Tavern Talk 2: Dreamwalker

After having played the original Tavern Talk game for over 40 hours to get all of the endings, I was undoubtedly very, very excited for this game to come out. I played the demo and enjoyed it well enough, and waited patiently for the full release of this game on June 9th. I bought the game right away, but... after having played this game all the way through once I can't say I would play it again. There's a few issues with the game that are remarkably hard to ignore, as well as some major downgrades that have been made in Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker when compared directly to the original Tavern Talk. The main issue I noticed when playing this game to completion was the exact same issue that I had faced while playing the demo... actually making/mixing the drinks. The new drink mixing system is incredibly convoluted, and requires the player to memorize all of the names of the potions that you acquire throughout the game (15), and served to be more of a major headache than a fun gimmick. The second main issue that I faced was the way that the cast of characters actually went about ORDERING these drinks. The "hints" they give you before asking you to serve them a drink are incredibly vague (perhaps due to issues in translation) and serve to be more of a major pain to the player when choosing what drink to make than anything helpful. More often than not, I either mixed entirely the wrong drink or had to refer to a GAME GUIDE (found in the community tab) to have any idea what in the world the characters wanted me to make. What are the major differences between the original Tavern Talk and Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker? (in regards to game mechanics/story feeling): 1) The mixing system. I went over the incredibly convoluted mixing system in some detail (above) in relation to this game, but what exactly are the differences between this games mixing system and the original Tavern Talk? For one, the variety of items given to the player for drink "mixing" did a full 180... and it isn't pretty. The original Tavern Talk title introduced items (called "Infusions") that are added into the drinks that up certain effects of the base potions (Charisma, Dexterity, Strength, Intelligence, and Defense). This system was so much easier to understand than the mixing system in Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker, where infusions were completely done away with, and we were left instead with 15 different potions that we were forced to remember the names of and their stat differences. Not to mention, many of these 15 potions given to us are nearly IDENTICAL in color, which can (and likely WILL) prove to be an issue for members of the Tavern Talk community who have color blindness. In addition to the convolutedness of needing to memorize fifteen different potion names, the interface of the drink mixing station changed quite a bit, and it made it a lot more difficult to figure out which stats were the correct values. In the original Tavern Talk, the stats were organized on the chalkboard inside the Tavern to look like a DND Stats (Radar) chart, where each of the "levels" of values pertaining to a single stat were easily visible to the player. In Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker, the devs did away with this ease. The Radar chart was replaced with a chart that looks a lot like a number-line, where the negative values fell on the left side and the positives fell on the right. "Why is that bad?" you may ask. Well, these values are only labeled with tiny "tick" marks (much like on an actual number-line) and it made it very difficult to understand exactly WHERE in the positive or negative values a specific stat was at any given time. 2) The characters. This was the biggest and most notable change this game made when compared to the original Tavern Talk title, and it was one of the things I found made Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker feel a lot less lively and enjoyable...: First and foremost... the cast of characters was WAY smaller in Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker when compared to the original Tavern Talk. Where the original Tavern Talk had 19 "main" characters and one character (Quincy) who would appear on occasion to give the player a pep-talk and share a 'hidden' recipe (hot chocolate), Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker split the cast by more than half, leaving the player with only eight characters to discover and talk with. Secondarily... the characters in this game feel a lot less alive(?) than in the original Tavern Talk. Where the characters in the original Tavern Talk each had their own flaws and successes, they were DYNAMIC and enjoyable to talk to BECAUSE they were so dynamic in personality. When comparing that cast of characters to Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker... you'll find out fairly quickly that the already tiny cast of Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker have one personality trait, and that's it. And what's difficult with such flat characters like the ones in Dreamwalker... is that you either love them or hate them, and there's no in-between. 3) The story and dialogue. (I know this sounds like, "well DUH" but stay with me,). In regards to the story between the original Tavern Talk and Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker, theres a few major differences...: The story of Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker felt (and WAS) generally a LOT shorter than that of Tavern Talk. In Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker, there were maybe five REAL quests to hand out to the characters, and that was it. (No the last two "quests" don't count; they go hand in hand with the fifth quest you craft and don't really change the final ending to your gameplay). The original Tavern Talk had FOURTEEN main quests, and none of them were "continuations" to the final quest. They all presented different challenges, and drastically impacted the trajectory of the rest of the story. Going from having 14 quests in the first game down to a pitiful five in a "stand-alone" prequel is insane. In regards to the major changes in dialogue quality between Tavern Talk and Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker: Where the story was rich and genuinely focused on the plot and worldbuilding of the surroundings in the original Tavern Talk.... Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker effectively did the opposite. A LOT of the characters only talked to themselves (or on rare occasions, to the player) about felt nothing short of irrelevant nine times out of ten, where their personal grudges and snippy talks held more weight in terms of the story than the ACTUAL QUESTLINE, which is, I don't know, meant to be the MAJOR plot of the game?? I would say that about three quarters of Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker was only there to be flavor text versus anything important, and yet somehow, this game STILL managed to fail at creating dynamic characters and worldbuilding. (Rhea *a character from the original Tavern Talk* would be absolutely ROLLING in her grave if she were to be placed into Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker. She outwardly expressed how much she HATES flavor text in the original game, and it genuinely feels like a slap to the face that the game devs MADE Rhea and still went "I wonder how much flavor text we can add to Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker!") Finally...: player interaction (in game) also changed a LOT between Tavern Talk and Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker, and it felt like a punch to the face. Why? Well...: Where the original Tavern Talk game relied HEAVILY on player interaction with the NPCs and let the player decide for themselves how nicely (or meanly) to speak with any NPC... Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker went down the polar opposite route. The player is practically ignored for most of the game, leaving the Tavernkeep (much like the characters) as an incredibly static character that falls more into the "neutral good" alignment than literally anything else. And BECAUSE of this very limited player interaction, Tavern Talk: Dreamwalker feels a LOT less like an actual game than just a book with pretty graphics.

[b]Note:[/b] I had a chance to play the full version, thanks to a totally awesome friend. ^^ [h1]A Solid Prequel to [i]Tavern Talk[/i] ^^[/h1] [h2]Introduction[/h2] [i]Tavern Talk Stories: Dreamwalker[/i] is a cozy, fantasy visual novel developed and published by Gentle Troll Entertainment. You're the owner of [i]The Drowsy Dragon[/i], a tavern in a small portside town in the world of Phesoa. You greet guests who come into your tavern and serve them their desired drinks, along with creating quests and mixing the right drinks so that any quest takers may be victorious in their endeavors. After an extremely unusual fog appears and engulfs the world, affecting the people, your patrons seek to investigate this strange phenomenon and return the world to its normal state. What will happen? Only through your choices of drinks to serve will the fate of your patrons be decided... As for the gameplay, you can initially decide on a customized name (default name being Cosmo) and gender before diving into the game. Choices are presented throughout the story even though they don't make any significant impact, only influencing the flavor text. You can mix drinks by pouring specific amount of potions, using either your mouse or controller. (For review purposes, I used my mouse.) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3745752088 Quests are created by taking notes of gossip that tavern patrons give, and then these same or different patrons can accept them. With quests, there are two approaches for completing them, which lead either to a positive or negative result, and you have to choose which drinks with specific attributes will best help. Steam achievements are available, and at the time of this review, they count towards a user's global total. [h2]Review[/h2] After having played and reviewed Gentle Troll Entertainment's first game, [i]Tavern Talk[/i], I've been enjoying these kinds of cozy games with fun gameplay. I played the demo way back when it was initially released, and thanks to a wonderful friend, I had the chance to play the full version and share my thoughts. ^^ [h3]Story and Gameplay[/h3] As the store page states, this is a standalone story, so you don't need to have played [i]Tavern Talk[/i] although I highly recommend it. It's a great game. With that said, I like how the story starts off. The day starts off quietly, with Cosmo's friend/acquaintance, Kerbosia Mariyam, dropping by for a drink. Other patrons, new and old, with a wide range of personalities enter the tavern for their drinks, and it seems like things are going to be slow, with the exception of the occasional side quest. However, events start to get exciting after a mysterious cloud envelops the world and starts plaguing people with nightmares. It's quite the twist, and most of the story revolves around the fog and the perpetrator behind it. Although I found the story to be satisfying enough, I feel like it lacks a couple of elements that [i]Tavern Talk[/i] had. When the final villain is revealed, it seems like it comes out of nowhere. Also, as a couple of people have noted, the very latter part of the story feels rushed, and I have to agree. In my opinion, the first [i]Tavern Talk[/i] is better, but I do have fondness for it. In addition, this is just a personal preference, but for all the yuri fans, [spoiler]there's a hint of a possible blossoming romance, but because a certain event happens, it doesn't go anywhere[/spoiler]. However, I did enjoy the wide cast of characters and getting to learn about their stories. For example, there's a backstory between Cosmo and Mariyam, which involves Mariyam's younger sister, Zarah. Then there's Aegeus, a restaurant owner who secretly dreams of becoming an adventurer. Also, for those who did play [i]Tavern Talk[/i], the villain from that game becomes a patron here, which probably isn't a surprise since this is a prequel. I like that there are multiple endings, just like in the first game, although it feels like the best ending here has less fanfare. The gameplay is pretty fun although it feels more formulaic this time, having to think of the right combination of potions to make the correct drink. However, the gameplay controls are the same as in the first game, so if you're used to them, you won't have any issues. Even though it can feel tedious to create drinks in multiple playthroughs, you can choose to skip already read text, so that helps a bit. Creating quests is the same as well, and they're pretty doable although you may encounter a few hints that are irrelevant. However, I had no problems obtaining all Steam achievements even though it will take multiple playthroughs. As it may be difficult to 100% complete the game blindly, there are quite a few wonderful guides, both on Steam and other sites, that can help. ^^ [h3]Art and Music[/h3] The art has a lovely style that is the same as in the first game, so I'm glad that the developers kept the same artist(s) here. The sprites and backgrounds are drawn and colored well, and I especially like the trinkets that you get from quests. [i]Dreamwalker[/i]'s art style gives off that warm, cozy vibe as you're welcoming patrons and serving them drinks. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3745751941 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3745751672 As for the music, the tracks are lovely to listen to. They give off that feeling of being in a seaside coast town. Of course, all the tracks are instrumental, with the exceptions being the track when you open the game and the track in the ending credits. Most tracks are relaxing although a couple have those intense, scary moments, which makes sense, considering certain events in the game. The game isn't voice acted, with the exception being the opening of the game and the ending (if you get the normal or best ending). [h2]Conclusion[/h2] Would I recommend [i]Tavern Talk Stories: Dreamwalker[/i]? If you enjoyed [i]Tavern Talk[/i] and want more of the same, like the drink mixing aspect, and/or enjoy getting those Steam achievements, then it's worth a look. Granted, I did enjoy the story of [i]Tavern Talk[/i] more, but this may come down to personal preference, as [i]Dreamwalker[/i] has a solid story on its own. Still, it was great to return to this series, and I'm curious to see any future games by Gentle Troll Entertainment (even though it's a bit too soon at the time I'm writing this XD). [quote]For more detailed, fully complete, high quality reviews like this, please follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url], prioritizing heart and soul always. ^^[/quote]

TLDR; buy this game, it is worth it for the feels despite any minor technical issues. If you're someone who is afraid of making the wrong choice, there are plenty of guides out there to make sure you take the right path each time. All it takes is a step. I got this as a gift from a friend. This game starts off slow but by hours 3-5 really hits you hard. It speaks to you as if it understands you, it casually explains things that you never knew how to put into words. It rips your heart out in both silent pain and screaming pleasure for all of the wonderfully unique and deep characters that sit at your tavern, and allows you to bathe in their love, hatred, heartache and complex lives as if they were your own. Please pick this up to experience it for yourself, the potion-craft is lovely but it's experiencing life that is what makes this gem worthwhile. Outside of that, the soundtrack is mesmerising, it's beautiful. I often ignore soundtracks on Steam but for this game I wishlisted it. The lofi humming combined with the uplifting lyrical beats makes me feel like I'm in a TTRPG setting all over again. They have the pain and the triumphs of entire campaigns embedded into seconds of song. If you enjoy background soundtracks, check this game out for that reason also. Now for technical. Runs smoothly, no issues at all! But after I completed the game, I went back, investigated and found that I think many of my achievements were bugged. I never got achievements I should have for completing certain chapters or story arcs. It's not much of a bother to me, but it might be to others. I've reviewed many games over the years, and I've never really cared whether people read them or not as it's more a casual review of opinion, but if the developers happen to read this one, I'd love you to know that I appreciate all of your characters. I can see that you poured love and soul into each one, and I think they've irrevocably changed my own heart in knowing them too. I can't wait for it to be tomorrow.

Deeply wonderful game. Full of heart and humor and love and cozy, magical delight.

As a big fan of the first Tavern Talk, I really looked forward to Dreamwalker and can say I greatly enjoyed my time at the tavern (again). The cast of characters is a nice mixture of old and new faces who were all interesting ot get to know, with their own strenghts and struggles. At first I was afraid the spotlight only falls on the old ones but that worry didn't turn out to be true. The design of the tavern itself is very lovely and made me feel like I'm right at home (in no small thanks to the amazing music (again)). Mixing the drinks is more challenging this time around. It's not impossibly hard but I had to chew on some recipes quite a bit. All in all, if you liked the first game, you'll most likely enjoy this one as well. It's smaller with less characters but leans into a more personal way of exploring its cast which I liked a lot. Also, Captain Beebug, my beloved.

I was really looking forward this prequel since I enjoyed the first game a lot First of all: loved the music and character designs. New and "old" faces and it was very fun watching them all grow (and squabble) Also really enjoyed that this time we got a lexicon with the worldbuilding and more information about the world itself so it was easier to follow the conversations. (I ADORED the star signs!) I know the community is split of the mechanics - personally I liked the more complicated drink mixing, but also see that a little more direct hints might be good to be added like they did with the quests; which were also more complicated due to not being limited to 3-rumors-per-quest. The story itself feels more mature and focuses a lot more on mental issues than expected. From family issues to self worth problems, fear of abandonment and more; everyone has a lot of baggage. It felt a little bit like playing therapist while running our inn (like bartenders tend to do) There was also so much foreshadowing and easter eggs!! From "Rune" [spoiler]writing down how to run an tavern (and making things less complicated in their own; see quests and drink mixing), to flower language (I did look up what they meant in that one scene and... this lil cheeky warlock!! An "insult" indeed xD) to favored foods, mentioned items (what do you mean THIS item is already mentioned/shown???) and names (oh BOYYY!!!)[/spoiler] there was surely a lot going on for the people who played the first game and paid attention. Opinion on the endings: [spoiler]The good ending really sets a nice base for what we know will become a group of adventurers and it was pretty cute to see unfold... at least until they mess up BADLY! The bad ending... it's not terrible, kinda heartbreaking even, but it leaves me a bit empty. Wish it got a bit more substance towards the why's and more in depth motives of our villain. It felt somewhat rushed and like there was some part of the story missing.[/spoiler] Still - overall a very enjoyable game and I hope we will get another story in the future :)

I got a key from the PR but also backed this game on the silver tier. Either way I was going to play it. That said... I love all these characters so much. I enjoyed the first game, the DLC, have an Andu plush... hopefully there will be a Beebug plush soon? It's a visual novel type game, talk to patrons, send them off into the world but give them your best potions first. It's such a nice cozy game and it was interesting to see Una, Quaser and Rune in their past adventures leading to the first game. Well done once again Gentle Troll!

Gorgeous backgrounds, fun characters, and a fantastic story!

在瞌睡龙酒馆中用药剂调制魔饮，收集传闻发布任务，听冒险者们带来的精彩冒险故事。非常温馨的游戏。 游戏对话风格诙谐幽默。常客之间会逐渐熟识，大家之间的化学反应特别有趣。被怀疑偷窃的绝对混乱邪术师和严肃正义圣骑士之间的关系特别可爱啊，他们会拌嘴但是互相照顾的很好。也有张扬随性的顾客在朋友走了之后黑着脸说刻薄话吐槽。大伙和酒馆老板的关系也特别好，经常给我带来装饰品，药剂还有新的魔饮配方。总共八个角色，比前作要少一些。但其实也有好处，人物少了会有空间把故事讲的更好更深入。 前作有一些故事无聊的评价，我在玩之前是有点担心的。玩了本作发现其实是自己多虑了。故事有趣紧凑，各个线索传闻之间有千丝万缕的联系。胡扯正是酒馆的用途，但可怕又迷人的冒险故事更是酒馆里的主旋律。你能听到的有趣故事可真是太多了。有海市蜃楼般的墓穴宝藏、让所有人昏睡的神秘迷雾、在火山里盖城堡的吸血鬼。有次幻影裔偷看柠檬的梦，结果那十八小时的噩梦都快让他发疯了。然后他就从柠檬的梦境里给我带来的新的魔饮配方。还有失心疯的冒险家把克拉肯海怪的触手当滑梯玩。随口提起的背景故事里也有有趣的小细节，比如沙丘里太怪入侵之后好几个月里，所有东西吃起来都像是沙子。 游戏的美术特别精致。主界面的音乐好耐听，还有大家一起干杯的声音，我迟迟不进游戏听了好久。开场动画的质量就好高。之后每天过场动画也是，每天都会有一些小变化。游戏中还有环境氛围光，迷雾弥漫时候的环境光明显比阴雨连绵时候要白很多。 人物小表情动作很丰富。甚至魔宠和小宠物它们都有和主人情绪同步的表情。邪术师格里斯害怕的时候紧紧抓着手杖，帽子上藤蔓和挂饰都会抖动。TA伤心的时候身上趴着的魔宠和TA一样眼角会流出眼泪水。小蜥蜴龙水汪汪的大眼睛特别萌，有朋友说它的眼泪水是鼻涕泡，反正都很可爱啦。德鲁伊琪娅害怕的时候整个翅膀都在抖，她的表情在情绪激动的时候特别夸张。伤心的时候翅膀和耳羽都会下垂。还有厨子埃癸斯的尾巴害怕也会抖的超厉害。他肩膀上的擦手布也很符合他的职业身份。 我原本和琪娅说墙上的鱼会唱歌，只是想要胡扯几句逗逗她的。结果，老天爷啊，墙上那个鱼还真能动。窗台旁边的那只海鸥还能伸出超高的脚，是想整点长薯条嘛？魔饮的样子也特别精美。“北方拳手”的杯子里会冒出烟雾，就好像里面在打拳赛一样。 饮料调制相对麻烦，调制过程需要动脑计算。好在黑板上的可视化图表能提供一些帮助。攻略写的非常详尽，但是以恒星名来命名的药剂不算是什么常用词，所以每次对应中英文也需要花一点时间。有些时候客人会需要特定原料的。还有时候会提出想要满满一大杯,整整五剂魔药汇聚成一杯魔饮的要求。所以攻略是详尽到每一杯魔饮的所有调配可能性都有写出来的。 总共20天。前期每天来的人比较少，一天调个两杯就结束了。后期一天会来很多人。每回开张营业之间其实间隔了一段时间的。地图做的特别细致，每块小区域都能点开来看介绍。背景设定也一样非常的详尽。 一共有七个任务。在出发前给冒险者调配不同的饮料，会让他们走上不同的道路。攻略给路径分了好坏，但是我觉得那些坏路线也很有意思。不过是路途更坎坷一些，一样可以知道很多真相。正所谓条条大路通罗马嘛。 [quote]关注「 [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/42276832//]鸿源鉴游组」 [/url] [/quote] [u][b] 会当逢佳游，始可见鸿源。 [/b][/u]

[code]Reviewed at GameGrin.com. Check out the [url=https://www.gamegrin.com/reviews/tavern-talk-stories-dreamwalker-review/]full review right here![/url] [/code] Coming out the other side of a nearly 20-hour run with the characters and their stories, I am deeply satisfied with the experience; I began feeling genuinely sad as the game reached its end because there are so many characters that are too distinctive to find elsewhere. They are the type to stay with you past the credits. Tavern Talk Stories: Dreamwalker delivers an incredible fantasy experience that truly makes you feel the joys and stressors of being a bartender to a bunch of adventurers you end up caring about. The aesthetic is exquisite, the music is phenomenal, and I could go on about everything they aced, but the review must end somewhere. I'm glad I faced my fears, and I highly recommend you try it out too.