Supermarket Mania Review

I have never been the biggest fan of time management games, but with the recent outbreak of them on the iPhone, I have started to play and enjoy a few of them. With that said, it’s games like Supermarket Mania that can both frustrate you because they can become so frantic, as well as be a lot of fun because they are – well, fun!

In Supermarket Mania, you will need to manage five different stores across fifty different levels of increasing difficulty. There are more than a dozen different types of products, seven types of customers with varying traits (Different walking speeds, time it takes for them to become angry), and various upgrades that you can buy with you hard earned cash.

For anyone that does not know what a time management game (or “dash” game) is, let me explain Supermarket Mania for you. You play the role of Nikki, a young girl running some grocery stores. During hours, various types of customers with come through and purchase items. It is your job to make sure that the shelves stay full of items and that the floors stay clean.

Towards the back of the screen you will find the storage room, which you will need to visit in order to refill your cart, which is then used to restock the shelves. Restocking the cart is done by tapping the storage room, and restocking a shelf is done by tapping the shelf you would like to restock. In addition, in the lower right corner there is a meter showing how many items are left in your basket.

When there is no more of a certain item (you haven’t refilled it yet), and a customer is next to it wanting to buy some, a face will pop up above their head. This face will at first be green, and happy, but will eventually turn to red to indicate that the customer is furious.

Surrounding the face will be a meter which will slowly or quickly fill up depending on the customer. When that meter fills up, they will throw their bag down in disgust, and leave the store. You then need to pick up the garbage, and throw it in the trash (you can hold multiple bags at once).

At the beginning of a level, you are given a target goal. If you do not reach this, you will not pass the level. There is also an expert goal, which I presume gives you a bonus if you reach it (I haven’t been able to get it!). It will also display the different types of customers visiting the store, and the number of teenagers and thieves in the particular level.

That brings me to my next point – the game is full of diversity. For example, in some levels you will need to stop teenagers from throwing trash around. In others you will need to catch thieves attempting to steal your merchandise.

You can also buy upgrades to help you progress, like a coffee maker that will make Nikki move faster. There is also more expensive food, guards, security cameras, and a better storage room, among many other things.

The graphics in Supermarket Mania are fantastic. They are colorful, vivid, crisp, and the frame rate still manages to stay at a very high level. The music is exciting and fits the ‘dash’ game genre well, and the sound effects add some nice touches.

One thing that really deserves to be mentioned about Supermarket Mania is that the whole game and interface just screams polish. The menus are well done, it’s easy to look at, and the overall package has high production values.

Another thing to note about Supermarket mania is that it isn’t a hardcore time management game. If you are a time management junkie, you’d best look elsewhere, because this game may not prove to be much of a challenge for you. However, for someone like me, the difficulty level is perfect, because I’m only a casual gamer.

The only real thing I can complain about is the fact that the leaderboards are only local. Other than that, the game is really good.

Overall, I found Supermarket Mania to be a lot of fun, because it pretty much says ‘casual gaming’ and ‘polish’ all over it. It is fun, addictive, and I know I’ll come back to it again, at least until I get stumped on a level or if I beat the game. Supermarket Mania is dirt cheap, addictive, and fun – what more could you ask for? I’m a fan.

The Good

- Great graphics

- Super addictive, easy to play

- Polish. ‘Nuff said!

The Bad

- Difficulty level may be too low for those ‘hardcore gamers’

- No global leaderboards

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Tags: Grocery, iPhone, Mania, Simulation, Supermarket

Category: Games