Rob reviews Merek's Market on Xbox Series X...
Merek's Market is a furious couch co-op experience that's comparable to titles such as Overcooked and Moving Out. Developed and published by Big Village Games, Merek's Market takes you back to medieval times and positions you in charge of a small shop. You'll be crafting, negotiating, and trading your way to the top as you handle a cast of comical characters through an energetic campaign. If that isn't enough a companion can also join in for some crazy blacksmithing entertainment.
So come with me as I open shop and see what Merek's Market is all about...
Merek's Market caters for both solo and multiplayer in that it promotes gameplay for both. For solo players, there's quite a campaign to work through with over 50 levels of intensifying difficulty and craziness. Meanwhile, for multiplayer, there's a different 40 level campaign to work through which supports up to four players at once.
Much like in real life, you'll also have to contend with a rival store - compete with its unpleasant owner. This rival does his best to sabotage your efforts and schemes to run your store out of business.
Merek's Market is certainly in-depth which does come as a surprise. On the surface, it feels very much like its counterparts, yet once you dive into the journey it's quite robust and offers a lot of unique elements with plenty of engaging gameplay. Each level sees you completing various tasks. Aside from the typical crafting, you'll also be haggling for the best prices, as well as fulfilling special orders. Every tenth level also features a "boss battle" which will you craft something big, as well as continuing to run the day-to-day activities of the shop. With all these different mechanics playing at once, the game does a great job of easing you in. Most of the opening stages act as an interactive tutorial in which you'll learn the basics as well as meeting many of the games cast.
When it comes to relaxing the grip the game is pretty simple. The main bulk of crafting is performed by gathering the required ingredients, to then combine them within your furnace or workbench. The real tension comes from when things get hectic. It's quite a frenetic affair of memorizing what still needs crafting, and what's been done whilst juggling everything else. If you do happen to make a mistake all isn't lost as you can keep it to one side in the hope that it becomes useful later on. The control scheme is pretty simple top, which certainly opens everything up to both casual and experienced gamers alike.
Much like your shop, Merek also grows over time. This is seen via unlocking various upgrades and proficiencies for the character. Each ability has its uses and they bring a great divergence to the tried-and-tested gameplay. One ability allows you to see future orders, which needless to say is a lifesaver. Naturally, these abilities are there to make the game somewhat easier, yet you still need to master multitasking to get the job done - something which you'll have to learn on your own.
Visually, Merek's Market is very run of the mill and doesn't offer anything groundbreaking or fresh, but that's not to say that they're bad. Each character we meet looks great and there's quite a diverse range of medieval folk looking to acquire your wares. The characters also comes with a wealth of dialogue, which is both filled with comedy and tidbits to push the narrative along. It's also worth noting that the game also utilises light and shadow to a great degree. This I was quite impressed with as the warm torch light enhances that medieval look and feel to the game.
All in all, Merek's Market is a great addition to the growing couch co-op party game genre. The frantic and often chaotic gameplay offers an alternative to both moving house and cooking, and there are 90-levels on offer that's split across two campaigns.
The only real downside is that there isn't an online offering. Whilst it isn't anything to grumble about, it does mean that you'll need a physical partner to play the co-op campaign with. The inclusion of online leaderboards does offer a somewhat competitive side to the game and certainly adds to its replayability.
Rating: 8/10
Merek's Market is out now and can be purchased via the Microsoft Store by clicking here.
A code was kindly provided for this review.
Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev
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