The night begins like any other. I check notes left by the day shift workers informing me of products that have to be moved to the sale section or reordered from our supplier. I venture out into the store, making sure cans of dog food and bottles of beer face the right way. I rotate milk cartons so that a different side of each is facing out, their images together making a cow. I flip the store’s sign to “open” and in walks my first customer. Neither of us knows it yet, but I’m about to change his life over the course of my week working at this small-town konbini.
Such is a day — er, night — in the life of Makoto.
She’s the star of Inkonbini, a cozy slice-of-life game from Nagai Industries. She runs a konbini (Japanese convenience store) alone on the night shift, but she’s never lonely. In many ways, the konbini is just a backdrop to host Inkonbini’s cast of regulars. The game is as much about getting to know them as it is anything else. After a week of working at the konbini, you’ll help them overcome the problems dragging them down, and maybe you’ll find peace for yourself too along the way.
Like real retail work, each day at Inkonbini’s konbini is made up of a series of monotonous tasks. You’ll fill up baskets with items like ramen cups, manga magazines and tankōbon, cans of coffee, insect repellent spray, and more essentials, and stock shelves. Run out, and you’ll order more. Maybe get a little nuts and order some new products, like a new line of chocolate snacks. One day you have to fill up the refrigerator with a new soda and decorate the store with promotional items for it.
While all these tasks may sound dull in theory, doing them each night brings a calmness over me. Monotony begets peace. There’s a joy to be found in the rhythm of work like this, and tending to the store in Inkonbini is like cleaning your house almost. Enjoy the chill soundtrack, get lost in the flow of the task at hand, and let your shoulders relax. It’s meditative.
No one will care if a cereal box is facing the wrong way or if I don’t fully stock the ice cream freezer; there’s no punishment in the game for failing to work in the store. But there is a sense of pride that comes from making the konbini present as best it can. It’s the same pride I felt as a bookseller ensuring a table of paperback Penguin Classics looked pristine. Walking around the konbini, with full shelves and happy customers, I bask in the glow of a job well done. Well, the glow of the rising sun as my night shift is coming to a close.
In between stocking shelves and ordering products, Makoto gets to know the store’s customers. There’s Chief, who has a personal connection to the both store and Makoto’s aunt, who’s in charge of it. Satoshi is a pre-teen with a burgeoning delivery business. Naomi is a journalist in search of her next story. And then there’s a mysterious stranger who refuses to speak.
They all need help in some way, and Makoto essentially acts as their therapist. Just by listening and offering advice (and recipe suggestions), Makoto can help Chief feel less lonely as they share a meal and get to know each other. She can help Naomi discover her next story, and discover what comes after that. These strangers confide so much in Makoto, and she returns that vulnerability with her boundless sincerity. Inkonbini reflects how even the smallest interactions can have profound effects. Sometimes all it takes is being a good listener to turn someone’s day around — or help them figure out they want to be a novelist.
Inkonbini has helped me find peace in this tiny convenience store, where the lights sometimes flicker and I have to whack a fridge to get it working again. I’ve also helped others find their inner peace and purpose, and did that in just a week’s worth of shifts. Inkonbini is perfect for a weekend afternoon when all you want to do is cozy up on the couch and relax.
Inkonbini is out now on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC. The game was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.