Ale & Tale Tavern

Unfortunately, uses a lot of GenAI voicework and writing, and as of the posting of this review, the storepage does not have that warning written anywhere.

The game has a cool concept being a medieval world where you run a tavern. It could be so much more. Here are my suggestions: Have the tavern located within a village centre and hold missions throughout the neighbourhood amongst factions to help solve issues or mysteries to rebuild trust amongst factions. Or maybe you could join one faction, have an enemy faction, and several neutral factions. Maybe they could double the theme as being a detective game, based on gossip that comes to your tavern. You could charge your wares differently amongst factions by providing discounts to factions you want to ally with. As your popularity grows, your faction loyalty increases, and eventually you could hire workers to auto-sustain your business. From there, you plant another tavern within another part of the neighbourhood (within a neutral faction) or a new village altogether. Eventually, you go from running a singular tavern to being a multi-chain business owner of taverns that solves mysteries and builds bonds amongst neighbourhoods. The adventure is lacking too. I can see this game having difficulties competing against every other adventure-based game. You can explore the entire map within twenty minutes. It forces you to grind within a singular area for the entirety of the game. It could be cool if you could set up a chain of taverns throughout a district, hire people to work them. Have a personalized house you can decorate. Pets would be cool too. Get a horse mount to help travel between taverns.... The farming in this game is typical. I would prefer a method to eventually build it into an auto-mated system (hire workers), and build up plantations. Have a delivery network from secondary enterprises that brings wares to your taverns, etc. Make this game and I'll play 100s of hours.

The game tries to be a jack of all trades, but ends up being a master of none. Everything felt either annoying or useless. Quests are silly and filled with dumb narration and jokes, combat is just poke and run. Farming is very limited. Hunting and gathering is not really viable because there is very few animals and mushrooms out there in the forest which means you can't sustain a steady supply these ingredients for cooking. Also, the game is quite short, but given the price it is probably okay-ish. Overall I would say it's just meh. Perhaps it's just not my cup of tea.

I love it, overall progression isn't too bad, the amount of content is great. And to top it off, it's multiplayer. I was playing the other day and had random people pop into my world and immediately started helping me expand my tavern and we did missions together and it turned from a great single player bar sim experience to a multiplayer action RPG where we got bounty missions where we had to kill mobs and loot them for goods to sell. Even if you don't plan on partaking with the multiplayer side of things, it's still a great game to enjoy.

My wife and I played this together randomly after finding it in the Store. And it's actually super fun! We were caught off guard by the combat, thinking it was just a cozy farming simulator, but the addition was welcomed! As gamers who don't tend to be the best at combat, there's a fairly good balance to combat and to gaining XP and unlocking things. The game play is great too. It flows really well and we did not experience any lag. The UI is easy to understand and navigate and controlling your character is not an issue. My only recommendation is MORE SKINS/MORE OPTIONS for character creation. But other than that, it's a fun and relaxing co-op.

You spend all of their inheritance money in a shaggy tavern in the middle of nowhere to fullfil a childhood dream of yours. I was really skeptical about the premisse but this game made me question my life choices, and if I knew that being a bartender was so exciting, I would NOT have gotten all the degrees I did. The game has two facets, one is collecting resources for your tavern, the other is actually serving the customers to make bigtime money and unlocking new recipes and furniture. The collecting aspect is pretty adventure-ish. You close the tavern to go kill wild game for meat, collect fruits, mushrooms and honey whilst fighting zombies and other monsters in the process. You'll unlock farm animals and some gardening, but the exploration will always be there. After collecting resources you prepare some dishes, ferment some drinks, double check what you should keep in the menu and... open the tavern! *-inserts Theoden in Helm's Deep meme-* You have to serve the dishes to the customers and cook and clean and wash dishes and kick out the drunk ones all at the same tim- oh-my-God-the-oven-broke-again and I ran out of water quiiiiiiiiiiiick get another bucket ***oh no*** two customers left because I didn't serve them on time, come baaaaaack I have your fried frog leeeeeegs - wait, wine?! why is he asking for wine?! I don't have wine in the menu- goddammit he is a VIP guest, guess I'll have TO MAKE WINE NOW? Why is everybody screaming, FFS, ZOMBIES IN MY TAVERN AGAIN?!?! You seriously cannot describe the thrill. The only downside is that the game is quite short. There is a storyline and quests, and by the time you complete them you'll have way too much money. Also, this game is AWESOME for coop. Achievements were awesome, ran perfectly on Steam Deck and on Linux. 100% worth its price. Have my love, Scienart Games <3

Random grab-bag of standard mechanics that are practically baseline for this kind of game. All of which feel incredibly under baked. Needs like another 2-3 years of development and patches to be better than the unpolished, barely serviceable state that it's in. If a game can't be original, it needs to at least do things well, but in this case the game doesn't overly excel at anything let alone one thing.

Quite interesting in the beginning. Cute helping NPCs, interesting recipes, lovely concept. Unfortunately, the tempo and the design of the game are a bit off: opening the tavern gives a single player lots of levels, and, as new recipes get unlocked, new customers come and start asking for dishes you _just_ learned. also, game lowkey punishes for narrow choice in the menu, but having broader choice means having either a lot of stands or a lot of chests, wich take up quite some space and the latter, to my knowledge, are non-interactable for little helpers. Another point - unfortunately, the full automatization is not possible due to the inability of the helper npcs to interact with a well/barrel and putting cooked food from cooking elements into plates. If you are a single player and want to enjoy tavern running process, be prepared it will probably not run as smoothly as you would like to :"D One more strange thing - recipes of fried meat, that include mushrooms. Like, why, dude? Considering that those are really hard to find in the forests and there are NO guaranteed spawn spots/ways to grow those on your backyard, it almost feels like an intentional attempt to prolong the play time, and that is way more annoying move that i would imagine it being.

Ok, I may be too harsh here but, man, do I feel misled by the storepage. So this is definitely not a full-release game. I would say the fact it has (unnecessary) voice acting would make this a beta-build at best. As others have stated in their reviews the game has unbalanced combat, boring gameplay loop etc. etc. I am 100% certain this game has to be still issued as "early access" and is nowhere close to full release. I read numerous reviews accusing the dev of genAI assets? And you know what? I believe them. All the dialogues have that bland, dry *not quite really a joke* humor typical of former theatre kids and also genAI. Did some digging around, the voice acting is genuine so at least that's that. Doesn't change anything about the fact this game DOESN'T need voice acting, quests, or cringe inducing jokes. It's supposed to be a *tavern managment simulator* but it does a shoddy job there too. Do not be deceived into thinking this is a cozy game. With the fast-paced cooking and serving you have to do this whole thing is unnecessarily stressful. Trust me, if you worked in food service. DO NOT pick this game up. This is a *food service simulator*. There's definitely no "magament". The only managerial part is, get this, you get to select the menu and where the furniture goes. (which is arguably still the service part, since in some establishments the workers also do that) Also this whole game takes very, let's say, *bold* aesthetic direction. Bold in the sense that all the assets look like something I've already seen, almost as if they were free assets. I am not accusing anyone of throwing together an asset-grab game to help themselves to some quick buck, I don't know, I am not some kind of game-model connoisseur. Let's just say the whole game aesthetic is *bold* and leave it at that. So yeah, to summ up I believe the game is 1) unfinished 2) unbalanced 3) possible AI slop. Which isn't something I am able to deduce just from the store page.

I've played quite a few 'simulator / tycoon ' games This game has the same repetitive loop like Gas Station Simulator or Fast Food Simulator, or even Supermarket Simulator. What this game does better is the art style, being abstract and unique compared to the other three, a somewhat comedic story-line (Scarecrow man...) with some RPG exploration traits added on top. Does this game feel complete? In my two hours of playing simply no. The shop looks empty later on, comparing it to Supermarket Simulator where you are given 100's of options of items to care too, this game seems like there are maybe 200 total purchasable items (Furniture, Tools, and Applianceware) This game is still in development, and the newest update, decorations seem quite interesting. Out of the simulator games I have played this is by far the highest ranking. Its a simulator that feels like the developers care enough to continue adding and developing it. 7/10.

10/10 Game, its super cozy but also the monsters can jump scare me sometimes. Quests are fun and the voice lines have some funny jokes. Ive been obsessed with this game since i bought it. Only Issue i have is the game freezes often.

A fun game to play with friends. Very fast paced and chaotic, if you like games like plate up and overcooked this is the game for you.

I enjoyed this game as it's very laid back. Ale & Tale Tavern's art style is very cutesy and unique and the UI is simplistic and understandable. Gameplay is super simple and repetitive as it involves just serving customers, upgrading the tavern, and unlocking small bits of story elements. They do have you go out, hunt, fish, save villagers but overall very chill game that passes the time.

A very chill game with interesting quests, can see greatnes ahead.

Its a small funny game with (I think?) original songs that you unlock after completing each quest. The tavern is fun and hectic with trying to cook and brew everything at once and keep up with the guests. Overall just well executed and fun.

My husband and I play it and it is quite enjoyable. Feels like it would be kinda hard as single player.

After only 15 hours, playing solo, I can honestly recommend this game. For the price you pay you get hours of entertainment.

If you're down for a chill game with the friends or on your own where it's the hustle of your own tavern, hunting, adventuring, and some farming, this is def for you to enjoy.

Be forwarned, there are no tutorials or how-to's in the game. Once you log in and start, there's not much actual step-by-step help anywhere online. Other than that it's super fun and challenging, would highly recommend.

Pros: -heavily appeals to D&D players -you can run your tavern how you want to and when you want to -your not restricted to just your tavern it comes with a whole open world to explore with enemies and quests -you can customize your avatar and best of all wear a pumpkin! -the in game music is really good! Especially on the in game jukebox -you are always doing something! If your doing nothing it is because your choosing to -this game feels like a game that would rely on micro transactions but thankfully doesn’t Cons: -some basic items feel a little overpriced -when you die you are forced to spend gold to respawn -enemies understandably need to range in difficulty but some of the basic enemies feel overpowered sometimes Conclusion: This game really appeals to anyone but especially dnd players and can keep you busy for hours

I played this for 6 hours in my first session, the gameplay loop gets its hooks in you quickly.

A fun game to play with others as it isn't particularly that difficult. But the map is rather small and after about 24 hours of total game play, there isn't much left to do other than running the tavern.

Exceptionally fun. Play with a friend! Can't wait for more updates

This is a good game. You can relax with your mates or run the tavern on your own. The quests are funny if you do not mind the AI voices. Combat if fine for standard face tanking or side stepping but, potions make it a bit better.

ABSOLUTELY! 100%. We tried playing this for the first time last night (group of 3) and we were HOOKED. I think we spent 4/5 hours straight just getting into it. The tutorial is smooth, there's a storyline, and figuring it all out as a team was even more fun! I've only played it with friends - but we loved it. It looks we haven't even brushed the surface of how depth it can get!

A pretty fun game to play with my friends. The only downside is you are kind of forced into doing adventurer quests and can't just enjoy running the tavern if you want to expand. I definitely recommend having at least one player fully dedicated to the adventuring quests.

I love this game, But it is very short. If anything would be added it could be AI companions to help out. Primarily only if you're playing single player. Send people out for harvesting, do deliveries, camp raiding, etc. I have played this entirely in single player an the thing that got me to stop playing was 12 hours of, well gotta go get more mushrooms, time to shut the shop down. I don't mind running the shop by myself and my owls. But having to do everything else by yourself, you miss out on days worth of money because you have to prep for an in-game week to run your shop for two hours then sell out and repeat. game is great, just needs a tiny bit more quality of life for the solo players.

A pleasant tavern game with a bunch of quests but almost zero challenge. There's a decent variety of food to cook with a solid progression of unlocks, The quests were okay with simple combat. Co-op worked well. The characters in the game are cute and fun. There's never really any stakes to anything - the tavern is easy to run (people wait forever to be served and only order what you put on the menu) and dying in combat just costs a little bit of money. If you want a simple easy tavern sim game with a little bit of fighting on the side, this is a nice game. If you want any kind of challenge or pressure involved, you'll probably find it a bit dull.

Fun to play, but it has a hard beginning. You have to manage a lot of stuff on limited resources at start and it's hard to progress and takes time. After leveling up, unlocking worker owls and buying better tools, becomes way way easier. I wouldn't play this alone. I recommend to play this with at least one more person, because it's very hard to play on your own. Best with your significant other. ALSO BEER!!!

Fun for sure if you like open world games, for sure in the cooking genre, and doesn't take up a ton of storage. Also more fun with other people but it doesn't have to be with others.

Love the game, just more hints are needed how to create whiskey, potions, and other items for first time gamers,

Soooo addicting!! Immediately after starting the game I didn't want to stop playing it.

This is an okay game. I have enjoyed playing it with my dad but there are quite a few downsides to the game, like other reviews have mentioned. I think my biggest pet peeve with this game is that the voices are very obviously AI. Like, you seriously couldn't have hired a few voice actors or just...not used voices? The map is also very small, combat isn't the greatest and it is very, very grind-y. I like playing it for a couple of hours, but then I get bored. I've also got 40 out of 67 achievements and have only played for 13.5 hours, so there's not a whole lot of gameplay in my opinion. I just wish the developers were more honest about the fact that their game uses AI crap rather than actual people. So, I'm giving it a thumbs up, but only just barely. It's mildly entertaining, just know what you're purchasing and don't go in with super high hopes.

This game has awesome replayability. When I first started I forgot one of the core game mechanics (the ability to change what's being offered for food and drink at your tavern) and while it was a bit more grind-y on the tavern levels it was still very playable. It's also fun that you can play however you want. You can really focus on the quests/story line or you can focus on just running your tavern, both are massively enjoyable. Plus once you've been running around the map for a few hours you start to actually remember where the Points of Interest are because the map isn't too big or too small. Highly recommend playing this game, if you have a few hours to spare at a time. It's easy to lose track of time while playing.

This game was loads of fun. I spent quality time with my friends and I made some brews/food in the process. Highly recommend for any gay boys and non gay boys.

Very beatable in two solid gaming sessions. When tavern is open, game is fast-paced but never punishing. My only critique is more than half the game is going on adventures in the area surrounding the tavern rather than sticking with tavern stuffs. Still, that's not much of a mark down as the combat system, while extremely simple, is still a skill-based system where effective strategies are learnable.

Great little laid back game for all ages. Nice to play and relax with.

Wish there was more to the game. If you can get over the childish dialogue that makes you feel like you're in a Sunday children's cartoon, then it does offer a relaxing restaurant sim with some adventure tossed in to break the monotony. [i]But I wish there was more[/i]. Feels a bit like a game in EA in the sense that it's unpolished and a bit sparse. There's a lot they could do with this, like adding more QoL stuff to minding the tavern end-game, maybe a way to farm [i]certain annoying foraged materials[/i], the ability to capture and farm wildlife, expansion of farm & tavern, more furnishings or types of livestock, etc. There's a lot they could do with this game and I wish they would.

I almost gave up on this game when i have trouble with the zombies that barge into my tavern, until i realized i can just heal to full health if i save and reenter my save file. Thanks.

اذ تحب المزيج بين إدارة المكان ، طبخ ، زراعة ، صيد ، استكشاف ، ومهام خفيفة ، ومعاها طور أونلاين ، راح تستمتع بوقتك لكن لا تتوقع شي واو .. مع ارتفاع مستوى الحانة توسع المكان وتفتح مزايا وخدمات جديدة وفي الليل لازم تحمي الحانة من هجوم الغيلان وهذا الجزء كان ممتع و اكشن بس مافي خطر كبير , الأونلاين هو اللي فعليًا خلاني أستمتع بوقتي ⭐ 3 \ 5 - ساعتين

Despite ALOT of positive reviews, I am not sure why this game become popular. Not much content, only for like 2-3 hours before it gets LOT repetetive. Wait for better coop restaurant manager game.

Ale & Tale Tavern is a medieval fantasy tavern/adventure simulation that can be played solo or with up to 4 people in a co-op mode. While the core gameplay is pretty fun, it's definitely not meant to be played solo. The amount of work you have to do to prep the tavern in order to get it to open is immense, especially as the tavern becomes more complex. It took me hours to grow, collect, fish, and harvest just to get the tavern ready to open once. I had a huge stockpile of ingredients, but without anyone else to replenish them, I could really only keep the tavern open for a limited time then I had to start removing things from the menu or shut down to restock. I think this is definitely one of those games where it's better with friends and while I have not been able to play this with a group yet, I would definitely see that this game would get better with people doing different things to keep the tavern open and running 24/7. With the AI helper owls serving and cleaning, the 4 people could focus on cooking and resource management. The non-tavern stuff is... okay. They give you quests to do for minimal rewards and the unlocking of certain aspects of the game (like ranged combat, potion brewing, fishing...) but I felt like just having those available at the beginning would have been better. The potions are meant to help you with different aspects of the game, like running faster, jumping higher, more strength, but I hardly used them. I usually kept my tavern offerings to things I could easily grow or get at the tavern itself. Things that I had to leave to get would take too much time to randomly find out in the world. That brings it to the world itself. It's got a lighthearted, cartoony, World of WarCraft/Hearthstone feel, and the tavern guests certainly have names that would fit right in. It's fairly small and barren, scattered about with the occasional enemy and animal that you can fight for cooking or alchemical ingredients. Zombies and Orcs are enemies that give more gold than useful items, but the Orcs are stronger and use up more resources than they're worth. You usually can learn the attack patterns of the enemy and use the dodge to avoid getting hit, but that extends combat out and makes it more tedious than fun. Sometimes the hit boxes are odd and even though you're shooting the enemy square on, it doesn't register. Sometimes it looks as if the enemy doesn't hit you, but you still take damage. It's kind of confusing. Things I would love for them to add to the game that could help solo players would be more pens for animals, more fields for farming, easier way to make fertilizer (10 junk for 10 fertilizer, maybe?), fish farms, places to grow mushrooms, a way to domesticate boars... anything you have to run outside and spend hours farming should have a way to get either at the Merchant or to produce right at the tavern. Also, I'm not the biggest fan of everything having durability and breaking. It's just a money suck and it doesn't really serve the purpose of the game. Having unbreakable tools, having higher tier tools that are more efficient that are more expensive would work just fine. Overall, it's a fun game and with some improvements, it would be a great game. Maybe if the devs do Ale & Tale Tavern 2 they can add in the additional farming opportunities, allow for more tavern expansion beyond the base building (maybe an off-site inn with more rooms), give people more ways to play.

Great co-op game! Feels really well balanced.

Relaxing and just plain fun didnt know a tavern game could be this fun

اللعبة تجنن وكلمة "جميلة" قليلة عليها 💫! فيها جو أسطوري وكأنك فعلاً تدير حانة في عالم خيالي مليان حكايات 🍻📜، التفاصيل في الزباين والتفاعل معاهم يخليك تنغمس فيها كأنك جزء من القصة تمامًا. أنصح فيها لأي شخص يحب ألعاب الإدارة الغريبة والعوالم الخرافية 🧙‍♂️🏰. The game is absolutely fantastic 💫! Saying it's "great" is an understatement. It fully immerses you in the cozy and chaotic world of managing a magical tavern 🍻📜. The characters, stories, and interactions make it feel like you're living inside a fantasy book. Highly recommended for fans of unique management games 🧙‍♂️🏰.

love how your not bounded to 1 area and can also go and explore with a friend or by your self and still have the option to build your pub. only down side is your storage. i do wish you was able to name each of the storage boxes to what you want. after a while and building so any you do tend to forget what is in what box lol.

Cozy, fun, can coop.

Game feels hollow - there's no real balance to gameplay or progression

never been happier to have spent my money on something! absolute cinema of a game

Not worth it. 8h to finish it. Some Early access has more content