Two video rental retail sims launched in the same month. Which one is for you?

I got pretty into Rewind 99’s demo recently. I didn’t realize how much of a hankering I had to run a video rental store. Later, while checking the launch date of Rewind 99’s Early Access, I came across Retro Rewind, another retail sim based on running a video rental store, and it was also releasing in March (skipping Early Access).

I thought that was really strange, and I almost expected Retro Rewind to be a quick asset flip designed to subvert Rewind 99 and trick undiscriminant people. Then I noticed it has a well put-together art style, totally uncommon among store asset-heavy retail sims.

No, both games were in development at the same time. The similar release schedule and central themes are just a coincidence.

But while the two games have the same theme and are built off the same template, they have different focuses and approaches. So, you might wonder which one is for you? I can make a recommendation.

FAST FORWARD

The answer, at least right now, is probably Retro Rewind, but with a tremendous caveat. That caveat is that if you want to play with friends, Rewind 99 is the only one that allows that. If you strictly play games as a social activity, then there is no competition. Rewind 99 has multiplayer, Retro Rewind does not.

If that’s not a make-or-break factor, then things become more nuanced.

To start with, Rewind 99 is a much more ambitious game, which is probably why, at this time in Early Access, it’s janky as fuck. Not only is there running a video rental store, there are also a lot of side activities, as well, and a rather sizeable open world to tie it together. Most of it is rather loosey-goosey.

Retro Rewind is just running a video store. It’s quiet, it’s small, it’s cozy. You don’t jump on your scooter and head out to beat some late fees out of people, you just stock shelves, rewind tapes, decorate, and serve customers. There’s only a small plaza outside your front door. It shot for an attainable goal and, as a result, attained it. Here is a game about running a video rental store. The end.

NOT A DVD IN SIGHT

You could say that Rewind 99 is more about ‘90s nostalgia, and it does that pretty well. Video game cart collectible litter the world alongside Tamagotchis and Sock’em Boppers. There’s a lot of neon. Even the people are neon. It’s just missing some nWo graffiti.

You go out into the open world to beat up rental vending machines (based on Netflix’s early foray into video rental), collect late fees, and probably some other things I’m forgetting. This is on top of stocking shelves, rewinding tapes, decorating, and serving customers. It’s a lot. I found myself constantly running around, especially since money comes in hard and fast. I quickly needed to hire staff to take over, and, at that point, I mused that I wasn’t really running a video rental store. Or rather, I was managing it. I kind of wanted to spend more time inside it.

And because Rewind 99 has its fingers in so many things, a lot of facets feel undercooked. The UI was the breaking point for me, but I’ll get more specific about that soon. Information hits you so rapidly that it’s hard to take in. It’s hard to tell if something is significant. Some customers have preferences for movies, but I never really felt I needed to pay much attention. How could I? I was running around.

I’LL BE IN THE GAME SECTION

But the actual UI problem that had me shelving Rewind 99 was its movie remixing. There are only a handful of premade movies that you actually get, representing certain themes and genres. So, to expand your stock to fit all tastes, you mix two tapes together to come up with new genre and theme combinations. You can even pick what’s on the cover. A neat idea, even if it kind of takes you out of the retail aspect.

The mixing only results in you receiving a single copy of the movie, you have to order more stock through your computer, but they’re all piled into a single list. The sorting of said list is a mystery to me, but regardless, it feels so inelegant and cumbersome that it really hammers home the feeling that Rewind 99 is incomplete. I’ve decided to wait until further in Early Access to pick it up again.

Retro Rewind, as mentioned, isn’t an Early Access launch. The team waited until 1.0 to release it. And while it has its loose bits, and there are things I’m wishing for, it’s solid enough that I can see it delivers on its premise. Its tapes are already mixed together, randomly compiled from preset art and backgrounds, not unlike the remixed tapes in Rewind 99. However, you don’t have to pay much attention to which movie you’re putting on the shelf, just their critic rating and their age.

WHERE TO BE KIND?

So, to summarize all of this, between the two games, Retro Rewind is safe to jump into right now. It’s pretty fun. It moves slowly and has a lot of subdued personality that helps differentiate it from other retail sims. Oh, but make no mistake, it’s not a huge divergence from games like Supermarket Simulator. You can still see the formula. I’ll probably review it once I’ve played my fill.

And this isn’t to say that Rewind 99 is unenjoyable, it’s just unfocused right now. As things get finished and everything comes together, it might still be too sugar-charged, or it might find a more comfortable groove. There’s still a lot of potential here. And heck, maybe it’s better with friends, but that’s just not how I want to run a rental business.

The previewed games were both paid for by the author.