Sometimes, all the adventuring, killing big monsters, and saving the world gets to be a little much. Sometimes, you just want to put your feet up, open a cozy tavern by the sea, mix drinks for people, and use your mixology skills to alter their fate and keep their dreams from turning nightmarish, am I right? Something like that.
Tavern Talk Stories: Dreamwalker is a visual novel that allows you to fulfill your tavernkeeping desires, but they are eager to point out that this is not one of those tavern management sims. Instead, there’s branching dialogue, there’s characters, there’s a story involving dreams, your own past, and your mixology skills…but there is still some drink mixing, bantering with patrons, gathering rumors, and making quests for people. Because, of course, medieval taverns are all about quests.
The basic game loop comes down to this: Patrons come in, and there’s a conversation. I will say I was playing a short demo, not the full game, but picking different dialogue options provided enough flavor that I’d be intrigued enough to play it through again. Eventually, they order a drink. Sometimes this is a specific request for a particular drink. Sometimes, they only give you a hint, like “Yeah, gimme something to boost my charisma and make me lucky.”
Think of it like being a non-fantasy bartender. Some people just want a Bourbon and diet coke (me). Some people want “something sweet.” However, in the game’s world, the drinks actually do make you luckier and more handsome, and only tequila has that power in our world. As a bartender, sometimes you know exactly what to make them, and sometimes you’re like “Uhh, maybe this? Maybe this?” and throw things together for them.
Each potion/ingredient can affect one or more stats: Strength, Charisma, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Defense. Some influence just one stat in one direction (makes Strength go up one point or down one point, for example), while others may influence multiple stats in one direction (Makes Dexterity and Charisma go up one point) or multiple stats in multiple directions (Makes Strength go up but Charisma go down). Adding to the delicate task of mixology, sometimes you want to lower a particular stat, like sometimes you want to drink to get stupid. And, of course, there is only so much room in the glass.
Once you serve them, you get into the second most important part of the game: more talking and gathering rumors so you can get to know your patrons, build quests, and explore the branching narrative, because they trick you into thinking this is going to be a game about running a fantasy tavern, but it’s actually got a story behind it. You have to care about people (or blow them off) to experience the story rather than min-maxing your stealing space or income-per-drink, which is a pretty devious trick.
Tavern Talk Stories: Dreamwalker Blends Mixology With Meaningful Choices
Overall, it was a relatively short extended demo, but a game/visual novel like this lives or dies based on its writing and vibes. The drink mixing was interesting, the writing was strong, and I really liked the music, which is to say, I liked it enough to let the game run in the background while my needy cat clambered up and took my attention away for 20 minutes at a stretch. Can’t ask for a stronger endorsement.
