Hey!
Thank you so much for playing through Day 3 and taking the time to write such a feedback! You’re right on all points.
The gameplay loop: You are right - right now it’s too passive. To be honest, I had a plan in the beginning with more synergies and dynamic mechanism, and during development I had to revise based on what I could develop and the time I had. And I kept scraping stuff again and again.. But now this is too boring, but at least the game is out, haha.
Recettear comparison: Great reference! I need to add more interesting sourcing beyond just bulk ordering. I also had an idea to have a second room, where you manage a small army of minions that go raid dungeons and places for you. But again, scope and time made it difficult to make … :D
Evil theme clarity: This is also true. The “evil shopkeeper” fantasy completely fails if players don’t feel evil. Standard RPG gear doesn’t cut it - I need controversial items or morally questionable goods to sell the fantasy properly. And I would need very distinct “bad guys”, with bad guys dialogues, animations and maybe even references.
Your feedback is vrey valuable and I’m genuinely learning from players like you. These are exactly the insights I need to improve my game design skills. Thanks again for investing the time - it means a lot!