[Chilla’s Art] The Convenience Store | 夜勤事件

to the person that said they bought the entire chilla's collection based on watching a streamer and doesn't like many of the games you're a moron.

A short but enjoyable retro-style Japanese horror game that transforms the mundane experience of being in a simple store or walk from home to work into an unfamiliar and unsafe environment.
It didn't terrify me (which is already difficult at this point, let's be honest), but I did notice the tension building up with each shift. So for less than the price of a movie, this brief horror experience gave me a good time, and I'm happy with that.
Wait, now that I think about it, it does have one terrifying moment of pure horror: customer service.

I’ve seen this title brought up a lot on the horror subreddit, and finally decided to grab it. For the $3, it’s well worth it. It’s unique, creepy, good jumpscares, and has that charming indie horror jank that so many of us like. It checks enough blocks for me!

Eerie, Uncanny, Liminal
The character models look like card board cutouts. The sound design is unsettling. The game is simple yet effective.
Options:
I appreciate he stylistic choices, but am thankful to the developers for giving the option to turn off the vhs-effect - something I've noticed in all Chilla's Art games I've played so far. It might make the game visually more accessible to some players. I know it did for me. Changing the brightness however isn't worth it, since the resulting glare makes it difficult to see things. The rest of the settings are simple, but serviceable: volume, mouse sensitivity, a handful of graphics settings. What more do you actually need? I did however find it bothersome that whenever I opened setting I would see the mouse cursor in game. It went away whenever I interacted with something.
Jump Scares
This is a Chilla's Art game. Jump scares are as much of a part of these games as the vhs/first gen console aesthetic. Those aren't for everyone, understandably (neither is horror to be fair), so that is the only actual reason I personally would recommend to someone to reconsider a purchase. Personally I thought the jump scares were alright in this game - nothing that made me throw my laptop off my lap, just a bit of a start here and there on the first playthrough, but effects may vary. Same goes for the overall scares by the way, but that may as well be a statement that is applicable to all horror media. Quality-wise I can't (and won't) complain.
Visuals
The environmental design is quite effective in showing how isolated the setting is. The only lit buildings are the player character's apartment and the titular convenience store, which shines like a toxic beacon. Other than that the area might as well be deserted. Houses are small and run down. The path to work leads past broken ladders. All other characters appear from an/or vanish into the opposite direction from where players go to work. Technically the location sits in a void, but this only adds to the oppressive atmosphere.
The character designs are, as mentioned before, visually indistinguishable from cardboard cutouts (at least from some angles), which seems to be a staple of the Chilla's (Art)style. The movements are janky, and unnatural, and add the exact amount of charm that is to be expected from a retro horror game, while at the same time being unnerving, especially I imagine if you're not used to this kind of aesthetic. I however find the game design timeless.
Sound
The music in the store is a bop. I find myself whistling and humming along every time. Most of the sound effects are decent in the way that they fit with the rest of the design. Cohesion is key, because if the rest of the game looks and feels like it's on a vhs tape, the sound has to match. Anything else would feel jarring and out of place. The one thing I dislike personally is the sound of the store bell. That isn't a criticism by the way. I just find it annoying. But I can see that being on purpose. And not in a bad way. What I did like however, was how the sound cuts off on the bridge leading to the store. The sound just suddenly getting quieter and then disappearing, before reappearing on the other side just put me on edge. Truly a moment of crossing over.
Themes/Game Loop
So far the Chilla's Art games I've played were all reflections of aspects of reality and life in Japan, but are also universally relatable more often than not - just like your average urban legend, especially if your think about it. In The Convenience Store you find yourself as a young woman working the night shift at a (surprise suprise) convenience store. The story takes place during four nights most of which have have a formulaic structure: go to work, take over for your colleague, do one task from your manager, service one customer, strange things happen so you check CCTV, you somehow get a tape and watch it, rinse & repeat (but scarier). This is of course very simplified. The devil is in the details, after all. But despite the relatively simple game loop, the game doesn't simply play itself. The variety in tasks should keep you engaged, and progression is dependent on being in the right (or wrong as it were) place at the (in)appropriate time. On the last night you actually have an interesting puzzle, which is of course easy if you know the answer, but does require some observation and attention (and timing) to solve.
As for the social commentary, I won't say much about it in this review. I will however point out the lack of food in the player character's fridge, how run down the area is, and that she has to work night shifts at the store. Due to how the area is structured the store might as well be the only employer. Through one of the endings you may also learn that the store used to be a family home where a gruesome murder/suicide happened - a man killed his son and pregnant wife brutally before hanging himself in the shed behind the house. A few NPCs allude to what transpired as you play, but you only learn of what happened if you don't watch the fourth video tape that you mysteriously receive, but instead return it to whoever sent it. Also you don't actually learn who was sending the tapes. All you learn is that you will die if you watch four of them, since that is what happens to your manager. And either way it matters little where the tapes came from. Some mysteries don't get easy answers, and as far as the protagonist of this urban legend game goes, she'd much rather stay out of it and keep her head down.
Overall I can recommend this game to anyone who likes horror, urban legends and perhaps even people who might want to dip their toes into the genre. The price is more than reasonable for a quick game like this, even 5 years since publishing.

The Convenience Store is a short but incredibly atmospheric Japanese horror game that proves you don’t need jump scares every few seconds to create real tension. Set during a series of eerie night shifts at a local convenience store, the game slowly builds a sense of unease through realistic environments, subtle storytelling, and a creeping, supernatural presence that escalates as each shift passes.

The game’s strengths lie in its simplicity and immersive details. The store feels authentic — from stocking shelves to checking security cameras — and the mundane routine makes the horror elements hit even harder when they begin to unravel reality. The pacing is excellent, with small changes each night adding to the suspense.

The visual style, inspired by retro PS1-era graphics, adds to the nostalgic yet unsettling tone, while the sound design — flickering lights, distant footsteps, and silence — plays a huge role in the tension.

im going to get this again i refund it cuz my laptop didnt run it but my friends laptop runs it so ima get it

The most horrifying part about this game is the fact that you only make 13 dollars a hour working overnight at a convenient store.