This game is just a 'happy little game'. Is it even a game? Mm, hard to say, but it's really relaxing and there are only 'happy little mistakes' because every map has a story.
I don't need to write a huge review over this game. As mobile games go, it's solid and not preditory. As a mobile game ported to PC, it's a solid port. As a game in general, it's a really good tower defense game with lots of enjoyment and replayabilit.
I have a lot of hours in this game. (far more than here on GOG) The leveled loot and monster difficulty very much ruins my exerience, based on my Morrowind days and that game handled monsters, progresssion, and loot.
I'd rate it lower but the game's charm did bump the sore up. Plus I do like some of the mechanics that I don't see in other tavern sim games. It does an okay job teaching you the mechanics but there are a lot of mechanics about staff management that are not explained and one has to grope around to figure out. The game also seems to still have a few bugs that can crash to desktop or have staff members perpetually in an infinite loop of doing nothing while trying to do something. Save often.
There are some minoir quirks that will prevent me from giving it a full five star rating in its category (simulation game). It primarily deals with how the cooking works, mechanically.
I spent a long time with this game. It needs a few more interactions. However it really is theraputic to play and to preferect things.
Of the series thus far, this one has less overpowered heroes and more challenging maps.
I wanted to give this game a 3 star rating, but I could only do that if it had replay value. At the current price of $13 USD it's so not worth the purchase. If the price tag dropped to $6 and if the replay value was there, that would solidify the three star value. Pros: Cute pixel art. Around 30 different zombies to unlock. Charming humor and world atmosphere. The game doesn't take itself seriously. Polish - the U.I. is good, and it's easy to navigate the screens (however the arrow keys dont' function to move around the map if zoomed in, nor does WASD. The agme is entirely mouse driven. Cons: Price - at the price of 13, there isn't enough content. Length - the game can be fully completed in around 8 to 10 hours tops Replay - there isn't any. Once you've unlocked the achievements and completed the game, there is little incentive to replay the title. Balance - The middle to late game steers you into using a few types of zombies. There is little incentive to use all types and expirment, save for in-game achievements that socre you more income, which is necessary to upgrade zombies to high levels - needed for late game. You unlock a lot of zombies, but you will rarely use any of them except in the case wehre the game ofers you a coin reward for doing so. Once you are late game, if you aren't sufficienlty upgraded and using proper types of zombies, you'll be soft-locked and ultimately lose. Gameplay - it's extremely repetitious. That in itself isn't a con, as old games like Contra were the same way. But maps have very little variety, and the objects are always the same (kill 5, 15, 30, etc) zombies, with another infection level being rewarded if you kill all humans on the map. I just find that the game needs more. Weekly challenges for ledgerboards doesn't interest me as it's merley 'play the game, beat the game, with this arbitrary handicap', and 'get a higher coin count than others playing'.
(Graphics) - 2d sprites with surprisingly good animation frames. (Sound) - Two soundtrack files; day and night. (Gameplay) - You indirectly control dwarevs by assigning tasks. You may directly take control of a dwarf. Commands dwarves can do that you cannot: replace a block with another, pick up/drop items, preform crafting tasks. Commands unique when controlling a dwarf: place items two blocks away, and item teleport; you have access to the full inventory to place blocks. (Multiplayer) - There are three biomes to select. You must upgrade your portal and cast the 'multiplayer' spell to begin. (Campaign mode) - four worlds to complete, using a linear, unlocking tech tree. Each world feels different, with different monsters and drops associated with enemies. (Criticism) - Unlocking the tech tree gets repetitive fast. You must do it in each of the four campaign worlds, and there are lots of 'filler' items. You do not need to play the campaign to play sandbox in any of the four worlds, so unlocking the four worlds in campaign mode is for its own sake. The music gets repetitive. Multiplayer feels very rushed; something 'tacked on' to sell more. You cannot: start a game in multiplayer, pause during multiplayer, control who joins if staring a multiplayer biome single. It needs the ability to set up a multiplayer game without having to have a sandbox/campaign game ongoing, and a way to pause during the matches. You cannot play a multiplayer match between two players with different clients of the game. For instance, GOG players and Steam players cannot play together. No point to multiplayer if in campaign. Item rewards won't carry over to your next world. Ranged dwarves (Mages/archers) run 'past' enemies first before firing. They take several unnecessary hits. Defense structure are lacking. There are only two. The ballista is weak; the tesla is moderately strong but late in the tech tree and expensive for its damage.
Review: Graphics: 32bit sprites for the animation of Recetta and the guild members. . Music: Nothing noteworthy; the overworld music while exploring the town/stocking items is short but memorable. . Characters: You may remember their personalities if you bother to visit each event and dungeon delve as much as possible - nothing extremely noteworthy, though. . Animation: With the exception of the dungeons and playing as a guild member, characters are cutout pictures with preset expressions/poses. There are only four types of townsfolk - housewife, husband, young girl, and old man. The rest are specific NPCs, or (eventually) playable characters. . Gameplay: The only direct control you get is in either moving Recetta around her shop, stocking shelves/adjusting layouts, or in controlling a guildmember in a dungeon. Everything else is a map-click, menu driven mechanic. . Story: Recetta is a 10? year old girl, stuck with paying off her abandoning father's debt and so a fairy guides her through converting her home into a shop to make the debt payments. Other playable guild members have their own backstories (sorta) and motives (minimal), but if you don't focus on venturing into the town much and discovering the events, you won't know most of them. . Criticism: Overall the game isn't deep. The story's simple, gameplay's basic, music's slightly catchy but forgettable. Random events are not dynamically linked to progression; an item not worth stocking on day 31 could be in 'great demand among [whomever]'. There should be more than one type of townsfolk for each category. Seeing only the same four faces repeatedly gets old. There is new game+, endless, and survival modes, to keep completionists happy. Such content is useful in discovering the rest of the dungeons, playable guild members, alchemy ingredients, and filling out the item encyclopedia. I love merchant simulator type games, so this game is sorta 'in my genera', but I can only give it a medium score.
