If you’ve been looking for a cozy game with elements of Coffee Talk, Dungeons & Dragons, and Monster Prom (wait, what?), then Tavern Talk might be for you!
Sometimes, you need a warm bevvy and a good conversation…before kicking a dragon’s butt. Just normal, everyday, hashtag-girly things, right?
Okay, maybe not. At least, not in our world. But, in the world of Tavern Talk? That’s just a typical Tuesday!
Tavern Talk is a game that’s been taking over the cozy gaming sphere, and I just had to talk about it – after all, some of you might be catching up on what exactly it is in the first place. Which, hey, fair enough! There’s so much info out there on the interwebs, we might as well compile it into one article, right?
So, without further ado, let’s learn more about Tavern Talk!
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What Is Tavern Talk?
According to the game’s description, “Tavern Talk is a cozy visual novel where Coffee Talk meets Dungeons & Dragons, experienced from the perspective of the most beloved NPC of any TTRPG campaign: the Innkeeper.”
So, basically, if you’ve ever played a D&D campaign and harassed stole from seduced chatted up the barkeep, now’s your chance to be on the other side of that exchange, serving drinks and offering advice…for better or for worse!
Don’t worry, there’s more to the story than, “Give elf drink, elf happy.” That would be pretty boring, not gonna lie.
You run “The Wayfarer’s Inn,” a cozy tavern in Asteria, right? Totally a normal thing. However, when a forgotten evil threatens the world (don’t they always?), the tavern’s quests become intertwined with your past (you have a story too, bay-bee). Thus, your choices in serving drinks and creating quests (we’ll get more into this in a sec) alter the fate of adventurers and the world itself.
Holy guacamole, the fate of the world is in your hands…or should I say, drinks!
As of now, there are over 10 hours of planned playtime, as well as multiple endings, so who knows what your delicious (and inebriating) beverages will bring!
Compared to Coffee Talk and Va-11 Hall-A
Of course, Tavern Talk is not the first in the “serve drinks to people” genre; two notable comparisons are the aforementioned Coffee Talk, where you run a coffee shop (unsurprisingly) in an urban fantasy setting, and Va-11 Hall-A, where you’re a bartender in a futuristic sci-fi city.
I’m sure some of you may be thinking, “Well, why should I support yet another game like this? Won’t it be the same as the others?” Don’t worry, Tavern Talk’s already managed to make itself quite distinct from its competition:
What’s Different
Here’s your whole deal: there is a rumor-based system in the game; once you hear enough, you can put those rumors together to create quests for anyone else who comes into your tavern.
It only makes sense – in D&D, adventurers typically get their first quest from the barkeep. How else were they supposed to know what’s going on in the world?
Not only that, your beverages have a direct influence on your customers’ quests. What, did you think you were just brewing up glorified ale? No, silly! Who knows, maybe your bevvy will be the burst of courage (literally?) your patron needs to slay the dragon or fend off their long-lost monetary leech of a relative (arguably scarier).
Kickstarter
Of course, a game can’t be created without a little bit of funding! Tavern Talk’s Kickstarter was launched on October 17, 2023, to nearly immediate success – that same day, it met its €20,000 ($21,121 USD) goal. As of October 30, it’s reached over €90,000 in pledged support.
Unlocked Stretch Goals
Gentle Troll Entertainment has been able to implement several stretch goals thanks to Tavern Talk’s newfound popularity and support (financial or otherwise), including:
- New drinks and characters, like Jade and Archie
- A port for the Nintendo Switch
- New animations for certain characters, like Andu
- Nuggies for the team (AKA the best goal, in my opinion)
The Demo
There is currently an hour-long demo available to give you a taste of what’s to come in the future. You’ll meet five characters, so you’ll have a solid idea of a typical day in your life as a barkeep. Of course, you’ll get to see how other parts of the game work too, like beverage-mixing and rumor-to-quest-transforming.
It’s just enough to give you the scoop on how the game will run, while still managing to leave you wanting more!
If you’d like to give the game a play-through yourself, feel free to check out the demo on Steam or itch.io.
Release Dates, Platforms, and More
The plan is for Tavern Talk to release Q2 2024 for both PC and the Nintendo Switch. The game will also be optimized for the Steam Deck, which is awesome for all of us who believe in handheld console superiority.
Also, this is a bit random, but if you’ve ever played the game Monster High…there’s a little cameo! Two characters from that game, Polly and Scott, as well as someone from the sequel Monster Roadtrip (Baya) appear as patrons too. What a fun little collab! I love unexpected collabs. They add an element of surprise.
Ever wondered what makes a cozy game…well, cozy? Click here!
As this game won’t be released for at least another six months, there’s plenty that can change in the time leading up to it. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to update you all if I hear any spicy news on what’s to come!
I hope you’re as excited for Tavern Talk’s release as I am. It’s been too long since we’ve had a game as cozy and warm as this come out! I know this game’s all about sending our customers on adventures, but I feel like it will be an adventure for us, too.
Let’s just hope we don’t roll any Nat 1s…!
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