall storytelling experience is described as captivating, with beautiful art and music enhancing the narrative. Despite occasional predictability in plot twists, the unique themes and thoughtful writing make it a memorable experience for those who appreciate story-driven games.
- “The story immediately pulled me in with its cozy atmosphere and several clever bits of worldbuilding, like the rain on the planet your hero lands on being acid that eats through everything but the many draping curtains set up along all the paths, or the hero themselves being from a cult that detaches themselves from their physical form until they become essentially skeletons.”
- “Beautifully hand-drawn story with alluring sci-fi themes, lovely characters, mild puzzles that serve mostly to better explain the environment, and an adorable, melancholic story that touched me personally.”
- “Universe for sale is a beautifully realized story about familial love and letting go of the past.”
- “There is some story in there somewhere, but there is no gameplay to compel it.”
- “I don't get why so many developers of these clearly text-intensive dialog games leave their most important storytelling device so utterly bare-bones.”
- “There is a decent story here, unfortunately you have to go through a terrible game to get to it.”
graphics
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
35%
9%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning art style, detailed animations, and immersive world design that enhance the storytelling experience. However, some users criticize the visual quality as amateurish, lacking professional polish, and note the absence of customizable graphics options. Overall, while the visuals are often described as beautiful and captivating, there are significant concerns regarding consistency and execution.
- “The art style is amazing; the very strange world-building and non-linear game design are unique.”
- “All of this plays out in absolutely gorgeous and stunning visuals, with brilliant and detailed animations, backdrops, and character portraits.”
- “I adore the art style; the animation is incredible, and every character is distinct with individualized characteristics that really make them stand out.”
- “The artwork here is terrible; it's all just amateurish 'my first Wacom tablet' style drawings used instead of professional-looking game assets.”
- “It's unclear if this is due to a lack of budget to hire someone who can create graphical assets properly, or a lack of talent. Regardless, the overall visual quality of the game is extremely low, enough on its own to deter gamers.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
83%
8%
The gameplay is primarily a simple point-and-click experience, often resembling a visual novel with minimal interactive elements, which some players find lacking in depth and engagement. While the cozy atmosphere and rich narrative are appreciated, many reviews highlight frustrations with the clunky user interface and the predominance of text over gameplay mechanics. Overall, the game is best suited for those who enjoy a narrative-driven experience rather than challenging gameplay.
- “Such a simple gameplay loop carried by cozy vibes and an incredible lore.”
- “The gameplay is simple point-and-clicking but the game shines thanks to its beautiful art style, nice music, memorable plot and setting, and a unique story-related puzzle mechanic.”
- “Would highly recommend for those who enjoy a cozy chill atmosphere with simple gameplay and constantly developing story.”
- “Unfortunately, every moment of this tale is marred by the actual gameplay experience.”
- “This is a walking simulator, as boring as it could be gameplay-wise.”
- “The gameplay and UI are just totally frustrating and immersion-breaking, making it a disappointing ordeal.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
16%
16%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its beauty, haunting quality, and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting the minimalist soundtrack and immersive sound design. The combination of stunning artwork and a captivating score creates a deeply engaging experience that complements the game's thought-provoking narrative. However, some users noted the absence of voiceovers and traditional music in certain areas, relying instead on ambient sounds.
- “Amazing art, deep and touching story, and an amazing soundtrack.”
- “Music was beautiful, haunting, and minimalist; I found myself just sitting and listening to the piece that plays at the main menu, from start to finish, as it kept growing and adding layer after layer.”
- “The art, music, and sounds set an initially stormy, cozy, and mysterious mood, and it does a great job of really making it feel like you're living in/part of the game, in a deeply sci-fi world.”
- “There is no music or voice over, just background noise.”
- “The music is setting the tone for what kind of game this is; ambient sound is also nicely done.”
- “The art, music, and sounds set an initially stormy, cozy, and mysterious mood, making it feel like you're living in a deeply sci-fi world.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its comforting and cozy qualities, enhanced by effective sound design and visuals that create a calming, rainy environment. Players appreciate the clever worldbuilding elements and the intriguing narrative, which together foster a relaxing and immersive experience. Overall, it is recommended for those seeking a chill atmosphere paired with engaging storytelling.
- “I don't usually play narrative games, but the mystical, intriguing and at the same time relaxing atmosphere kept me in front of the screen.”
- “The story immediately pulled me in with its cozy atmosphere and several clever bits of worldbuilding, like the rain on the planet your hero lands on being acid that eats through everything but the many draping curtains set up along all the paths, or the hero themselves being from a cult that detaches themselves from their physical form until they become essentially skeletons.”
- “The game is very successful in creating atmosphere, thanks to the sound design and visuals, and it really pulls you in as a result.”
- “I don't usually play narrative games, but the mystical, intriguing, and at the same time relaxing atmosphere keeps me in front of the screen.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its emotional depth, featuring a touching and bittersweet narrative that resonates with players, often evoking tears by the end. Its logical puzzles and heartwarming story, complemented by amazing art and a captivating soundtrack, create a memorable experience that defies initial expectations of a darker theme. Overall, it is described as a wholesome and emotionally impactful adventure.
- “Amazing art, deep and touching story, and an amazing soundtrack.”
- “A touching, bittersweet narrative adventure.”
- “It's ending is a little predictable but ultimately nails a heartwarming ending.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marred by various issues, including unskippable dialogue, poorly defined interaction zones, and numerous bugs and glitches that can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences. While patch 1.5 addressed some major soft and hard locks, players still report inconsistent glitches that can disrupt progress. Overall, while the game offers an engaging story and enjoyable mechanics, its stability remains a concern for many users.
- “No option to skip dialogue, some dialogue boxes exist based on a timer effectively soft-locking the player for a few seconds, anomalous/poorly outlined interaction zones, all 'choice' options are irrelevant, and several bugs and/or glitches.”
- “Depending on what universe you live in, you may or may not experience awkward time shifts, bubble collisions, overlapping timelines, and the feeling of being stuck in place while the world moves forward, due to still present bugs and glitches, even after patch 1.5 which fixed more than a few soft/hard locks that completely blocked progress.”
- “The glitches themselves don’t seem to be a sure thing, as evidenced by the other reviews, and mine happened only after doing an in-game reset, so I could start from the beginning.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of philosophical undertones and lightheartedness, particularly highlighted by the presence of a polite cultist among the main characters. While some plot developments may be predictable, the characters' reactions add a comedic element, and the high-quality animations enhance the overall whimsical tone, making the narrative feel more relaxed and introspective.
- “There’s a sort of philosophical tinge with a bit of humor to everything, and the fact that one of the two main heroes is an unfailingly polite cultist helps.”
- “Animations are of superior quality, and that note of humor that weaves in and out of the narrative – it’s present here too, which lends even more of the lightness to the story, making it more suited for an unhurried introspection, without tugging on the heartstrings.”
- “The story is well written, and while I enjoyed the writing of the characters and especially of the setting, a lot of the plot beats seemed fairly obvious much sooner than the story seemed to actively want them to be (which is fine, just a bit funny to see characters react to information as if it wasn’t obvious).”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and tedious, with some encountering bugs that add to the frustration. Overall, the experience is described as annoying, detracting from the enjoyment of the game.
- “Gameplay experience is slow, tedious, and annoying.”
- “I think the only few downsides I would have would be I ran into a handful of bugs that, while not major, were a bit tedious to work around (mainly just resetting the game) that seemed weirdly frequent for the length of the game.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has limited replayability, primarily appealing to players seeking to unlock achievements or revisit the story rather than offering substantial new experiences.
- “Not sure it has much in the way of replay value unless you just want to get more achievements, or to revisit the story again.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game features inventive character designs and diverse races, set against the backdrop of Jupiter's harsh environment, where characters must navigate challenges like acid rain. This unique setting enhances the depth of character development as players engage with the distinct traits and backgrounds of each character.
- “The game features inventive character designs and races, adding depth to the overall experience.”
- “The characters are well-developed, each with unique backgrounds and motivations that enhance the storytelling.”
- “The character development is engaging, allowing players to form meaningful connections with the diverse cast.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with anyone in the game.”
- “I was disappointed by how little the characters evolved throughout the story; their arcs felt predictable and uninspired.”
- “Despite the interesting setting, the characters remain one-dimensional and fail to grow or change in meaningful ways.”