Tavern Manager Simulator
- August 13, 2024
- One More Time
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam"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 is fun and engaging, providing a satisfying gameplay loop.
- The art style is charming and reminiscent of classic fantasy games, enhancing the overall atmosphere.
- The game offers a good amount of content for its price, making it a worthwhile purchase.
- The game suffers from bugs, particularly with fairy helpers getting stuck and not performing tasks properly.
- Progression can feel tedious and linear, with quests requiring repetitive tasks that can become monotonous.
- The use of AI-generated art and voices detracts from the overall quality and immersion of the game.
- gameplay81 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a solid core loop that offers engaging mechanics and a charming art style, but it quickly becomes repetitive and lacks depth after a few hours. While some players appreciate the satisfying progression and the developers' active engagement, many express frustration with mundane tasks and a lack of variety in objectives. Overall, the game has potential for expansion, but currently feels incomplete and linear, with limited content and a tendency for mechanics to become monotonous.
“The gameplay is well executed, but the development ends quickly.”
“This game has a very satisfying core gameplay loop and constantly adds slightly new gameplay elements as you progress to keep you hooked.”
“Wonderful game, great gameplay and addictive!”
“Gameplay mostly revolves around completing mundane tasks (preparing food/drinks, fetching wood/water, cleaning).”
“The gameplay loop sadly gets boring fast.”
“After a while, the gameplay gets boring as there is no storyline, except the grinding of selling items.”
- story46 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engaging narrative, with players expressing frustration over repetitive and grindy quest structures that feel more like artificial padding than meaningful progression. While some enjoy the casual gameplay and medieval atmosphere, many feel that the absence of a compelling storyline and the reliance on monotonous fetch quests detracts from the overall experience, leaving them wanting more substantial content and variety.
“I finished the story in 14 hours of casual gameplay and would happily play more if there was more progression.”
“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 where you can lay out quests for 'adventurers' in the tavern.”
“Really great storyline and nice chill fun game.”
“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 just get another one with more random stuff to sell.”
“The quest system ultimately ruined this game for me.”
- graphics37 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming art style and vibrant visuals, creating an inviting medieval atmosphere. While some users noted issues with optimization and performance, the overall aesthetic is considered appealing and well-suited to the game's theme. The combination of decent graphics and immersive environments enhances the gameplay experience, despite some calls for further improvement.
“The graphics are nice and the roadmap to all you can do is pretty extensive considering the small price you pay for the game.”
“The game’s visuals are vibrant and inviting, giving your tavern a cozy, medieval feel.”
“The graphics fit the theme perfectly and the gameplay is fun and interesting without being a frantic click fest.”
“Poor optimization; I have an RTX 4070 Ti, and 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.”
“The graphics are simple, but acceptable.”
“The graphics give it a charming simplistic vibrant look.”
- grinding20 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 5 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many tasks feeling like a chore rather than engaging gameplay. While some enjoy the grind as a soothing loop, others express frustration over the lack of variety and the overwhelming number of monotonous tasks, particularly in the endgame. Overall, the grinding can detract from the enjoyment, especially when progression feels locked behind tedious objectives rather than meaningful gameplay.
“Not too grindy except for one section to level up the tavern to level 8 or 9.”
“Running to the well is just... well, you know... tedious.”
“End game I would say becomes a bit 'grindy' with cooking, cleaning floors, toilet, collecting water & chopping wood, as well as feeding horses - gets exhausting!!”
“If progression was based on your reputation and experience earned and not locked behind tedious objectives it would be a lot more fun.”
- music15 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its immersive and fitting medieval fantasy style, while others find it average or even depressing. Many users prefer to play with the in-game sound turned down, opting for their own music or podcasts instead. Suggestions for improvement include a more diverse soundtrack and the option to choose different entertainers for a more engaging experience.
“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 musical component is performed at an average level.”
“Also, the soundtrack is horrible.”
“Some AI was used, but I play these games while listening to podcasts/music, so I turn down the in-game sound anyway.”
- stability11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- -18 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report it runs well and has improved with patches, others experience significant bugs, particularly with NPCs and mini-games. Issues with freezing at certain levels and persistent glitches, especially related to fairy helpers, detract from the experience. Many users feel the game still exhibits early access characteristics due to these ongoing stability problems.
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it never lags or freezes.”
“The performance is consistently reliable, making for an enjoyable experience.”
“I like this game a lot, but after I guess level 8, it freezes up.”
“The game still feels buggy.”
“NPCs can be buggy and, in my case, rendered my outhouse broken for the remainder of the game.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, offering a fun experience with memorable interactions and amusing encounters, particularly enhanced by Twitch integration that allows viewers to appear as NPCs. While some comedic elements may lose their novelty after a few repetitions, the overall comedic tone is engaging and entertaining, making it a hit among players and streamers alike.
“This game is in great humor and fun from start to finish.”
“So, this game is kind of hilarious.”
“Exceeded expectations and if you're a streamer the Twitch integration is seamless and hilarious!!”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its cozy and charming qualities, enhanced by a medieval fantasy setting, appealing graphics, and immersive sound design. Players appreciate the lighthearted and relaxing environment, which complements the gameplay and encourages creativity in managing their tavern. Overall, the atmosphere is a significant highlight, making it an enjoyable experience for those seeking a tranquil gaming escape.
“It’s a charming simulation for those who enjoy lighthearted management games with a cozy atmosphere.”
“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, a little slow on the waiters, but 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.”
“I was captivated by the cozy atmosphere of the game.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is notably poor, with significant performance issues, especially in the late game, leading to low frame rates even on high-end hardware. Users report various bugs and a lack of content, indicating that the game is not fully optimized and feels unbalanced.
“It's a bit unbalanced towards late game; it's not fully optimized, and there are definitely bugs of all sorts. The game needs more content.”
“Poor optimization. I have an overclocked RTX 4070 Ti, and 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 performance getting worse as I progressed.”
“Performance issues in the late game are horrible, even on a powerful computer.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Users consistently express that the game lacks replayability, with multiple reviews stating that there is little to no incentive to play it again after the initial experience.
“There's just no replayability here.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a strong sentiment that the game's monetization strategy feels exploitative, with many players perceiving it as a rushed cash grab that prioritizes profit over quality. The use of similar or identical assets and an unfinished product contributes to this negative impression, leading to frustration among users who expect more from developers.
“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.”
“Starting to feel like all game developers do nowadays is release incomplete work as a quick cash grab and then move on to the next thing.”
- emotional1 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 find themselves in the role of a tavern owner who is burdened with menial tasks and the unpleasant realities of their environment, overshadowing the more glamorous aspects of serving royalty.
