Ale & Tale Tavern is a lighthearted, humorous co-op game where you run a tavern, help people, and get a story thrown in along the way.

The basic concept of the game is really fun, and it offered more than we expected. You run the tavern, serve guests homemade drinks and dishes, beat them up if they refuse to leave (or beat up zombies!), and try not to lose track of everything. Because if you make the guests wait too long, they’ll storm off in a huff. As you do this, the tavern level goes up, giving you more space for furniture and equipment, but also unlocking lodging options. It was wild, but entertaining chaos 😂

In addition to tavern life, you can explore the villages around the tavern, beating up wild boars, bears, or orcs, rescuing and helping people, and encountering other special creatures. With each tavern level-up, you unlock new tools and weapons to better defend yourself against the villains.

But it has to be said that the gameplay is always the same: level up in taverns until the merchant shows up with a quest, complete the quest to meet a new character, and then, in what can sometimes be a lot of quests, bring them specific dishes or items—and occasionally destroy something. It was very repetitive, which became a bit boring after a while, so we quit the game early. With another three or four hours, we could have finished the game, but we’d lost our motivation and were satisfied with what we’d experienced 😅

If you're looking for a co-op game where communication and teamwork are key, then I recommend “We Were Here.”

The game is free and tells the story of an expedition that ends with you and your partner getting separated. The only way to communicate is through a walkie-talkie! It can happen that you say something, but your partner didn’t hear a thing because he was talking into the device at the same time. So you have to let each other finish speaking and use a code word to let your partner know you’re done. “Over” was the most frequently spoken word that evening 😂

The game featured interesting puzzles set in a beautifully designed castle and encouraged teamwork to progress. Some levels were also timed, which raised the stress level a bit, but thanks to checkpoints, it wasn’t necessarily a big deal.

But here’s one more thing I’d like to share with you: If you’re thinking about streaming this game, the shared chat and camera of your stream partner aren’t really worth it. If you’re not actively talking on the walkie-talkie, you won’t hear a thing your partner is saying, which led to some confusion in my chat during those conversations 😆