Not Just Another Sim: A Tavern Manager Simulator Review

By JT

Players: 1
Platforms: PC (Steam)

When we think about simulation games, we often think of titles like The Sims, RollerCoaster Tycoon, or much smaller shovelware games. It’s difficult to think that a one-shot studio could make a game that is not only works and makes sense as simulator, but is also quite good. I can name on one hand how many simulators from indie developers I've ever even enjoyed, let alone felt compelled to 100% complete. There are still some things needed to give this game higher marks, but for what it does now, I was truly impressed. Tavern Manager Simulator is a game that places you in the middle of nowhere, between settlements, castles, and caverns, and gives you a plot of land in which to build up your very own tavern. You must cook for the peasants of the land, as well as nobles, knights, and eventually even lords and ladies. It’s a game that has something I feel the whole simulation genre lacked, and that's creativity. Now, let’s see where this all goes, shall we? Tavern Manager Simulator is not just another sim, and I am here to prove it!

Tavern Manager Simulator starts you off with little to your name, giving you a small tavern with minimal furnishings and only a bit of currency to get more. In a short amount of time, all that changes if everything is done nearly perfectly. Gordon Ramsey would be proud, as I accepted no less than perfectly cooked food, and perfectly served drinks. Anything less than perfect was tossed away. There was a reason for this, which I will explain in just a moment. For every item that needs to be cooked and served, there is a minigame attached to it. It’s not a bad idea for a game that has you working at a high pace, as more and more customers enter the tavern. Without focus, drinks can suddenly turn flat, stew can turn smelly, or beef can either come out raw or extremely overcooked. You hold the button down and then release at the perfect time to get a glowing item, which in turn can make you more gold as each customer leaves happy. During service, it’s all a good idea to talk to each customer to raise your reputation among the locals. The higher the reputation, the more people that you'll see flock to your tavern, money in hand. Almost everything is turned into a minigame, from gathering water from the well, to breaking ice blocks towards the end. There are numerous things to upgrade, from the kitchen, to each of the dining rooms. By the end it’ll all be worth it.

Parts of Tavern Manager Simulator can be considered open world, but falls flat due to no open sections readily available. There’s a castle that I wish to eventually explore. There’s a cave I would like the developers to expand. There’s a pathway through a fallen tree that is seemingly hinted at being another place to explore soon. A town to eventually explore possibly, or at least I hope. Perhaps a merchant caravan to purchase spices, trophies, and furniture from? I would even go as far as to say the game has enough potential to not only add co-op but also create another areas to explore and fight monsters for ingredients. Since the game is without co-op right now, it feels like wasted potential. Especially with the latest update dropping literally as I was typing out this review. That upgrade sees you build and renovate your own hotel. With a lot going on already with a fully upgraded tavern, a hotel update squeezes things even tighter than before. Making mistakes even in the slightest can cost a lot of time, and a potential customer. You can open and close the tavern at will, but then you feel as though you are losing a significant amount of income. However, closing the tavern can allow you to gather your thoughts and prepare for future service. By the end of all your upgrades, you may need to consistently close to gather your thoughts and stock up. Even a fully upgraded storage system feels too constrained. Having fairies around as helpers, even when they're fully upgraded, is often not enough. You need to stick your head out there and cook and serve yourself half the time.

Tavern Manager Simulator is one of the few management simulators that makes you feel as if you’re accomplishing something significant time and time again. So much so that it feels like you need human co-op players rather than anything AI. While the helpers are nice to have, you yourself will end up running around most of the time to complete tasks within time limits and fulfill meal tickets. Perhaps one of the only marks against the game is that it has no co-op. However, there is another game set for future release advertised on the game's title page that advertises co-op. Perhaps we will cover that game later this year... For now, what we get is what we must work with, running from station to station, cooking beef, cooking soup, preparing cheese and sausage, pouring beer and wine, chopping wood and pouring water, breaking ice, preparing cold drinks, tending to customers’ horses, and now even managing a hotel. It can be very overwhelming. You can raise and lower prices too, but it can gain or lose your customers. I see this as a win and lose scenario. While you can raise prices to 150%, you'll also lose half the customers. Although if you lower prices to 60%, you double the number of customers coming into your establishment. A bit of a double-edged sword if there ever was one.

It's true that Tavern Manager Simulator may not be the most appealing game visually, but its graphics are more than serviceable. This game does have a look similar to most shovelware Steam games, yet at the same time it also has a completely different feeling. It feels as if the developers cared enough to support a good foundation for future projects, while still updating their current one. Graphics don’t have to be good, they just have to match the type of content provided, and this game handles that job well. Every Perfect steak and every failed one, are directly noticeable. Same between beer and wine, which will bring out a pungent smell that you can see upon failure. However, if cooked or poured perfectly, each food item has its own glow. As stated before, being the perfectionist that I am, I needed to insure complete perfection up until the end. No glow, no good, and that means no serve.

As far as sound quality goes, Tavern Manager Simulator does its job, and I respect the developers for adding sounds to just about everything, from cleaning the floors to setting down and picking up drinks. I always find taking the money so satisfying, but hearing that sound just makes it all sweeter. I wish there was a sound for timed guests though, like a “ding” sound every time you get a timed customer or something. If there already was a sound for timed guests, either I could not hear it, or I must be ignoring it unintentionally. The most recognizable sounds are those of pouring mugs or glasses, and they're great for what they are.

Overall, I enjoyed Tavern Manager Simulator so much that it raises the bar a little as far as sim games go. In terms of other management simulator games, this one is probably in the top 5 or top 10 overall. With its current build and direction, it certainly holds its own when compared to House Flipper and Thief Simulator. Few games have the creativity this one has, as it makes the entire genre stay fresh. How you break ice, gather water, and cook food all culminate in a giant win for the future of simulation games. While I have yet to play certain others in the same or similar genre that have been praised, such as Power Wash Simulator and Gas Station Simulator, this only fuels my drive to check out other similar games. This is not just another sim title, this is a game that deserves all its praise. While the game doesn’t have any story, it doesn’t need one. It has a few tutorials that don’t hold your hand, and they’re just there as a collection of tips. The decorations are plentiful and well thought out. Could use with a lot more furniture though, and possibly a much less cramped VIP section. Everything just barely fits there while the general seating is very spacious. There were a few bugs, but many were patched out as I was working on this review. For example, the developers fixed the bug where NPCs would get stuck in the outhouse. Some bugs still remain though, such as fairies sometimes not able to perform their jobs correctly. I also would have loved something to unlock after the stables, but that’s where it all ends. Being an extremely entertaining and fun game, I enjoyed my time with it, which led to an extremely rare 100% completion goal. I even explored the in-game region as much as currently possible. They’re consistently adding additional content while also fixing bugs, and I commend them for their actions. This game appears to be a passion project. I respect it even more for keeping the bar where it is, and possibly even setting it higher.

If the developers can turn this game into a huge open world project, and succeed, they possibly have the foundation for a new and creative MMO-style game. Something where traditional skill means everything. I respect tradition, and this game honors old school gameplay mechanics. I am happy to say that Tavern Manager Simulator is ambition at one of its finest. A very ambitious project that I will continue to look at with each passing update.

Check Out Tavern Manager Simulator on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2756770/Tavern_Manager_Simulator/

---

Story: N/A
Gameplay: A
Graphics: C+
Sound: B
Value: B+

Overall: A-

Pros:
+ Controls work extremely well, making the game fun to play.
+ The open world setting sets the game up for potential DLC.
+ This is a simulation that keeps the fun elements without being so real that tasks become chores.
+ There are many helpers that help offset the lack of other human players.
+ Plenty of creative bits, and even a few Easter Eggs, are sprinkled throughout.

Cons:
- No co-op, as I feel it is sorely needed for how much you need to manage.
- There's nothing beyond unlocking the stables. (Unless you are still working on the hotel.)
- VIP is severely cramped when all tables are placed. The developers should implement a second story to help offset that.
- Needs more open world stuff to do.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

---