There is a special genre of games that is becoming further explored by indie studios that includes the management of shops and businesses in various settings. From Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale with its fantastic writing to the more recent Moonlighter with its delightful roguelike dungeons, indie shop management games continue to enthrall players in their financial ecosystems, buying and selling to the wee hours of the morning.
Developer Klabater, responsible for the recent political intrigue simulator We. The Revolution, and Heliborne is coming out with a fantastic look at owning an Inn at the crossroads of three feisty kingdoms that may be gearing up for war soon. Tasked with building & managing an inn, the player finds themselves watching out for rodents, mingling with nefarious personas, managing trade routes, and even making their own unique dishes and drinks to offer weary travelers.
The weary travelers themselves breathe life into the land of Delcrys. Players will find themselves naturally eavesdropping in the campaign mode as the various villagers bemoan the feudal life of a serf, whether it’s the mysterious circumstances of a benevolent ruler passing, or army formations being noticed on the border. They will also directly interact with your staff, menu, and rooms that you’ve designed, hired, and crafted.
Please check this detailed infographic explaining what kind of content will be released for our game in upcoming months! You’ll find a lot of free content here as well – we believe in sharing and you guys have already shared so much with us! Thank you! pic.twitter.com/X3GIDfQvne
— Crossroads Inn 2 (@thecinngame) October 17, 2019
Closet decorators will find plenty to celebrate as well, as players will continue to unlock new furnishings for their inn to tempt weary travelers with a homey vibe; outdoor & indoor decorations are found in large quantities, encouraging innkeepers to ensure their inn looks good even when the trade routes have gone sideways and their clients are upset that there is nothing to eat or drink. Numerous table types, flooring options, and wall styles offer promising customization of individual inns. Building walls to make rooms for guests to stay the night, ensuring the kitchen is properly stocked with the necessary equipment, and even hiring staff to ensure your customers are fat and happy are all necessary to ensuring your inn can survive longer than a fortnight.
The other aspect is trading; ensuring that your cooks have the necessary ingredients to cook whatever recipes you have set, and enough wine and ale to continuously wet the whistle of patrons. After all, no one is willing to buy that which doesn’t readily exist. It’s almost reminiscent of the ever-popular Sims series, in which you indirectly affect the lives of your staff and patrons via strategy and management, although it has a smattering of RimWorld‘s personality and wants management.
Crossroads Inn has just recently came off of their beta trial on Steam, and is slated for a release on October 23rd.