What is Business 98?
Imagine a cashier simulator mixed with a roguelike deckbuilder set in 1998. Instead of clearing dungeons, you're clearing a retail line using card synergies to survive the workday. It's one of the weirdest hooks I've seen in a while.
Gameplay
You aren't fighting dragons here; you're fighting a checkout line in 1998. The core loop turns scanning groceries into a high-speed puzzle where you use cards to build combos, process payments, and hit company goals. It's got that same 'just one more round' energy as Balatro because you're constantly trying to break the game's math to survive your shift. You'll spend your time hunting for synergies that let you clear transactions faster or manipulate the cost of the shift so you don't burn out.
Run variety comes through a scheduling system where you pick your days and a difficulty level from 1 to 3 stars. This lets you control your own pace as you work toward the meta-progression goal: surviving until the end of the year. You'll find yourself tweaking your deck constantly to handle the chaos of the holiday rush.
It's not all smooth sailing, though. The game is a very indie experience and feels a bit raw. The UI is styled like an old arcade machine, which looks cool but feels clunky in practice. It doesn't have the polished weight of a Slay the Spire, and you'll notice some of the early-game cards feel like total filler. At $4.99, it's a steal, but don't expect a triple-A level of polish. It's a lean, quirky experience that prioritizes the dopamine hit over deep lore.
Key Features
- Payment combos to hit company goals
- 1-3 star difficulty scheduling
- Retro arcade-style UI
- Survive until the end of the year
Video Review
Screenshots
Verdict
Grab this if you want something fresh, chaotic, and cheap to break your fantasy dungeon fatigue. If you can't stand clunky UIs or need deep, polished systems to stay interested, you should probably skip it. 7.5/10.
View on Steam →* Price at time of publication (checked 19.07.2026). Prices may vary by region and are subject to change. This is an editorial review, not a commercial offer.