TRADESMAN: Deal to Dealer Reviews

a fun grind

Tedious, boring, poor UI

This game was fun initially. But as the time goes on, it gets tiresome. The grinding for heroes and town reputation is too much. Quick battle mechanic also sucks despite having a strong lineup.

A great indie game, especially after recent patches. Lots of things to do and keep you engaged, and from the looks of the recent patches, a lot more to come!

TRADESMAN: Deal to Dealer is a refreshingly original take on the medieval trading sim, blending resource management, economic strategy, and light RPG mechanics into a surprisingly deep and quirky experience. Set in a whimsical world filled with eccentric villages and unpredictable roads, the game casts the player as a budding merchant trying to build a fortune through smart deals, calculated risk, and a fair bit of improvisation. Developed by the indie team AZAMATIKA and launched in Early Access, it has already managed to carve out a niche for itself by combining the addictive loop of trade-based games with the personality and charm of a lighthearted RPG. The core gameplay revolves around a dynamic supply-and-demand economy. Players travel between different towns and regions, buying goods where they're cheap and selling them where they're valuable. While this might sound straightforward, the mechanics go deeper: goods are not simply static items—they come with weight, volume, fragility, and even risk ratings that determine how dangerous they are to transport. A cart filled with rare, expensive, or illicit items is more likely to attract trouble on the road. That core tension between maximizing profit and surviving the trip makes every decision—from what you carry to which route you take—feel consequential. To navigate this world, players can recruit a cast of colorful mercenaries to defend their caravan. These aren’t just faceless guards, either—they’re a major part of the game’s personality. From sword-wielding bears to grumbling redzerkers, every companion has their own strengths, weaknesses, and potential for growth. Through combat experience, books, scrolls, and meals, these allies can be trained and upgraded, bringing a light RPG layer to what would otherwise be a purely economic simulation. The automated combat system, though simple, becomes more strategic over time as you unlock skills and weigh risk versus reward when engaging with road threats. Each journey is a balance of preparation and adaptability. Beyond normal trading runs, you’ll encounter special quests: delivering eccentric passengers, helping a wounded guard, transporting stolen items for a shady client, or diving into more narrative-driven story missions. Some quests are straightforward fetch tasks, while others introduce new mechanics or danger types that change how you approach your loadout and party setup. Environmental factors like snowstorms, nighttime, or terrain-specific hazards add another layer of strategy to trip planning, turning a routine delivery into a potential disaster—or a massive windfall. The art direction leans into pixel art, but it’s more than just retro homage—it’s expressive and detailed, with each town, character, and item crafted with a clear sense of style and personality. The world feels handcrafted rather than procedurally generated, and that choice lends a sense of place that helps distinguish it from other trade sims. User interface design is also a highlight, striking a careful balance between charm and clarity. Managing inventory, monitoring mercenaries, and planning routes are all intuitive processes, allowing the game to flow naturally despite its layered systems. One of the standout qualities of TRADESMAN is its humor and tone. The world is full of bizarre creatures, oddball characters, and tongue-in-cheek dialogue that never tries to take itself too seriously. From talking pets to bandits who insult your wares mid-ambush, there’s a persistent undercurrent of comedy that keeps things light, even as you’re strategizing over the best path to profit. There’s also a robust pet system in development, with companion creatures like cats, dogs, and battle chickens—some already in the game, and others promised by the active developers in future updates. That community engagement is one of the game’s most promising elements. The developers are responsive and transparent, frequently interacting with players, taking suggestions, and rolling out regular updates. The Early Access model is used not just to polish the experience, but to genuinely expand it. More towns, regions, companions, and overarching narrative content are planned, and many of the game’s quirks—like variable difficulty tied to item types, or the occasional repetition in quest types—are already being addressed with player feedback in mind. The game offers a solid gameplay loop that can be surprisingly addictive. There’s a tactile pleasure in optimizing trade routes, managing weight and space in your cart, and watching your reputation and coin pile grow with each successful trip. While some players may find the repetition or grind too slow-paced, others will likely appreciate the methodical progression and emergent challenges. It’s the kind of game that encourages long sessions of quiet tinkering, punctuated by bursts of chaotic road encounters or unexpected opportunities. TRADESMAN: Deal to Dealer is a thoughtful, quirky, and deceptively rich indie title that manages to do something rare: take a familiar genre and breathe new life into it with charm, creativity, and layered mechanics. It’s part trade sim, part management game, and part light RPG, all wrapped in a distinctive world that doesn’t shy away from being weird and wonderful. While still evolving, it already offers a satisfying and unique experience for players who enjoy systems-driven games, calculated risk, and tongue-in-cheek storytelling. For those willing to take the road less traveled and risk a bandit ambush or two, TRADESMAN delivers a journey well worth the gamble. Rating: 8/10