Demo code used with many thanks to Future Friends Games.
Tavern Talk is a drink-mixing interaction game where you play as a barkeeper in a D&D-like world. Adventurers pour into your pub looking for quests and for drinks to boost their stats. Chat with all your customers to learn more about them.
An Informative Demo
Tavern Talk begins with you as a barkeeper, standing in front of a client. This client, named Fable, wants to go on an adventure, but they are too nervous to really commit to leaving their home. It’s your job to brew up a concoction to make them feel better.
So you pull out your trusty recipe book and build a recipe from all the items you have on hand, mixing in a little strength, a little fortitude, and a whole lot of dexterity (Fable’s favorite!). The tutorial is cleverly couched in you teaching Fable how you mix drinks together, making it feel more integrated into the plot of the game.
In the demo, you meet five of the characters that will appear in the final game. Each has unique needs and personalities, different interests, and the desire to complete different types of quests. They will all discuss rumors they have heard, and it’s your job to put these rumors together to make quests for anyone who comes into the bar looking for an adventure.
The demo covers the tutorial and the first customer, giving you a very good idea of what a day in the life of a Tavern Talk barkeeper will look like. You get to interact with the characters, see how the mixing system works, come up with a quest, and chat with several NPCs.
Tavern Talk is Beautiful
The music, the artwork, the transitions, the entirety of Tavern Talk so far is gorgeous. There is a lot of detail here, lovingly rendered and animated sets and characters, and a beautiful cartoon style that is evocative of an animated D&D short. It’s something incredibly special.
The only thing I wish is that the game was voice acted, but I know that there is a massive cost involved in such an undertaking. I love all the characters though, and I would love to hear them, even if it is only an occasional grunt or odd word like they do in some other indie titles. In spite of that, the characters are still wonderful, adorable, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
Overall Conclusion on the Demo of Tavern Talk
I think I actually yelled out loud at my computer screen when this demo ended. I was not ready at all for my time in Tavern Talk to be over. It was like Coffee Talk but better; there was so much interaction, mixing drinks was so fun, and I really wanted to continue my time in this magical world.
Overall, I’m extremely pleased with the polish of this demo, with the animations, the characters, the art, the music, everything. This went on my wishlist for Steam immediately when I was finished. I am super excited to see what characters the world of Tavern Talk introduces me to next.