Table Manners
- February 14, 2020
- Echo Chamber Games
Get on Steam"Table Manners" is a physics-based simulation game that puts you on a dinner date with challenging table settings. Your objective is to impress your date while handling the unpredictable physics-driven objects in the fanciest restaurants. With a focus on humor, the game offers various levels including humble eateries and high-end sushi bars, ensuring plenty of hilarious and disastrous situations.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a fun and chaotic premise that provides a humorous take on dating.
- Once you get used to the controls, the game can be enjoyable and offers a unique experience similar to Surgeon Simulator.
- The art style is appealing, and the hand customization adds a fun element to the gameplay.
- The controls are awkward and can be frustrating, making it difficult to complete tasks effectively.
- The gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks variety, leading to a quick sense of boredom.
- There are numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt the experience, such as items getting stuck or not functioning as intended.
- humor20 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its charm and clever commentary on modern romance, with many players finding it both hilarious and satisfying despite some frustrating gameplay mechanics. While the humor can be quirky and occasionally repetitive, it resonates well with those who enjoy chaotic and physics-based interactions, often leading to amusing situations. Overall, the game successfully blends comedy with dating simulation, making it a fun experience for players who appreciate its unique style.
“The game is charming, challenging, hilarious, it runs smooth, and it's incredibly satisfying to succeed at.”
“Funny, weird, annoying and slightly repetitive... just like the real thing really.”
“Such a nice change in pace and it's a funny and fun little dating sim!!”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews are mixed, with some players enjoying the art style and physics while finding the mechanics overly simplistic and occasionally frustrating due to issues like items getting stuck. Others noted that certain mechanics require trial and error, which can detract from the overall experience, leading to a feeling that the core gameplay lacks depth. Overall, while the game is easy to complete, it leaves some players wanting more complexity and refinement.
“I did enjoy this game; the art style, the gameplay, the physics kept me captivated the entire time, but left me wanting more.”
“The gameplay is so simple and easy, that it is likely you won't get much of a problem completing the main game in one sitting, as long as you know what you're doing and are familiar with the controls.”
“It's just the core gameplay isn't really there for me.”
“Sometimes things get stuck and won't make their way to you (sushi conveyor and boat tray). These interfere with the basic mechanics of the game and are game-breaking in my opinion.”
“And a couple of the mechanics take some trial and error to work out, like the chopsticks, the drink mixing, cooking, and melting iced-over bottles.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as having an appealing art style, though they are hindered by technical issues such as hand glitches and inconsistent interactions that can detract from the gameplay experience. While some players appreciate the visuals and overall presentation, others note that the character models lack variety and the rendering could be improved. Overall, the graphics are considered decent but leave players wanting more in terms of polish and functionality.
“I did enjoy this game; the art style, the gameplay, the physics kept me captivated the entire time, but left me wanting more.”
“Very fun, great art style, delightful gameplay!”
“Beautiful art style.”
“There really is nothing redeeming about this game aside from the decent-ish graphics; however, the character models are all clones of each other.”
“The art style and start of the game is okay, but it falls hard when you notice your hand glitches into everything. You grab one thing with a 50% chance, and it shoots everything around it away, making you fail the date. Sometimes the mission just doesn't work, like 'pour ketchup on the plate' not working, causing you to fail the date.”
- stability14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits a range of stability issues, particularly with hand glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as objects flying away unexpectedly and difficulty in dropping items. While these bugs can lead to frustrating moments, many players find them amusing and feel they enhance the overall experience. Overall, the game's stability is considered buggy but not detrimental to enjoyment, with potential for improvement.
“The art style and start of the game is okay, but it falls hard when you notice your hand glitches into everything. You grab one thing with a 50% chance, and it shoots everything around it away, making you fail the date. Sometimes the mission just doesn't work, like 'pour ketchup on the plate' not working, which makes you fail the date.”
“There's still quite a few glitches to work out, like when you want to drop an item, sometimes it attaches to your hand.”
“The game has a few glitches such as objects flying away for no reason, glass glitching into my hand or the table, but that's more funny than it is bothersome.”
- music5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it enjoyable and fitting for a quick, entertaining experience, others describe it as grating and repetitive. Overall, it adds a pleasant touch to the gameplay, but opinions on its quality vary significantly.
“Fun, entertaining, good music and something to play for a couple of minutes at the end of a long work day.”
“It has lots of good treats: you can customize your hand, pick how your partner looks, unlock stuff, nice music, and okay graphics.”
“The music is grating and drones on and on.”
“The soundtrack feels repetitive and lacks variety.”
“The audio quality is poor, making it hard to enjoy the music.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to clunky controls and a lack of variety, which makes navigating menus and progressing through levels feel cumbersome. Overall, the experience is marred by repetitive tasks and frustrating design choices.
“Not really enough variety, clunky controls, tedious level design, etc.”
“The controls are mostly fine, but certain things like navigating to and from a menu are quite tedious.”
- story4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story features a quirky and absurd dating premise set in visually appealing locations, but it suffers from significant gameplay glitches that hinder mission success, leading to frustrating experiences. Players often find themselves failing dates due to clumsy mechanics, such as erratic object interactions and unresponsive tasks. Overall, while the concept is entertaining, the execution detracts from the narrative experience.
“This is clumsy courting at its best; there are some truly absurd dating missions and beautiful locations.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game revolves around the player's role in navigating a date filled with awkwardness and dependency, highlighting themes of care and support. Players experience a mix of humor and empathy as they assist their date with simple tasks that they struggle to perform, creating a unique blend of tension and connection. This dynamic fosters a deeper emotional engagement as players strive to ensure the success of the date despite the challenges presented.
“The success of your date depends on you using your awkward hand to light a candle (because your date seems deathly afraid of touching matches), pour a drink (because you spilling a never-ending bottle of beer all over the table is preferable to the date doing this by themselves), putting your date's food on their plate and then seasoning it for them (because even the act of putting salt on their own food is monumentally impossible for them).”
