Located on the outskirts of Tokyo, in a bare bones room you can find The Sorting Bureau where things arrive to be put in order by your diligent self. Much like A Little to the Left and other sorting sims that have come before it, The Sorting Bureau is a slow paced mindful experience which is best enjoyed on a rainy day with a cup of tea.
It's exactly the kind of game I like to have in my back pocket when I feel in need of something a little more relaxing than my usual choice of game. Those usually have me running from zombies or beating my head against the wall trying to figure out what the hell a "Drifter" is and why it keeps chasing me.
But I don't have to worry about any of that here, there's nothing complicated to The Sorting Bureau. You open boxes that clients have sent you, which are full of their nicknacks, and sort it all into smaller boxes in an orderly fashion. I muddled through sweets, nails, stamps, leaves, and coins assigning them to boxes depending on the item, colour, metallic glint, or even how edible they are. Spoiler: the coins are not edible.
It seems too simple, but often the best things are. I spent an hour and a half making my way through The Sorting Bureau's demo. At times things may have taken a bit too long as I would painstakingly stack coins or cogs on top of one another depending on their size and pattern. But whenever I got bored of my diligence I'd return to simply hurling items towards the boxes, getting through some tasks as quickly as humanly possible.
You go at your own pace in The Sorting Bureau, taking as much or as little care as you want or see fit for each task. But no matter how much time you spend on a job it's all equally as satisfying.
