No Umbrellas Allowed

Well then, how do you keep the rain off? No Umbrellas Allowed isn't a game that's particularly concerned with the weather, though. It mainly references the several items that pawnshops don't really care to take off their hands. That's right, what we have here is a game about thrift store trade - and you're gonna be doing some haggling.

Don't we get that enough working our real jobs every day? Not quite. You've washed up in this strange city to deal with customers who seem to have no grasp on reality - but make selling their goods an engaging exchange. No Umbrellas Allowed has a very intriguing premise, but what kind of gameplay supports the idea of pawnshop trade?

20 Dollars In My Pocket

I can tell you now that any video game dialogue junkies are going to adore No Umbrellas Allowed. It features all the fabulous banter and weird exchanges one would expect in a pawn shop. You can tell all your options for talking to your customers are directly influenced by real-life scenarios - and that is absolutely fantastic.

But there's a game we have to talk about here. What's initially fascinating about No Umbrellas Please is there is a progressive narrative behind the repetitiveness of gameplay. You play as a man named 'Bob,' washing up in Ajik City with no memory of your character. Adopted by a woman named Darcy, you've been chosen to run her futuristic pawnshop of 2080.

Mechanics feature those of a strategy/simulation mix. You'll be serving customers that enter your shop, investigating, haggling, and inquiring about items they want to sell. As you would expect, the goal is to get the best value from the purchase. The mechanics get fascinating when you start to unravel the history and worth of every item. Sometimes, it even becomes an emotional journey!

The visuals are nothing to scream about. But the pixelated artwork makes the game accessible and gives it a distinctive style. No Umbrellas Allowed really is more about the people's stories. It's a game that can honestly get repetitive quite quickly. However, if you're fascinated with the inner workings of a pawn shop, you may be able to play this game forever.

How Much Am I Getting For This?!

No Umbrellas Allowed is a magnificent effort at translating palatable gameplay from the weird and wonderful pawn shop trade. The story makes it more interesting, and you can find yourself well-immersed in the histories behind items and people. Solving the value of each piece is often as satisfying as the next, but, understandably, some would not enjoy the gritty mechanics.

Pros:

• Fascinating insight into the running of a pawnshop
• Addictive gameplay in discovering the value of items
• Great dialogue exchanges

Cons:

• Dialogue translations sometimes don't hit the mark
• Repetitive gameplay won't appeal to all audiences