REVIEW : Tavern Master (PC)
Tavern Master is a relaxing management game in which you manage the town’s lone mediaeval inn. You’ll be able to generate a profit every day as long as you have a spare seat at the table and the kegs haven’t run dry. As you persistently progress through a plethora of unlockable luxuries, profits are simply spent into developing the business. Overreach and you’ll be back in the black within a few hours of consistent trading, it seems impossible to fail. The only thing to be concerned about is an after-hours visit from a persistent thief who sneaks into your shop and steals a barrel of wine. However, employ a guard, and the thief (sorry, I’ve been rewatching Seinfeld) will be readily apprehended.
The entire ground floor is a hive of activity as hungry executioners celebrate their huge get-together. We’ve expanded the bar, hired another cook, added more tables and seats, and dispatched the adventurers’ regulars table warriors on expeditions to collect enough supplies for the hangman’s meals. The guest counter is now actively counting up.
Tavern Master, like many other Middle Ages building strategy games, presents you with difficult choices and drives you to make them. I approached Tavern Master almost as if it were an idle game, and it seemed appropriate. A large portion of the process is automated. Hire a bartender to serve the beverages as they are ordered. Hire a waitress to take orders, deliver food and beverages, and collect the trash. Hire a chef to make the cuisine for you. You can just sit back and relax while listening to the pleasant hum of bar conversation.
It is a mediaeval tavern management game in which you build, maintain, and run your very own pleasant tavern! You’re ready to serve your first clients after purchasing tables and benches, filling barrels with drinks, and hiring personnel. Make sure your employees are satisfied, that there are enough refreshments and seats for visitors, and you’ll be able to expand your firm in a variety of methods in no time. I approached Tavern Master almost as if it were an idle game, and it seemed appropriate. A large portion of the process is automated. Hire a bartender to serve the beverages as they are ordered. Hire a waitress to take orders, deliver food and beverages, and collect the trash. Hire a chef, and he’ll take care of the rest.
The kegs will run out at some point, and the food chests will be empty. Simply click on them to pay for a full refill if you have enough gold, or to top them up to a level you can afford. After purchasing an on-site storage facility, even this basic operation can be automated. There’s some strategy involved, but it’s not a lot. You’ll need to make sure you’re well-stocked with those goods ahead of time if you’re hosting a special event that requires you to serve specific items. You’ll also be assigned quests that require you to customise your service in various ways. If a mission requires you to only serve soup for one day, for example, you’ll need to prepare ahead of time.
Most of the time, however, you’re merely making sure everything is running smoothly. It was easy enough for me to make this a daily check-in. Then, at the conclusion of the in-game day, I’ll return to see what new developments demanded my attention. You can fast-forward time, which means simulating a day will only take a few minutes, and it even pauses as the clock strikes midnight and the last patron staggers home.
I’d take stock at the end of each day — literally in some circumstances. I’d check the kegs to see what was going low, double-check the calendar to see if there was a special occasion the next day and I’d only need wine or ale or something, and then refill. After that, I’d do the same with the food. I’d employ a group of adventurers to go out and protect the waggon transporting the cheese or send them far into the forest to hunt for delectable meat when I’d unlock a new recipe that required a new ingredient. You don’t get to join in these adventures; you’re just in charge of issuing orders. However, because resources are limited and there’s always the possibility that these heroic mercenaries will be killed.
However, you do get to design your own tavern from the ground up. You begin in a small room with a bar in one corner and a few tables on the other side. Soon, you’ll notice that you’re reaching capacity every day, and you’ve earned a few extra goods in the research tree or through quest completion, so it’s time to start expanding. New rooms can be created by slapping down walls and floors. To enhance sitting capacity, you place tables and chairs on the floor. Rooms must also be appropriately lit; mediaeval tavern patrons disliked sitting in the dark for some reason, so hang some lamps and torches on the walls.Banners, heraldic shields, and potted plants can be placed to boost the place’s status, which is useful for drawing higher-class visitors and completing specific missions.
Tavern Master is, at its core, a rather simple and uncomplicated game. There aren’t many frills, and it would probably benefit from some personality injections. If I were a backseat designer, I’d love to see some more narrative dressing around the exceptional events, such as talks with normal patrons. While you now organise a wine tasting on Tuesday and an executioner’s meetup on Friday, the only significant distinction is that the former requires you to provide cheese. Still, with the sun rising over the castle walls, the stream gently trickling in the background, and birds chirping in the neighbouring woods, it’s a great setting for an executioner’s get-together. There is still a lot of work to be done on this game. It’s a great idea, and if it worked well, it would be really relaxing. I urge that you either acquire it at a low price or leave it alone. The Crossroads Inn is occasionally irritating as well, although it is far better coded than this one. Unfortunately, neither of them appears to include a user’s manual. They have you play through the main story, but even if you do, it doesn’t help you fully comprehend the game mechanics. Perhaps they’ll fix the game. They are unlikely to do so.
REVIEW : MONSTER HUNTER RISE (PC)
