Tavern Manager Simulator
- August 13, 2024
- One More Time
- 10h median play time
"Tavern Manager Simulator" is a challenging game where you rebuild, expand, and manage a tavern. You'll need to cook delicious dishes, serve customers quickly and efficiently, and order resources in a timely manner. As you improve your skills and tavern, you'll become a famous tavern master. Restoring and maintaining the tavern requires attention to detail and proper time management.
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and relaxing experience with a cozy atmosphere and engaging gameplay mechanics.
- Players enjoy the variety of tasks and the satisfaction of upgrading their tavern, with many fun easter eggs to discover.
- The Twitch integration allows for an interactive experience, making it enjoyable for streamers and their audiences.
- Progression can become tedious, especially at higher levels where players are required to serve repetitive tasks like 'serve 30 of this or that'.
- The fairy helpers often feel underutilized and can get stuck, leading to frustration as players are left to handle the more mundane tasks themselves.
- The game lacks depth in terms of content and customization options, making it feel linear and repetitive after a few hours of play.
- gameplay175 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a solid core loop that combines resource management and task completion, which many players find engaging initially. However, it quickly becomes repetitive and linear, with limited variety in objectives and mechanics that feel shallow after a few hours. While the game has enjoyable elements and decent graphics, it suffers from bugs and a lack of depth, leading to a sense of unfinished content and diminishing excitement as players progress.
“Great management game with decent graphics and seamless gameplay.”
“The game has a solid core gameplay loop of mobile-game level bartending and catering to NPCs.”
“Wonderful game, great gameplay and addictive!”
“I feel this was done to drastically slow down progression without adding in any additional gameplay elements.”
“The gameplay is not too complex, quickly becomes repetitive and the customization is rather lacking.”
“After a while the gameplay gets boring as there is no storyline, except the grinding of selling items.”
- story101 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and reliance on repetitive, grindy quests that feel more like artificial padding than meaningful progression. Players express frustration with the quest system, which often requires serving large quantities of specific items in a tedious manner, leading to a sense of stagnation and boredom. While the medieval atmosphere is appreciated, many reviewers feel that the game would benefit from a more engaging narrative and diverse quest options to enhance the overall experience.
“Really great storyline and nice chill fun game.”
“I finished the story in 14 hours of casual gameplay and would happily play more if there was more progression.”
“Super fun and simple concept, I hope they keep expanding the game with more unlocks/story/multiple taverns.”
“After a while, the gameplay gets boring as there is no storyline, except the grinding of selling items.”
“But where the game lost me is when I was locked behind meaningless RNG quests that require you to serve 30 of this and 30 of that, hoping that customers actually order it. After finally completing it, I got another one with more random stuff to sell.”
“The quest system ultimately ruined this game for me.”
- graphics85 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many players praising the charming art style and vibrant visuals that enhance the cozy, medieval atmosphere. While some users noted issues with optimization and performance, particularly on high-end hardware, the overall aesthetic is described as appealing and fitting for the game's theme. The combination of decent graphics, attention to detail, and immersive sound contributes to an enjoyable gameplay experience.
“The graphics fit the theme perfectly and the gameplay is fun and interesting without being a frantic click fest.”
“The graphics give it a charming simplistic vibrant look.”
“The game’s visuals are vibrant and inviting, giving your tavern a cozy, medieval feel.”
“Poor optimization; I have an overclocked RTX 4070 Ti. I can run huge games at max graphics at at least 200 FPS, but I was stuck at around 30 FPS throughout my play period, with it getting worse as I progressed.”
“Could be me underestimating my hardware, but I think there should be better graphics settings.”
“The graphics are simple, but acceptable.”
- grinding45 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a double-edged sword; while some enjoy the repetitive tasks and find them soothing, many others feel that the quest system, which relies heavily on RNG and tedious objectives, hampers progression and leads to boredom. The lack of engaging story elements and the overwhelming number of grindy tasks, such as cooking and cleaning, contribute to a sense of exhaustion, with requests for more automation and variety in gameplay. Overall, the game may appeal to those who appreciate grind-heavy experiences, but it risks alienating players seeking a more dynamic and rewarding progression system.
“Not too grindy except for one section to level up the tavern to level 8 or 9.”
“The game has a quest system that is RNG-based, depending on what customers order, which can halt progression to a tedious halt.”
“After a while, the gameplay gets boring as there is no storyline, except the grinding of selling items.”
“But then after giving you 2 tasks to do and you grinding them for 2 or 3 in-game days, it just gives you yet another task which is serving the same type of food 60 times even though you just served it probably a couple hundred times already.”
- music36 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as fitting for its medieval fantasy setting, providing a calming atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience. However, opinions are mixed, with some players finding the soundtrack underwhelming or even depressing, suggesting that it could benefit from more variety and liveliness, such as incorporating different styles or entertainers. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, there is a desire for improvements and additional content.
“The music is fitting, medieval, fantasy-type music that you would expect to find in a game set in a fantasy realm.”
“Very relaxing game to play, I love the music.”
“The music and art style are perfect for the game.”
“The soundtrack is horrible.”
“Sound - the musical component is performed at an average level.”
“Some AI was used, but I play these games while listening to podcasts/music, so I turn down the in-game sound anyway.”
- humor24 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its humor, with players finding it consistently funny and engaging from start to finish. Notable highlights include amusing interactions and the clever Twitch integration that allows viewers to appear as NPCs, adding an extra layer of hilarity. While some encounters may lose their novelty after a few repetitions, the overall comedic experience exceeds expectations and keeps players entertained.
“So, if your tavern had like 6 or 7 tables, they'd all scream this almost in unison, and I died laughing.”
“Exceeded expectations and if you're a streamer, the Twitch integration is seamless and hilarious!!”
“This game is in great humor and fun from start to finish.”
- stability24 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The game's stability has improved over time due to ongoing patches, but many players still report persistent bugs, particularly with fairy helpers and NPCs, which can lead to game-breaking issues. While some users experience minor freezes and glitches, others find the game generally runs well, though it may still feel unfinished and reminiscent of early access. Overall, the stability remains a mixed bag, with significant room for improvement.
“Runs great.”
“The game has multiple game-breaking glitches.”
“Should be in early access, some mini games have glitches (wood cutting), or don't make sense (meat prep).”
“NPCs can be buggy and in my case, rendered my outhouse broken for the remainder of the game.”
- atmosphere21 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its charming medieval fantasy setting, cozy ambiance, and engaging sound design, which collectively create a relaxing experience for players. Many reviewers appreciate the detailed customization options and thematic elements that enhance the immersive environment, although some suggest the addition of features like inns or quest boards to further enrich the gameplay. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout aspect, making it an enjoyable simulation for those seeking a lighthearted management experience.
“The charming art style and detailed customization options make it easy to get lost in creating the perfect atmosphere for your patrons.”
“I was captivated by the cozy atmosphere of the game.”
“Game is pretty enjoyable, love the old medieval atmosphere. It would be nice if it had some sort of inn-like features where people can hire rooms or a quest board for 'adventurers' in the tavern. Other than that, the fairies are very helpful, but the waiters are a little slow. Great game, definitely needs more updates but has plenty of potential.”
“Great setting, environment, and sound design complement the relaxing atmosphere of the daily trudge of working your tavern.”
“It’s a charming simulation for those who enjoy lighthearted management games with a cozy atmosphere.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is notably poor, with significant performance issues, especially in the late game, leading to frustratingly low frame rates even on high-end hardware like the RTX 4070 Ti. Users report bugs and an overall lack of content, contributing to an unbalanced experience that detracts from gameplay.
“When determining the champion must-have, we include overall factors such as pricing, development, bugs, optimization, graphics, tutorial, content, replayability, presentation, and testing.”
“The optimization in this game significantly enhances the overall experience, making it smoother and more enjoyable.”
“I appreciate how the developers focused on optimization, ensuring that the game runs efficiently on various systems.”
“Poor optimization; I have an overclocked RTX 4070 Ti, I can run huge games at max graphics at at least 200 FPS, yet I was stuck at around 30 FPS throughout my play period, with it getting worse as I progressed.”
“Performance issues in late game are horrible, even on a powerful computer.”
“It's a bit unbalanced towards late game; it's not fully optimized, and there are definitely bugs of all sorts, and the game needs more content.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a growing frustration with monetization practices in gaming, where developers are perceived to prioritize quick financial gains over delivering complete and polished products. Many players feel that this trend leads to rushed releases that lack originality and quality, contributing to a sense of disillusionment with the industry.
“Starting to feel like all game devs do nowadays is release incomplete work as a quick cash grab and then move onto the next thing.”
“But in the end, between the similar and (in several cases) same assets and the unfinished feel of the game, I'm left feeling like someone got wind of 'Ale and Tale' and made a cash grab by rushing to get this out first.”
“But in the end, between the similar and (in several cases) same assets and the unfinished feel of the game, I'm left feeling like someone got wind of 'Ale and Tale' and made a cash grab by rushing to get this out first.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with multiple users expressing that, despite having some fun, they found no incentive to play it again.
“There's just no replayability here.”
“There's just no replayability here.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game highlights a sense of frustration and disillusionment, as players feel like they are burdened with menial tasks despite owning a prestigious tavern. This juxtaposition between the grandeur of serving royalty and the grim reality of constant cleaning creates a poignant commentary on the disparity between expectations and reality.