Simulations that attempt to replicate real-life experiences are always intriguing. Even more when these are activities that I will probably never do in real life! Not drinking alcohol (well, almost never), I have little chance that one day I will embark on a career as a beer brewer. But that doesn't stop me from having fun with this idea in a completely virtual way.
It all starts with a large saucepan to boil on a gas stove. Then you have to add ingredients, malt and hops. A priori, it was not necessary to put everything in like a savage... At the same time, the developer warned me when I had already attached everything to the edge of the pot of boiling water. Lack of luck, it seems that the timing is important to guarantee the accuracy of the recipe... Suddenly, a watch and a calendar ensure jumps in time (the first for a few minutes or hours, the second when it is matter of days). This is essential for the fermentation phase, for example, once the yeast and sugar have been added. For this phase (I believe), you have to transfer the mixture into a plastic barrel, which requires a pipe and the use of gravity. The creation of the beverage continues with the branding: the choice of a name, a style, a shape of glass and a label. The tasting phase is the last stage, the moment of accounts, when the final note of the beer is revealed. In the end, even if I improvised a little, I didn't come out badly. It was, shall we say, drinkable...
The brewery is customizable, with festive decorations and other furniture (table, chair, shelves...). But I haven't tested this part.
Interesting in principle, with in particular great fidelity to the chemical reactions behind the creation of alcohol, Brewmaster suffers in the state from a major concern for the consistency of keyboard controls. I really struggled between all the shortcuts. Sometimes you have to use the wheel, other times the keyboard to scroll through similar-looking menus. There is not a key of action, but a multitude: E, F, V... Depending on the case, it is one, and not the other. To turn on or off the gas, it is necessary first to select the pan. Only then do the gas stove buttons become interactive. It only remains to hope that things improve by launch... Unless with a controller, it's easier?
The game is scheduled for September 29, on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 system, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Steam.
