Epic Tavern

About

Epic Tavern is a single player role playing game with fantasy, comedy and historical themes. It was developed by Hyperkinetic Studios and was released on September 13, 2017. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Epic Tavern" is a fantasy simulation game where you manage a tavern, recruit unique heroes, and send them on quests to build their power and your reputation. Your heroes' conversations and choices shape their relationships and impact the outcomes of their adventures. Create your own legendary stories in a rich, living fantasy world.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 500 reviews

story42 positive mentions

stability28 negative mentions

The game has a unique concept that combines tavern management with RPG elements, providing a fun and engaging experience.
The writing is humorous and entertaining, with interesting character stories and quests that keep players invested.
The developers are responsive to community feedback and are actively working on updates and improvements.

The game is still in early access and feels unfinished, with many bugs and missing features that hinder gameplay.
The gameplay can become repetitive quickly, with limited player choices and reliance on random chance for quest outcomes.
There are significant UI issues and a lack of clear tutorials, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics.

story
314 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
82%
5%
The game's story is primarily delivered through extensive text and quest narratives, which some players find engaging while others feel it detracts from the tavern management aspect. Many quests are described as repetitive and reliant on random chance, leading to frustration when quests fail due to poor dice rolls despite having capable heroes. Overall, while the writing and character interactions are praised for their humor and depth, the lack of player agency and the tedious nature of quest mechanics hinder the overall experience.
- “The storytelling is quite enjoyable.”
- “The real meat of the game comes in the form of the game's witty writing, the stories that are sewn together through the adventurers and the quests are fun to read and give life to the game's palette of colorful characters.”
- “The game does a great job not taking itself too seriously and the quests you send adventurers on can be quite hilarious.”
- “For a game about running a tavern, it seems almost entirely focused on quests with too much text and random drink combo rolls than... actually running a tavern.”
- “The root of my ho-hum about the game is the inability to replay key quests and the fickleness of the RNG god as to your success.”
- “While there is some fun to be had in the story elements, the tedious adventure mechanics, disjointed quest paths, and lack of any substance on the tavern side make this not a recommendation.”
gameplay
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
61%
9%
The gameplay of "Epic Tavern" features a unique blend of tavern management and questing mechanics, which some players find enjoyable and innovative, particularly the stocking and consumption aspects. However, many reviews highlight issues such as a lack of depth, repetitive mechanics, and a need for a more comprehensive tutorial to clarify game systems. While the game shows promise with its intriguing premise and engaging writing, it currently suffers from bugs, crashes, and a feeling of incompleteness, leaving players wanting more substantial content and clearer gameplay goals.
- “Epic Tavern is a really cool concept with some very fun mechanics - stocking your tavern and trying to get patrons to consume as much as possible is genuinely fun.”
- “I was immediately ensnared by the unique concept and the satisfying gameplay.”
- “The game still has a long way to go in terms of development but the mechanics already have a very amazing level of depth so while it is unoptimized (as is expected of an early access game) it still has many hours of content to be played.”
- “An in-depth tutorial is desperately needed (vs the few pop-ups that appear in the beginning that do nothing to explain the mechanics).”
- “The reason I cannot recommend the game is because the gameplay loop felt like it got repetitive quickly and it did not feel like I had much of a goal other than to keep going on random quests for the sake of it.”
- “Boring, repetitive gameplay pulled even lower by that oh so fun mechanic of bad RNG.”
graphics
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
52%
6%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the charming art style and solid visuals, while others report significant bugs and performance issues that hinder gameplay. Many users note that the graphics settings are unresponsive, leading to frustration, and there is a general consensus that while the graphics are decent for a text-based game, they lack customization options and can be visually overwhelming due to menu clutter. Overall, the game's graphics are seen as a minor issue compared to its entertaining gameplay, but technical problems remain a concern for many players.
- “Amusing and entertaining gameplay and wonderful graphics, worth the money and support.”
- “The graphics are great for a game like this and the sound was solid as well.”
- “The art style is charming.”
- “Unfortunately, it's still extremely buggy. I've had to reload a couple of times due to being stuck on a screen. The graphics settings don't work; if you click to change anything, nothing happens (such as resolution), which is frustrating because the game doesn't fit quite right anymore.”
- “Character graphics leave something to be desired.”
- “Lowest resolution and simplest graphics, and the game will not finish loading.”
humor
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its charming and humorous writing, with many players finding the dialogue and quest stories genuinely funny and entertaining. While the humor is often light-hearted and casual, reminiscent of classic D&D, it features a mix of amusing moments and engaging RPG mechanics that keep players coming back. Despite the heavy reliance on text, the humor shines through, making it a delightful experience for those who enjoy reading.
- “The humor genuinely makes me laugh out loud. I like the graphics style, the quest stories are interesting, and running the tavern somehow hits some tavernkeeper shard of my personality.”
- “The game does a great job not taking itself too seriously, and the quests you send adventurers on can be quite hilarious.”
- “It has a fantastic sense of humor at every turn.”
stability
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with many players reporting frequent and game-breaking bugs, crashes, and glitches that hinder gameplay. While some users have experienced smooth performance on specific platforms like the Steam Deck, the overall consensus is that the game remains too buggy for a full recommendation, especially in its early access state. Despite improvements over time, many players still encounter frustrating issues that disrupt their experience.
- “It was actually better back then, mostly bug free.”
- “The game has gotten so buggy that you cannot play it for more than a few hours before running into game-stopping bugs.”
- “Unfortunately, it's still extremely buggy. I've had to reload a couple of times due to being stuck on a screen, the graphics settings don't work, and if you click to change anything, nothing happens (such as resolution), which is frustrating because the game doesn't fit quite right anymore.”
- “However, right now it is just far too buggy for me to recommend. There are constant little mildly annoying glitches and bugs; about once an hour I need to restart the game to get it working again. Now, 5 hours in, I have hit a bug that completely stopped my progress; my choices are to completely restart or wait for a patch.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The music in the game is initially pleasant and sets a fun atmosphere, but it becomes repetitive over time, particularly during extended play sessions. While the tavern-style music can be enjoyable, it lacks variety and customization options, such as volume controls, which can lead to frustration. Players appreciate the graphics and the overall vibe, but the sound design could benefit from more randomness and dynamic elements.
- “Music is light and fun.”
- “I like the graphics and the music.”
- “The music is kind of repetitive and pleasant at first to set the mood, but it becomes quite repetitive after a few hours.”
- “The sound design doesn't vary enough; the music could be more random when you are on a quest or in the tavern.”
- “There are no settings or volume controls in the main menu, and the music is extremely loud by default.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and repetitive, often feeling overwhelmed by excessive text and random events that disrupt gameplay. The lack of meaningful tavern management features, such as building or crafting, contributes to a sense of monotony, making it difficult for players to stay engaged for extended periods. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback, detracting from the enjoyment of the game.
- “Your stuck reading a ton of text all the time, there's no voice over, and all you're doing is rolling virtual dice a lot, which is total RNG if you fail or not. I thought I was getting a tavern management game, but really there's very little of that in here. There's really no building, expanding, cooking, farming, learning recipes, researching, or crafting.”
- “I played it through once early on, and it was great, but short. They added more, and I played it again, but couldn't play it through as I don't forget things, and repeating all the same quests to get to new content was tedious. I saw some of it, but was drained before I got there. Being forced to restart a tavern and slogging through it all again was too much.”
- “While there is some fun to be had in the story elements, the tedious adventure mechanics, disjointed quest paths, and lack of any substance on the tavern side make this not a recommendation.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
49%
38%
The game's replayability is generally viewed as limited due to its focus on a grand narrative, which restricts the variety of quests available. While some players find solid replay value, others express disappointment in the lack of depth and challenge, suggesting that the game feels more like a simplistic dice-rolling experience. Overall, opinions are mixed, with some hoping for future updates to enhance replayability.
- “- solid replay value”
- “Most of the quests are part of a grand narrative, which means limited replayability.”
- “As a generous gamer who wants to improve games and see a golden age of games, which have depth, challenge, and replayability, I feel betrayed by both the content of this game and the lack of change in what I am sorry to say is fundamentally a dice-rolling game with pretty colors that I hoped could be so much more.”
- “I feel that it needs a shunt into a more playable direction before anyone should purchase it, but in the same vein, purchasing it may shove it in the right direction, so it's your call… get it on deal and hope they update it soon?”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The game's optimization is currently lacking, with users reporting performance issues, slow progress, and occasional crashes, which is typical for an early access title. While the mechanics show great depth and potential, players have had to lower graphics settings to improve loading times, indicating a need for better code optimization. Overall, the game has a long way to go in development, but it still offers many hours of engaging content.
- “Initially had performance problems, then reduced the graphics quality and significantly reduced loading times.”
- “The game still has a long way to go in terms of development, but the mechanics already have a very amazing level of depth. While it is unoptimized (as is expected of an early access game), it still has many hours of content to be played.”
- “Feels a bit raw - optimizations, lack of content (too slow game progress?), random crashes (experienced only 1 though), lacks good tutorial (some game mechanics are not clear).”
- “I suspect they are writing a lot of complex logic (it is a great concept and seems to have some really interesting random side effects in the quests that affect the future of your game) in JavaScript or something... hopefully they get somebody who can write optimized code so that I don't need to buy a new computer to run this game.”
- “Initially had performance problems then reduced the graphics quality and significantly reduced loading times.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The monetization strategy of the game is perceived as potentially exploitative, with some users feeling it resembles a cash grab, especially in contrast to AAA titles that prioritize DLC and microtransactions over quality gameplay. However, the game's unique approach is appreciated in a market saturated with conventional monetization practices.
- “This is a different kind of game, and that's a good thing in a market full of AAA games, which often seem more concerned with how many DLCs and microtransactions they can sell rather than creating a quality game.”
- “Starting to seem like a cash grab and stuck in development hell.”
- “This is a different kind of game, and that's a good thing in a market full of AAA games, which often seem more concerned with how many DLC/microtransactions they can sell rather than creating a quality game.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with many players noting that it effectively immerses them in the story, enhancing their overall experience.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive and captivating.”
- “The game creates a rich and engaging atmosphere that draws you in.”
- “The overall atmosphere enhances the gameplay experience significantly.”
- “But the atmosphere and the story really sucked me in.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is praised for its depth, with engaging quest lines that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the integration of fun mechanics, such as the tavern's drink and food chaining, which adds to the richness of character interactions.
- “I only have 4 hours of playtime, but I can say the quest lines seem deep, the character development is nice, and the tavern aspect (drink and food chaining) is fun as well.”