This upcoming shopkeeper simulator takes the fantasy of Baldur's Gate 3 and adds the relaxing life sim elements of Stardew Valley

Hope Bellingham
·2 min read
Merchants of Rosewall.
Merchants of Rosewall.

This upcoming shopkeeping simulator takes the fantasy setting of Baldur's Gate 3 and combines it with the relaxing life sim elements of Stardew Valley.

Merchants of Rosewall is an upcoming story-driven cozy management sim that sees players take on the role of a shopkeeper in the fantasy land of Rosewall. The game's main aim is to purchase resources, craft items, monitor stock levels, and get to know the customers who regularly drop by. This is the debut game from developer Big Blue Sky Games and is set to release later this year for PC.

Set in a world at peace, Merchants of Rosewall doesn't feature any violence or combat, like other games set in fantasy settings, and instead focuses on the peaceful day-to-day lives of the residents of Rosewall. As revealed during a preview event for the upcoming game, the Big Blue Sky Games' title features a fresh spin on the characters we all know and love - including Giants, Orcs, Elves, and more - which all have unique backgrounds, personalities, and ambitions.

You can watch the reveal trailer for Merchants of Rosewall below.

The upcoming management sim retains what we love about games like Baldur's Gate 3, Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, etc., and offers exciting new features. For example, Merchants of Rosewall will feature a climate engine that calculates the price of items in your store depending on supply and demand as well as how difficult it is to obtain the materials due to outside factors such as the weather and shipping conditions.

Elements like this will allow players who are really into the management side of things to get stuck in but won't punish those who want a more casual experience. Its developer also says that Merchants of Rosewall is not a farming sim and focuses more on crafting while also telling a story that touches upon real-world subjects such as capitalism and climate change. It'll also have a mix of 3D and 2D visuals with a mix of hand-painted textured and visual novel-style assets.

Similar to Baldur's Gate 3, there are a bunch of companions for players to get to know in the upcoming game. You can befriend these characters and even hire them to work alongside you in the store, as each one has a profession and very own workstation. Merchants of Rosewall even takes one of the best elements of Animal Crossing and allows players to visit each others' stores to buy and sell - even if you're not online at the same time.

Find out what else we've got to look forward to this year with our new games 2024 list.