Barbarous: Tavern Of Emyr – Review

From the mastermind behind the intriguing Welcome to Primrose Lake, comes a new Time Management extravaganza in Gamehouse’s signature style – Barbarous: Tavern Of Emyr. Emyr was once a fearless hero until a serious wound led him to take on the mundane career of an innkeeper. But Emyr’s destiny doesn’t let him stay bored for long when a teenager appears out of nowhere and claims to be his daughter. Emyr needs to tackle his chaotic life while running the taverns, at the same time fueling the adventurer’s fire within his soul!

Although Barbarous: Tavern Of Emyr is not part of the Gamehouse Original Stories collection, it closely follows the formula established by the iconic franchise. Throughout its 60 levels and five locations, the game has you serving tavern customers – from food to expedition tools – at the same time completing story-driven secondary objectives. Still, most Gamehouse fans will find the game fairly challenging, given the chaotic nature of the game.

There is nothing notably novel regarding the gameplay, but Barbarous: Tavern Of Emyr presents quite an original theme. This Vikings-era tavern concept allows the game to experiment with a more playful storyline, quirky characters and humorous events that would have come across as too absurd if the game was set in modern times. Some players will find this style of comedy entertaining, while some will understandably find it annoying. Personally, I am of the latter group, which somewhat distracts me from the real merits of the game.

Barbarous: Tavern Of Emyr’s presentation matches its irreverent personality. The bright and colorful graphics are complemented by some lively animations and fun, slapstick character work. The joyful music is also well-suited for the fast pacing of the game. If you are engaged by the storyline, the energetic visuals and the tried-and-true gameplay should be enough to amuse you for hours. Outside of that, Barbarous does not offer extra mini-games or features, except for a tavern in which you can spend the gems you collect after each level on decorations.

Barbarous: Tavern Of Emyr’s humor style is an acquired taste, but its game mechanics are objectively well-crafted and entertaining.