It’s no secret I love a good simulator game, which is why I was genuinely excited when “ Exotica 2: Pet Shop Simulator” became available for the team to review from Konrul Games. The game is published by Ultimate Publishing and Ultimate Games SA, and it’s described as “A cozy management game where you design and run your own exotic pet shop”. With over 80 different types of animals from fish, birds, rodents, reptiles, arthropods, cats, dogs, and a few special ones thrown in, let’s see if I have what it takes to run a successful exotic pet shop.

Loading in, you can complete the tutorial that covers the essentials of building and decorating your shop. You have a basic building system, walls, floor and roof, and you can also paint the walls and change display case colours to add your own little flair inside and out. Don’t forget you also have to match all the internal lights to a light switch, a nice little feature commonly overlooked. Then it’s time to add the internals like the door’s windows, cash register, and shop signs, to name a few.

There is a nice selection of decorations to choose from as well. Including plants, once you have customers and money coming in, you can do a lot more with your shop’s aesthetics and even expand into the next plot of land. Once you have completed the main structure, you are walked through placing display cases and shelving to house your pets and store products. Not all products go on all shelves; with different variations, you have to be mindful of which products you stock in your shop. It would appear the animal cages and fish tanks don’t snap to a grid either, which was quite annoying.

The shelves and other items do snap to a grid, so for those of us who like everything perfectly neat and straight, it can be frustrating. You have to manually turn on the water to fill the fish tanks, which is a nice touch. You also need to keep them clean and feed the fish, as they have a cleanliness and happiness bar on the tank or habitat as you expand into other animal breeds. The final step is to place your humble personal computer in the corner; this is essentially your main tool within the game. 

From here, you control everything: unlock animals, food, supplements, cages, and display stands. You can look at your profit and loss statement here as well, and hire employees to help you around the shop. There is quite a lot packed into the computer, and it has a nice, clean UI and is easy to use.

I placed a larger order of fish to fill the tanks, food to go along with them and some fish tank decorations, hoping my first day’s sales would exceed my wholesale purchase expense. The stock arrived in the delivery area of the shop, which I think detracts from the game a little, as you don’t have to manage your inventory lead times; goods arrive straight away with no delay. Every box you have to unpack onto the shelves, the fish come in transit bags inside boxes, like they would in real life. 

Same as the birds, they come in wooden cages. Once again, it’s these small details that make the game stand out. Soon, finding myself constantly moving between ordering, unpacking, filling shelves, and serving customers, it was time to hire some help.  You have a selection of basic, medium, and high-skilled workers, each with its own relevant pay scale based on their varying skill levels. I assigned my first worker to the register, which gave me a lot of time back. It felt quite challenging working out the change I had to give the customers when they paid cash. It has been a while since I did basic maths.

Another neat feature is the basic breeding system, which can save you a lot of money in the long run. Instead of buying from the supplier, you can start your own breeding programs for the animals. Your own breeding program has the added advantage of being able to produce different colours as well as what you order from the supplier, which is a nice touch, yet you can’t sell them for more, as the pricing is generic to that breed, which is a bit disappointing. If you are in a rush, the costs can add up by the time you add quick-grow food and breeding supplements to the animals, so you have to weigh them up before making the jump.

The graphics are what you would expect from a simulator game on the Unreal Engine. Your shop is situated in a small city block with buildings, paths, and parks around it, which gives it a nice backdrop and atmosphere. Various AI customers come to your shop throughout the day, each with different outfits and looks.

The human and animal models are fantastic and move very well, not janky at all. The transportation cases from the warehouse to the shop and then to the customer are realistic and add character. There is a day-night cycle, but there are no transitions; it just suddenly becomes night, then the day ends, and you start all over again.

The music is your typical background-simulation music. I found that once you upgrade to birds, you hear some good background ambient noises, letting you know you have cages full of them in the shop. The NPCs don’t talk; they only have thought bubbles above their head when they want to express their thoughts or feelings about an animal.

For me, the biggest problem with this game was trying to stop playing it to write this review! I have over 10 hours in the game and have only unlocked maybe 15% of the animals and available accessories. The developer is very active within the community, and in the five days I have had the game, it’s had three patches, so it’s great to see the developers listening to community feedback and continuing to improve.

If you are after a simulation game that offers good building, decorating, breeding, hands-on customer interactions, and putting stock away, this game is for you. It really is a cozy simulator; the huge selection of items and animals to unlock keeps you coming back for more and gives the game longevity. Watching the fish swim back and forth, having my macaw fly around the shop, watching my order boxes pile up out the back, and the money come piling in, it’s just relaxing and fun and will stay on my harddrive for a long time yet!

Written by: Mike Bridge