Let’s run with that ‘Another Bar Game review’ opener, as yes, it’s Another Bar Game review. Available now on Steam, I had the chance to play this before the doors opened, and now gearing myself up for a lock-in.
Tee-totallers might not be up-to-speed on the game, so here’s the skinny: you play Frank, an inexperienced bartender who gets hired on the job to serve the punters, pulling all manner of pints, cleaning up, and looking pretty. Frank has to keep everyone happy when the doors open, serving their requested drink as swiftly as possible.
Our benchmark for all multi-taskers is Overcooked, probably because that’s the most popular. Still, I’m going with Godlike Burger, Cannibal Cuisine or perhaps Tiny Witch, as that means I can insert a link for each and prompt you to check those out, too, if you like games such as this.
Another Bar Game Review: Hair of the Dog
Imagine this: you’re running about in a wifebeater and a pair of hotpants, and all you can hear is, “Dude, where is my beer?” – good reference there, Arik Games… To progress to the next stage, Frank needs a minimum of four out of five stars, and without a difficulty mode, yes, this is stressful.
I would even say that Another Bar Game is a rogue-lite. In some respects, the rating system seems redundant as anything under four stars, and you must repeat it. It’s very frustrating, but for each pint pulled, Frank earns XP, which can improve on skills. Subtle, but slowly effective.
There are four to unlock: walking speed, pulling speed (pints, not totty), how many glasses Frank can carry on a tray, and how many he can manually stack. Also, the landlord lets Frank pick what IPA to serve on many of the stages. It doesn’t make a difference to gameplay, but like Arik’s previous point and click, the titles are hilarious.
Are You Pulling My Pint?
You might be wondering how to play the game. Again, think Overcooked. In summary, a customer comes in, and a speech bubble states the drink they require with a colour associated with it. Frank then pulls a pint and delivers it to them on its own or with a tray to multitask. Pending they’re served promptly, that will improve the rating, but take too long and they’ll vote with their feet. They’ll leave.
Time is of the essence, but so is cleanliness. If Frank doesn’t collect the glasses and wipe down the tables, that’ll instantly make Johnny Public grumpy. Additionally, glasses don’t grow on trees, so they have to be put in the dishwasher and cleaned, kegs have to be changed, glass has to be swept up, and furniture repositioned. All this for minimum wage?!
Another Bar Game is entertaining, if mildly stressful, but it’s designed that way. If it weren’t for the levelling up, the strictness of the level requirements could be a slight turn-off, but that infectious music is back once more and drills into your head – wanting to play just that little bit more. But that country singer that sings the same thing on repeat? Fetch me mah shotgun, pa…
There are only a handful of bars to play in Another Bar Game, but if you’re a masochist like I was, you can jump into the Open Bar mode, which is effectively an endless feature. Customers filter through constantly, and the stage is so big it scrolls. At one point, I’d managed to serve over 300+ customers but eventually had to take a break as, obviously, it was never-ending.
So yeah, fans of multi-taskers will enjoy this indie. There’s no faffing about with an in-depth narrative, customisations or settings – dive in and clean the place up. We’re expecting customers in a minute.
