PAX Aus 2023 Highlight – Tavern Keeper

Tavern Keeper from Brisbane-based Greenheart Games was just one of the incredible indie titles that stood out during PAX Aus 2023. Tavern Keeper is the second game by the creators of Game Dev Tycoon and has been almost a decade in the making.

In Tavern Keeper gamers can build and manage their own tavern, upgrading their venue whilst navigating light-hearted tales from unlikely heroes.

Starting off with a shell of a tavern, gamers will build rooms and redecorate to their heart’s content, purchasing items to sell to customers, hanging dart boards and keeping the larder stocked with goods. If the business is a success we can progress into larger taverns with more demanding patrons and expanded options to service customers.

I managed to get hands-on with Tavern Keeper at PAX and although management sims aren’t usually my bag I got the hang of it relatively quickly. Before I knew it I had my larder stocked, my range of different beverages on hand and my first customer through the door.

I noticed there is a charming voiceover to help teach me the ropes and it lent a storybook feel to the game. It was pretty clear to me that you could put in as much effort and time as you wish, depending on how committed you are to making your Tavern the best in the land.

Boasting a detailed world featuring staff personalities, furniture breakages, fires and the like there are lots of little systems to keep things interesting for the budding Tavern managers out there.

Tavern Keeper is currently penciled in for Q3 2024 on Steam.