Cart Life

There are people out there living in pretty bad conditions, even in countries where it is believed that everyone has a home and a job to support themselves. Even so, being poor is not an amusing adventure regardless of where you happen to live. Video games are usually designed to make us feel better and have some fun with explosions and magic spells, but they can also be the perfect tool to tell some pretty sad stories.

Cart Life is a black and white sim game in which you have to survive and accomplish a series of goals as a street vendor from a small city in the United States. There are multiple characters to choose from, and each one of them has a different background story. They also want different things from life, which translates into other goals and aspirations. Thus, every playthrough should feel different.

Story-wise, the plot revolves around managing your retail business. Each character must do his or her best to attract customers and serve them as quickly as possible. Obviously, the end goal is to make enough money to survive, especially since permits are required to run such a business. One of the risks you’ll have to take along the way is whether you should operate without a permit and avoid the authorities.

There are many things you can occupy your time with in the city except for work. You can visit bars and have a drink, go for a walk around the city, or just go home and relax. It is possible to either walk, take a bus, or ride a cab to the destination, but the latter options obviously cost money. On the other hand, you can move a lot faster if you use the bus or the cab, since shops and various other places close after a certain hour.

As mentioned earlier, the graphics engine is in black and white, which makes for quite the moody environments. A lot of work was involved in the artwork, and you can truly feel rather depressed while you explore the city. The music is just as good and atmospheric, so it won’t take long for the game to catch you in its spell.

In the end, Cart Life is not the kind of adventure game that leaves you happy and cheerful after you save the world from evil, but it is good nonetheless. Thus, if you are in for something gritty and rather painful, this is one of the best choices you can make.