The Brew Barons
- March 1, 2024
- Lifetap Studios
- 18h median play time
Get on SteamIn "The Brew Barons," players must build a brewery, assemble a seaplane, and recruit fellow pilots to overthrow a corrupt pirate organization imposing a brewing monopoly. The game allows players to customize their plane and choose pilots with unique strengths, explore the world for ingredients, craft various brews, and design their own bar to sell creations and gain fame. Special delivery orders from other bars become available as fame increases.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a charming art style reminiscent of Studio Ghibli's 'Porco Rosso', creating a visually appealing experience.
- The gameplay loop of flying, gathering ingredients, brewing drinks, and managing a bar is engaging and offers a unique blend of mechanics.
- The developers are responsive to feedback and actively working on updates and bug fixes, showing commitment to improving the game.
- The AI-generated voice acting is often criticized for being flat and lacking emotion, detracting from the overall immersion.
- The controls can feel clunky and unresponsive, especially when using a controller, making flying and navigating menus frustrating.
- The game can become repetitive and grindy, with some players feeling that the resource gathering and brewing mechanics lack depth and clarity.
- gameplay189 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, featuring a unique blend of flying mechanics, brewing, and resource gathering that many players find enjoyable and relaxing. However, it suffers from repetitiveness, pacing issues, and poorly explained mechanics, which can detract from the overall experience. While the art style and core concepts are praised, the execution often feels lacking, leading to a gameplay loop that some find tedious despite its potential for fun.
“Gameplay-wise, you'll be island-hopping, looking for ingredients to mix into a seemingly endless assortment of brews and spirits.”
“The gameplay loop of collecting resources and recipes, brewing and delivering is quite fun.”
“The core gameplay loop, in my perception, is just way crappier with all these issues.”
“It's a shame as I can see there are some fun fights to come, but I think I'm at the rinse/repeat stage of the gameplay, and just can't be bothered to farm more crops, especially those water-based ones.”
“But the systems that should support gameplay actively detract from it and everything is weighed down by minutes of monotonous travel between bouts of actually playing the game.”
“The gameplay, honestly, is one of its worst sins.”
- story159 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely minimal and revolves around completing missions with pilots that enhance their abilities rather than a cohesive narrative. While there are character-specific missions that add some depth and variety, many players find the overall storytelling to be shallow and poorly executed, often relying on AI-generated dialogue that lacks emotional engagement. Despite these shortcomings, the gameplay loop of exploration and mission completion is enjoyable, and there is potential for future expansions to enrich the story and character development.
“The story is okay, helps drive the gameplay forward and nudges you on to explore more of the game world.”
“The most pleasant surprise was the story missions, which are unexpectedly varied and elaborate.”
“Each character has their own backstory, which is nice, I suppose.”
“The story is badly delivered with the worst writing you've ever seen.”
“The 'main story' of the game does not exist.”
“A paragraph of awkward backstory read by an AI is not enough for me to care about the characters or their motivations.”
- graphics113 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning art style, reminiscent of classic animations like "Porco Rosso," and for their charming, whimsical aesthetic that combines steampunk and dieselpunk elements. While many players appreciate the vibrant visuals and attention to detail, some critiques mention issues with rendering and shading that can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game's graphics are considered a highlight, contributing significantly to its immersive and enjoyable atmosphere.
“The graphics are stunning, the different planes look amazing, and the core gameplay loop is perfect for that 'winding down after a long day of work' kind of itch.”
“The art style is beautiful, fun gameplay, and the price of the game is justified for the entertainment value.”
“From the moment you start playing, you're immersed in a world of stunning aesthetics, captivating music, and engaging gameplay.”
“Regardless of your opinion on the many controversies and societal problems surrounding AI, it's just a fact that the AI-generated 'acting' in this game feels like very bad actors phoned in their worst performance, and that the AI (or AI-assisted at least) character portraits have a pretty boring art style, which lacks personality and impact.”
“The game is a little rough around the edges in some places, and some of the mechanics and menus are clunky, but it does a great job scratching the itch for the 'Crimson Skies' dieselpunk aesthetic and business/management simulator.”
“While the art style and general 'vibe' of it seemed pretty great to me, and I was a fan of the concept, the game just doesn't fit together that well.”
- music56 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its whimsical and relaxing nature that complements the visuals beautifully. While some players desire more variety in the soundtrack, the majority find it engaging and fitting for the game's setting, contributing to a captivating and immersive experience. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, elevating the enjoyment of gameplay and exploration.
“The art direction and music are on point, contributing to the great atmosphere of the game.”
“The music is great and really leans into the art style; flying around is fun and making your own brews is dope.”
“The music and visuals are cozy and give some good vibes reminiscent of Miyazaki's Porco Rosso.”
“The main flight music theme...it needs to be thrown away.”
“I had to turn the music off.”
“Taking to the skies, or to the sea, fishing, the music- it all blends together very well as a vibe or experience, with the exception of the game's performance and some decisions that warrant more desirable outcomes... albeit a team of two, their title definitely had room for improvement before release and I really hope they take their time with the smaller tweaks and fixes before genuinely considering paying a person to voice the characters that are not voiced by one.”
- grinding44 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- -5 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding the ingredient gathering and farming mechanics tedious and repetitive, often feeling like a chore rather than an engaging activity. While some appreciate the unique blend of flying and farming, they also express frustration over slow progress, cumbersome combat, and a lack of quality-of-life features, such as manual saves. Overall, the game offers a casual experience that can be enjoyable, but it is marred by grind-heavy elements that may deter some players.
“Overall, the brewing and mission management are enjoyable, not too tedious, though sometimes hindered by quality of life issues.”
“The grinding aspect is rewarding, providing a sense of progression that keeps me engaged.”
“I appreciate the balance in grinding; it feels satisfying without becoming a chore.”
“Progress feels very slow, repetitive, and there's generally nothing to do other than have long flights and really tedious battles.”
“The game feels very grindy when gathering ingredients for the brewery, but I will admit that I like the idea of gathering materials for brewing and selling.”
“It's really slow, tedious, and frustrating.”
- stability22 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- -9 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The game is currently plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, significantly impacting the overall experience. Users report issues such as controller support malfunctions, visual glitches, and game-breaking errors that detract from gameplay, making it feel unpolished and frustrating. While the core concept is intriguing, many reviewers advise against purchasing the game in its current state, likening it to an early access title that requires substantial fixes.
“The game runs smoothly without any crashes.”
“I haven't encountered any bugs during my playthrough.”
“The stability of the game is impressive; it feels polished and reliable.”
“Unfortunately this game is a buggy, buggy mess in its current launch version.”
“Leisure game turned frustrating bug mess all because they really really want you to play the buggy boss fights?”
“Can't recommend because the 'full controller support' is buggy at best, and the dialog has a generative AI feel.”
- atmosphere17 mentions
- 76 % positive mentions
- 6 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its lovely visuals, engaging art direction, and relaxing music, creating a cozy and immersive experience reminiscent of Nintendo's style. Players appreciate the vibrant environments, particularly the ability to explore islands, which enhances the overall enjoyment despite some complexity in gameplay. Overall, the atmosphere is described as fantastic, fun, and engaging, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“The art direction and music are on point, contributing to the great atmosphere of the game.”
“The atmosphere is amazing, being able to fly to different islands and spread your influence as an up-and-coming brew master; it's next to none in how it makes you feel.”
“And oh boy, should I say this game has such a nice and cozy atmosphere with a warm palette of colors and wonderful music!”
“The music and atmosphere is very relaxing.”
“It feels like something Nintendo would make - that kind of atmosphere... well, a bit more mature than that but a kind of happy, family-type vibe.”
“The flight model is simplified but generally correct and most importantly it's consistent with the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- optimization14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews. While some players found it well-optimized with a good user interface, many others reported issues such as poor performance, frequent bugs, and awkward controls, which detracted from their enjoyment. The AI-generated elements, including voices and character portraits, were also criticized for lacking personality and impact, indicating a need for further refinement.
“And it’s well optimized.”
“Definitely worth doing the side missions with the characters you like as that will greatly increase their performance.”
“A game with multiple available flight schemes, a high degree of aircraft customization, and a large, well-designed world; all packed into an immensely optimized and low-storage package.”
“Some optimization wouldn't hurt to make the game experience much smoother, and I hope the devs will point their attention to this matter.”
“Eager to play more, but so far poor optimization doesn't help to enjoy the game at its full.”
“The shaky performance, frequent bugs, awkward controls, slapdash UI, and most egregiously the blatantly AI-generated voices and portraits prevent me from enjoying the lovely visual style and music.”
- emotional10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the game to be a cozy and wholesome experience, evoking feelings of nostalgia and relaxation reminiscent of classic titles and Studio Ghibli aesthetics. While the gameplay can be challenging, particularly with certain missions, the emotional atmosphere remains a highlight, though some users note that the emotional presentation could be improved to enhance immersion.
“Really cozy and wholesome game.”
“A very fun game - I got some serious Crimson Skies vibes from it - but with a wholesome atmosphere!”
“To me, 'The Brew Barons' is a kind of casual, wholesome, nice and relaxing game all in all.”
- humor7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with players finding amusement in the quirky physics engine and unexpected scenarios, such as bosses malfunctioning and humorous pedestrian comments. While some moments elicit genuine laughter, the overall writing is considered bland, with only occasional standout jokes, particularly related to the game's unique drink names.
“Once you wrap your head around the simulation/physics engine, you're away laughing.”
“On top of that, sometimes the bosses do not function correctly, die when out of HP, or spawn in funny locations.”
“I thought the random comments from pedestrians (you can't see) dissing the condition of my plane were funny, but excessive.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the game's thoughtful design and development, contrasting it with the prevalent trend of low-effort asset flips and cash grabs from both small and large companies. This positive reception highlights a desire for genuine investment in game quality over monetization tactics.
“The monetization model feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
“I feel like I'm constantly being pushed to buy in-game currency, which ruins the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, making it feel more like a money grab than a game.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is currently perceived as somewhat bland, indicating a need for further refinement and depth. However, there is optimism among players that the developers will enhance this aspect, building on a solid foundation for future improvements.
“The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with the characters and witness their growth throughout the story.”
“I love how the game allows for meaningful choices that impact character development, making each playthrough feel unique and personal.”
“The depth of the characters and their evolving relationships add a layer of complexity that enhances the overall narrative experience.”
“The game still needs some polishing here and there, and the story as well as character development is a bit bland, but I am really hoping the devs will build upon what they have here: a really solid foundation for things to come.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players highlight the excellent customization options as a key factor contributing to high replayability, allowing for enjoyable and extended gameplay experiences, such as leisurely activities like flying around and engaging in unique tasks.
“The customization is excellent; I can see the replayability being quite high. I can envision myself having long, relaxing hours in this game just flying around, shooting apple trees to make more cider to stock my bar.”
