I wanted to post a review because I've noticed that there are a few high-up negative reviews that don't make sense now that I've played the game. I wouldn't want misinformation to stop someone from trying it.

Long story short, if you want to build a mall or run a bunch of shops, this game will quench that thirst. I can honestly say playing it was pretty much what I expected. (That's a good thing.) I've been playing my first game over the last two days, so my 40+ hours includes some ant farm idle time where I just had the game running while I did other work.

MYTHBUSTING:
* A review said that placing objects and furniture is tedious -- specifically pointing out that it took a long time to place theatre seats. You can click and drag most objects, including these seats. I filled three theatres with seats in about a minute.

* Another review said that the mechanics work against the premise. I see two problems with that. First, I don't believe there's a set premise in the sense that "the game wants" you to build a specific type of shopping center. Secondly, I built both a strip mall and an enclosed mall on my first map. Both work great. They're easily managed either way, and I've never even come close to going bankrupt.

WHAT I LIKE:
* You can get creative with assigning zones. I had no problem putting a coffee shop inside my book store. I also have a pharmacy inside my big-box store that has different operating hours than the rest of the store (just like real stores), and a bar inside a restaurant that stays open later than food service. Making a food court is simple (sharing seating between multiple restaurants).

* There's a lot of liberty in creating stores. Depending on what products you stock, your store will be classified automatically (50%+ of one specific product makes it a --niche-- specialty store. A majority of a specific -type- of product, like housewares, will make it a specialty store, and so on.)

* Few restrictions on mixing and matching products. I have a store that sells candy, snacks, soda, and comic books. I have another that only sells things that are popular when the "pandemic" event kicks off -- a prepper store. I have a grocery store with only food, and another that's more like a supercenter, with a large food section, clothing, and HBC.

* Everything is flexible and intuitive. Once you see how stores are laid out (and their requirements) you can do whatever you want. For example, I fit three displays and a checkout counter into a little 4x4 block to make a kiosk in the middle of the mall atrium. Works great.

* I don't think the game is that hard. I'm surprised the word "punish" even showed up in some reviews. Follow the tutorial and watch the profit and losses of your first store. Don't take out loans, because you shouldn't need to. Just stay in the black and save your money, then build another store. Repeat.

It's fun. Give it a go.

I wanted to post a review because I've noticed that there are a few high-up negative reviews that don't make sense now that I've played the game. I wouldn't want misinformation to stop someone from trying it. Long story short, if you want to build a mall or run a bunch of shops, this game will quench that thirst. I can honestly say playing it was pretty much what I expected. (That's a good thing.) I've been playing my first game over the last two days, so my 40+ hours includes some ant farm idle time where I just had the game running while I did other work. MYTHBUSTING: * A review said that placing objects and furniture is tedious -- specifically pointing out that it took a long time to place theatre seats. You can click and drag most objects, including these seats. I filled three theatres with seats in about a minute. * Another review said that the mechanics work against the premise. I see two problems with that. First, I don't believe there's a set premise in the sense that "the game wants" you to build a specific type of shopping center. Secondly, I built both a strip mall and an enclosed mall on my first map. Both work great. They're easily managed either way, and I've never even come close to going bankrupt. WHAT I LIKE: * You can get creative with assigning zones. I had no problem putting a coffee shop inside my book store. I also have a pharmacy inside my big-box store that has different operating hours than the rest of the store (just like real stores), and a bar inside a restaurant that stays open later than food service. Making a food court is simple (sharing seating between multiple restaurants). * There's a lot of liberty in creating stores. Depending on what products you stock, your store will be classified automatically (50%+ of one specific product makes it a --niche-- specialty store. A majority of a specific -type- of product, like housewares, will make it a specialty store, and so on.) * Few restrictions on mixing and matching products. I have a store that sells candy, snacks, soda, and comic books. I have another that only sells things that are popular when the "pandemic" event kicks off -- a prepper store. I have a grocery store with only food, and another that's more like a supercenter, with a large food section, clothing, and HBC. * Everything is flexible and intuitive. Once you see how stores are laid out (and their requirements) you can do whatever you want. For example, I fit three displays and a checkout counter into a little 4x4 block to make a kiosk in the middle of the mall atrium. Works great. * I don't think the game is that hard. I'm surprised the word "punish" even showed up in some reviews. Follow the tutorial and watch the profit and losses of your first store. Don't take out loans, because you shouldn't need to. Just stay in the black and save your money, then build another store. Repeat. It's fun. Give it a go.