Tavern Talk: Tempest Tantrum DLC Review – A Charming Side Quest with Old Friends

Players got to experience life behind the tavern bar in Tavern Talk, where we put together quests and mixed magical drinks to aid our adventurers. The story has many twists and turns that let players influence what happens, but even with so many options, the story does end eventually.

Until now. Thanks to the Tempest Tantrum DLC, players can return to their old tavern and experience another adventure with many familiar friends. The DLC adds around 3 hours of new story content, with four different endings to uncover, a new character, and of course, new drink recipes.

Key Details

• Publisher: Gentle Troll Entertainment
• Developer: Gentle Troll Entertainment
• Platforms: PC via Steam
• Price: $4.99
• Copy Provided for Review: Yes

Jump Right In – With Refreshers As Needed

The story of the Tempest Tantrum DLC comes after the events of the base game, but you don’t need to play through the story again to get there. I was pleased to see that the DLC has its own little menu button so you can hop right into the new content without any question of how to get there.

If it’s been a while since you last mixed drinks, one of the characters offers you a skippable tutorial reminder. I appreciated this detail, since I confess I had mostly forgotten how things worked until I got back behind the bar again. It’s a nice touch to ensure a smooth transition into the story.

Similarly, each character’s dialogue calls back to the main story while building on what they’ve been up to since we saw them last. I loved the little reminders of all the possible outcomes, and that I could choose dialogue options to reflect what happened in my last playthrough. Even those small choices matter, tweaking how characters talk about one another as the story progresses.

It’s just the right dash of friendly reminders while still making space for all the exciting new story content.

Revisit with Old Friends – and Assign Them New Quests

The moment I opened up the Tempest Tantrum DLC, I was thrilled to see a familiar face show up and ask for a drink. After so many hours behind the bar for the main story, it felt like coming home.

Though not every character from the main story makes a reapperance, dialogue options let you sink back into the world and catch up on what most of them are up to. I especially appreciated how the dialogue options let you influence the DLC to reflect what happened in your original playthrough, including the fates of your friends.

As each old friend visits, you’ll get up to your old habit of collecting rumors to create quests. There aren’t as many quests to create in this DLC since it’s a much shorter, side-quest type of story, but I still enjoyed getting to combine those sticky notes and see them transform into a story I’d get to influence.

I love that the stakes for the new quests aren’t quite as massive as those from the main story (I’m still recovering from what happened on one of those playthroughs). Yet, your friends’ success still matters, and you want to see them succeed. The story and characters are as engaging as ever, and we even get to meet someone new – Fable’s brother, Oleander!

Mix Drinks and Influence Fates – Again

Of course, it’s not Tavern Talk without mixing some drinks! You’ll have to access to many of the recipes you learn throughout the original base game, plus a new one to brew up.

Like in the base game, you choose between two options for how to support your adventurers on their quests. What you choose has big consequences for how things pan out, which is what makes the story so interesting. Depending on what you serve up, the entire rest of your playthrough can look totally different!

So, even though the story content may not feel like much on a first playthrough, there is so much more to explore if you want to uncover all the possibilities. I was so charmed to see that serving up a different drink for the first quest caused the second quest to pan out entirely differently! That’s the kind of “choices matter” goodness I want to see in a visual novel game, and it’s great to see how intricate this is in the Tempest Tantrum DLC.

Final Score – 9.5/10

In all, the Tempest Tantrum DLC for Tavern Talk is well worth your coin. It adds a charming side quest to the main story, letting you catch up with old friends and send them on new adventures.

My only complaint is that it felt a little short on my initial playthrough. I loved being back in that world so much that I didn’t want to see credits roll. Thankfully, the replayability with so many different branching storylines takes a bit of the sting out of “The End.”

If you enjoyed the original base game, this DLC is a must-have side quest that will charm you every bit as much as your first playthrough.

**Bonus Action was provided with a Steam code of Tavern Talk: Tempest Tantrum for the purpose of this review**

For help exploring Tavern Talk, check out our complete walkthrough. For more cozy adventures, check out our walkthrough of Whimel Academy or the amazing news for Tiny Bookshop. If you want a different kind of tavern experience, check out our early access review for Dungeon Inn.

About the Author

Amanda Kay Oaks

Editor

Amanda Kay Oaks is a writer, book witch, and video game enthusiast based in Latrobe, PA. She writes about books, games, and more from an office packed with crystals and Pokemon plushies. When not engrossed in work or fictional worlds, Amanda can be found in the kitchen, on her yoga mat, or walking her dog, Azula.

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