There are very few games that allow players to manage a tavern. My two favorite ones were Traveller’s Rest and Tavern Master, although the former has evolved into a full blown farming sim over the last couple of years.
When I heard of Tavern Manager Simulator, it caught my interest. I was rather impressed by Tavern Master back in the day, a 3D sandbox that holds up even today. Tavern Manager Simulator feels like a revamped version of that, although it forgoes a sandbox mode for a narrative experience. While it has a couple of issues with hand holding (the early game tutorial railroads you more than I would like), this is something to look out for.
What drew me into Tavern Manager Simulator was its simple interface and visual design. It doesn’t try to do too much, and the tutorial is easy to follow. I never got bogged down in micromanagement, which is a great thing for simulation games. The menu never detracts from the game itself. Despite the modest textures, I dig the first person perspective. Wandering around your tavern in first person and attending patrons is rather pleasant.
The animation and graphic design is also charming. Seeing all the little guys walk around and do their job is rather enjoyable, and what surprises me is how polished everything feels. There’s a good reason why tavern simulators are rare in the market: getting everything to work properly is particularly challenging. Tavern Manager Simulator is not Early Access but a full release.
This extra time taken into the development has paid off, because I haven’t come across many bugs at all, and the game is surprisingly well optimized. The game is like many others like it: manage your tavern, hire staff to keep the booze and food going, get ingredients and keep the customers happy. There’s enough variance and complexity to keep it entertaining, while simple enough to not frustrate. This is a good balance.
The progression system is very well done: every day you get little quests, upon which you get points for completing them. Research unlocks plenty of items and events to add to the growing tavern, giving you a reason to keep exploring. It looks like there’s enough content here to keep someone going for many hours. Tavern Manager Simulator also gives some pretty deep cooking mechanics, and you have to prepare meals carefully in order to maximize income and serve your customers.
As an early impression, this is a solid simulator title with a lot to offer. I wish the tutorial was skippable as it maintains a tight leash on you in the beginning, but apart from that I am pretty content. There are some bugs lingering like staff getting stuck on terrain but I did not experience this often. Overall, not bad! For less than $15, you can do a lot worse.
