Why Wolf With Inn is a Cozy Game With Character

Tired of playing the hero? Then forget the shining armour – don a shaggy pelt and step into the other side of the storybook with Wolf With Inn. Beyond its clever title, here are three reasons why this fresh, dark-fairytale take on tavern management deserves your attention.

Once upon an alternate time…

While so-called ‘noble’ knights of the realm are polishing their egos, you’re more likely to be found polishing the bar top. That’s because you play as Fen, a man who loses his way in the forest of Mystmoor, and stumbles upon a run down tavern. The mysterious owner of the establishment, Fausto, decides to take Fen on to help manage the place, but not before it’s revealed that Fen has a dark alter-ego: a rage-filled werewolf that emerges without warning and forces him to do things he would never normally do…

This beastly reflection puts Fen on a level with the inn’s patrons: monsters, demons and mushroom people. These customers often become targets for glory hunters (the aforementioned knights), keen to have the heads of fantasy folk mounted on their trophy walls. As such, Fen also has a mark on his back, and so as well as running the establishment by night – cooking, dealing with rowdy guests, and clearing up the aftermath – players must undertake story quests and rescue fellow monsters before giving the ‘heroes’ their just deserts.

When not fighting on behalf of the kingdom’s maligned outcasts, there are secrets to uncover, recipes to discover, ingredients to gather, and a host of minigames that turn crafting routines (including cozy sim favourites fishing and chopping wood) into meditative and satisfying tasks. And of course, there are friends and enemies to be made along the way too.

Welcome to the neighbourhood

As you go about daily life in Mystmoor, you’ll encounter many colourful characters who call its Brothers Grimm-esque setting home.

The first person you meet is tavern owner Fausto, who becomes somewhat of a mentor to Fen. Cynical and grouchy, Fausto took on landlord duties after retiring from his role as a demonic commander, hoping to find peace and stability in the routine mundanity of domestic chores. His abrasive demeanour and biting remarks actually help to keep Fen grounded as he grapples with his new werewolf status.

The Mushroom People are a small tribe who live across the river, south of the tavern. Fen is introduced to their community via the calm and philosophical protector of the Mystmoor forest, Shiitar. They are a peaceful lot, but that doesn’t mean they won’t readily defend themselves in the face of danger, so stay on their good side, or let’s just say there’ll be a lot of compost in your future.

The traders and merchants in the town square will soon become familiar faces. Xerry and his troll friend Rippin flog skills and trinkets from the back of their caravan, whereas Lochrick will happily take your coins in exchange for tools and crafting materials. When it comes to consumables, Greg is your guy if you want to trade fish, caring auntie-figure Latilda’s cart is where to head if you’re in need of vegetables, and burly, broken-horned Roland is the town’s purveyor of meat, which he kindly reassures you “is not human”. Cheers, Roland. Good to know.

However, it’s on story quests where you’ll meet the most fully-realised characters in Wolf With Inn. Look out for Bjorn, a musician and fellow werewolf who helps Fen to understand the nature of his dual existence. Laid-back and philosophical, Bjorn has accepted his fate, but feels obligated to distance himself from his son due to his nighttime transformations. He finds solace in music and his self-imposed solitude.

You’ll run into Knowlian the guru, who will make you grand promises… though whether he can deliver on them is another matter. And there’s no missing aristocrat and monster-hunter widow Vindicta Riven, who has a very interesting fate ahead of her. Narcissistic, arrogant, and devoid of empathy, she’s on a quest for revenge in the wake of her husband’s death, but with entirely selfish motivations. She’s a predator in human form, so keep your wits about you when your paths cross.

A hand-crafted aesthetic

Wolf With Inn’s map is not a vast one, but the creators deliberately avoided creating a large setting in order to focus on the local history of a single, specific tavern and the surrounding inhabitants. These key figures have been rendered in storybook illustrations that accompany the text-based dialogue, adding personality and charm to every conversation.

Unlike typical pixel art sims, the game’s overworld art is also all hand-drawn, and works in tandem with the detailed character depictions to create a cozy atmosphere, but one that is still cloaked in the trappings of dark fantasy.

Fires crackle in hearths, candles flicker across the walls, and Fen’s lupine form leaps out in a curved shadow. But the aim is never to create a sense of menace or fear. The moody touches simply act as a reminder that despite the gentle gameplay loop, this game and its protagonist still have bite.

Build a cozy business, explore Mystmoor and learn to master your inner beast in Wolf With Inn, available now for PC via Steam.