The Brew Barons is a recreation constructed on an thought that’s concurrently very odd and so completely geared toward my particular pursuits that as quickly as I noticed the primary trailer, I needed to know extra. It is a mashup of old-timey Crimson Skies-style aeroplanes and beer, and as bizarre as that sounds, it truly comes collectively fairly nicely.
The sport is ready amidst a small group of pretty, faux-Mediterranean islands whose consuming habits are being squeezed by a gang of pirates not not like Dennis Hopper’s bunch in Waterworld—besides that as an alternative of floating in water, this bunch principally flies within the sky. These pirates aren’t pillaging and plundering, although, however are as an alternative making an attempt to ascertain a monopoly on booze manufacturing with overpriced, low-quality product, and so they do not take kindly to potential opponents.
Which is what you goal to be: With a beat-up biplane and a run-down brewpub, your purpose is to ascertain your small business and construct up a clientele, make and ship high quality booze to sketchy dives and high-class accommodations scattered all through the islands, and do battle within the skies towards the predatory forces of low cost liquor.
The flight mannequin is all arcade—it pains the previous flight-simmer in me to say so, however a mouse is completely positive for flying—and harvesting the elements you will use in your alcoholic concoctions is completed fully from inside your aircraft, by taking pictures outsized vegetation with water, as an illustration, or utilizing your propeller blade to cut down fields of wheat. Realism is certainly not on the menu, however hey, if I wished a practical expertise I might purchase Microsoft Flight Simulator and spend my time with this superb, doomed machine. (Which fairly frankly wouldn’t be in any respect misplaced in The Brew Barons.)
Brewing can also be a really simplified course of: Dump a mixture of elements right into a vat, add some yeast, press a button, and bam—possibly you get one thing good (particularly for those who use one of many recreation’s many recipes) and possibly, for those who attempt to wing it, you find yourself with a gooey mess that is higher poured down the drain. Bottle it up and promote it at your personal institution, or promote it to one of many many different gin joints scattered all through the islands.
You possibly can customise your pub in numerous methods and serve differing types of alcohol that may appeal to or discourage numerous kinds of drinkers, incomes you roughly cash within the course of. But when, like me, you are primarily right here for enjoyable within the skies, a extra hands-off strategy additionally works, particularly for those who handle to recruit a great bartender. It is a bit like Area of Desires: So long as you’ve got acquired one thing on faucet, individuals will present as much as drink it.
Likewise, your aircraft might be modified in all kinds of how to make it a greater fighter or harvester, and you may even have the chance to rent completely different individuals to deal with the varied elements of your small business: A brewer, a bartender, an accountant, a greater pilot, and so forth. Most of them appear to be roguish ne’er-do-wells in a method or one other, however let’s be sincere, you are constructing a enterprise on drinkin’ and fightin’, and that is naturally going to draw a sure sort of character.
There’s fairly a bit occurring however it unfolds at a sluggish, manageable tempo, and that general simplicity of The Brew Barons is an enormous a part of what I like about it. It is simple enjoyable, an old-time journey within the spirit of video games like Crimson Skies however with extra of an exploration/sightseeing angle (there are underwater wrecks to salvage, unique recipes floating in bottles, bits of lore to find, and different little sidelines that assist hold issues fascinating) and, in fact, making beer. Or no matter you want: You possibly can brew all kinds of alcoholic drinks, like cider, whiskey, gin, wine, rum, no matter, however because the saying goes, I am right here for the beer. It is the form of recreation that is straightforward to leap into and horse round with, with out demanding an amazing funding in time or psychological power.
The pre-release construct I performed was a little bit tough in some spots. Some elements of the brewing system aren’t instantly intuitive, and a few instances the mouse controls appeared to disconnect from the aircraft, leading to a fast crash into the water. Landings have been additionally tough: Regardless of the arcade flight mannequin, I needed to be very cautious and exact to keep away from doing injury to my aircraft and priceless cargo whereas coming down on the water. Developer Lifetap Studios stated they’re nonetheless fine-tuning the sport, and injury thresholds are one thing they have been taking a look at for the ultimate launch.
I solely put a number of hours into The Brew Barons so I can not touch upon the way it holds up over the lengthy haul, however the time I spent with it was good enjoyable and I am wanting ahead to extra. The Brew Barons is out at this time on Steam.
