An unnamed protagonist walks into a tavern… and gets to work! You play as the owner of the Wayfarer’s Inn, serving up everything from potions of seething fury to concoctions of charm, in this cozy Dungeons & Dragons inspired visual novel.
Developed by: Gentle Troll Entertainment
Played on: Steam
Length: 15 hours (25 hours for completionists)
A review key was provided by Gentle Troll Entertainment.
I’ve had my eye on Tavern Talk for a long time. This self-proclaimed “Dungeons & Dragons version of Coffee Talk” was everything I wanted in a game — cozy vibes, loveable characters, and enough geeky references to make Brennan Lee Mulligan blush. Playing the demo for the first time during LudoNarraCon 2024 served to affirm my excitement, and playing the full game has been nothing short of a delight.
Tavern Talk is set in the surprisingly expansive fantasy world of Asteria; full of creatures, races, and character classes that any D&D fan will be familiar with. You play as a humble albeit mysterious innkeep, serving drinks with “special properties” to help your customers survive quests, or maybe just survive their next conversation.
Although you never step outside of your tavern, you get to experience the world through stories from your customers. Sometimes, you pick up on enough rumours to put together a quest for these intrepid adventurers — and you even get to influence the outcome of said adventures through the drinks you serve up. Not bad for a simple innkeep.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. The heart of any visual novel is its writing, and I’m happy to confirm that Tavern Talk maxed out its charisma stat with this one. Dialogue flows as easily as the drinks, infused with plenty of wit and humour that pays tribute to D&D and the fantasy genre in general.
Its character writing is even better, boasting a diverse cast of fascinating characters; each written so vibrantly and tenderly that you can practically feel the love the writers poured into every one of them. My personal favourites were the shy, anxious ranger and the edgy, heart-of-gold rogue — but that doesn’t come as a surprise.
As a plus, fans of D&D will love the meta humour sprinkled generously throughout the game, and it doesn’t stop at the occasional fourth wall tap. The development team has been extremely vocal about their inspirations, and throughout your playthrough, I challenge you to spot as many references as you can to other games, franchises, and even internet personalities showing up at your inn.
What impressed me the most was the sheer amount of content written into this game. With at least 15 hours of gameplay per playthrough, and a well-paced overarching story that interweaves itself through multiple characters, I found the hours flying by without a hint of visual novel fatigue in sight.
Although most of the game plays out one-sidedly like any visual novel, there are some active choices the player can make to alter the course of the story. Right before they embark on a quest, characters will let you decide their approach based on the drinks you serve them. Will they be charismatic or violent? Heavy hitters, or light on their feet?
The choices you make here not only impact the outcome of the quest and the stories they tell when they return, but has a long-lasting impact on character relationships down the line. It even changes the quest trinkets they bring back for you to decorate your tavern; one of my favourite little features. In your first playthrough, however, it’s hard to get a sense for what’s at stake until you’re staring one of the game’s multiple endings in the face.
The drink mixing mini game is enjoyable despite its simple design, and a nice break from this dialogue-heavy experience. My only complaint is the low variety in drinks, resulting in you making the same drinks over and over, especially in the earlier chapters.
Your customers are also remarkably laid back about their drink choices, mostly requiring one stat to be maxed out (e.g. Swift Strike is a max Dexterity drink) and no other requirements. While you can make it more challenging for yourself by adding infusions and trying new drink recipes, I wouldn’t be opposed to receiving more complex drink orders in the first place.
The same can be said about the quest puzzle, which is satisfying but altogether doesn’t present much of a challenge.
Tavern Talk is an easy game to love. This is only amplified by its impeccable art style and animations, paired with an incredible original soundtrack by Filippo Beck Peccoz. I especially loved the individual character soundtracks and atmospheric sound design that brought the Wayfarer’s Inn to life.
But the true mark of a great visual novel is its replayability. In the case of Tavern Talk, I couldn’t even wait for the withdrawal symptoms to hit before I began my second playthrough. Here’s to hoping I get the best ending this time round!
Verdict: Made With Love For Dungeons & Dragons Fans
Much like the drinks you mix up for your patrons, Tavern Talk has taken inspiration across various mediums and combined it into something uniquely theirs. This Dungeons & Dragons inspired visual novel is easy to love; with vibrant and intriguing characters, witty and humorous writing, and an intense overarching story where the fate of the world hangs in balance.
Get ‘Tavern Talk’ on Steam, and top up your Steam Wallet on Codashop for bonus rewards.
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