That Pricing Man DEMO

None of This Is Real—but You Must Uncover What Really Happened

Return to the crumbling Austro-Hungarian Empire in the aftermath of World War I. Play as an apprentice at a civilian exchange and run its strange little trading shop. Survive one three-day cycle after another within your memories. Ultimately, you must shatter the beautiful lie created by your father and confront a brutal reality shaped by violence, resource monopolies, cults, and gangs.

Escalating Difficulty and a Wealth of Hidden Stories

The controls are simple: click with the mouse, press SPACE to skip, and press ESC to quit. You can trade goods, forecast prices, venture outside to purchase supplies—and even... banish demons and murder your customers.

Follow news reports about rising and falling prices, buy and resell goods for profit, monitor both the shop’s condition and your own, and survive for thirty full days under extreme pressure.

Every three days, the difficulty of running the shop secretly increases. New characters and mechanics will also begin to appear, all closely connected to the true events hidden beneath the story. Survive Days 28 through 30 to reach the game’s final ending.

Threats You Cannot Ignore

Your first objective is simple: survive for three days by any means necessary. Keep the stove burning. Do not let yourself starve. Do not allow the demons to shatter your faith.

There are many ways to die and bring your current run to an end, including starvation, freezing, the collapse of your faith, being reported for murder, and being abandoned. Like countless others struggling to survive in 1918, the shopkeeper you play within these memories faces threats from every direction.

On almost every night, you will suffer a nightmare. There, you must confront the ghosts of the past. Before they arrive, study the different omens associated with each ghost and determine its identity. Then drive golden nails into its face—otherwise, you are in for a very difficult night.

A Wealth of Strange Hidden Mechanics

Although your objective is extremely clear, the game contains many hidden mechanics closely tied to its story. Some are hinted at, while others must be uncovered through experimentation. As a result, the game is intentionally frustrating and may leave first-time players feeling powerless. Careful resource management and calm analysis are therefore essential.

Some mechanics are revealed through cryptic messages known as “Truths.” Every Truth you have discovered can be reviewed in your account book, allowing you to study it and consider the meaning behind its words.

But who is speaking these Truths?

Yes—there really is another real person inside your illusion.

Despite its many mechanics, the game progresses through a series of three-day cycles. During the first three days, you can survive without even using many of its systems, while other mechanics are gradually and subtly revealed. You do not need to worry about a steep learning curve: the game introduces its systems at a steady pace.

Unlock More Characters and Items Through Your Memories

As you venture further into your memories, you will gradually unlock new customers, items, and beneficial mechanics from the story. They will help you endure the difficult days ahead. Most customers provide positive effects, so do not be afraid to unlock them.

About the Horror Elements

All horror in this game is created through its atmosphere, sense of isolation, and the mystery of the night. There are no jump scares.

Some character portraits may evoke an unsettling form of psychological horror, but the game will not suddenly display graphic gore or frightening imagery.