Innchanted

by Isabella
reviewed on PC
A long time coming
We at Hooked Gamers have been keeping an eye on Innchanted since we first got a glimpse of it at PAX AUS in 2019 when it was then known as Chaos Tavern. With cute characters that were a combination of fairy folk and indigenous Australians as well as a co-op mechanic similar to Overcooked, the team at DragonBear Studios looked to be developing a winner. After anxiously waiting three and a half years later, we finally got our hands on the finished product and we were not disappointed.
Innchanted has players taking on the role of running a magical inn that has been stolen by an evil wizard. With up to four players, it is your task to manage the inn to reclaim Yarrul's family legacy. Innchanted starts off with a quick backstory then progressively introduces new potions and meals as players progress through the levels. The game does a good job of guiding novices through the early levels, showing them how to complete tasks such as how to guide VIP customers to their table, mix together potions to create special potions and how to use them to boost your abilities as well as giving them to customers. Later on, players will flavour steaks with potions and even feed and groom the customer’s pet wombats. The addition of these new tasks certainly allow players to feel a sense of achievement as they progress.
No time to wait
Most customers don't mind waiting for their food and drinks, but there are several reasons why serving them quickly is advantageous. For starters, food left sitting on the barbie can quickly become a target for hungry magpies. Also, serving customers quickly means that the next customer can sit down and order, and with a bonus star for completing a level within a certain timeframe this is important. However, the VIP customers that are guided to their tables don't like to wait at all. They each have a timer associated with their orders, and if they aren’t served promptly they will storm off (and presumably leave a bad review on Yelp).
Completing these tasks will also reward players with shells - which are the currency in the game. After serving a customer, they leave the shells on the table as payment. These will remain on the table until you collect them, and so if you don't collect them the table remains unavailable. This causes a massive queue of people, so it's best to collect them and put them in your hopefully overflowing treasure chest. Players must protect their shells as thieves will attempt to steal them no matter where they are. By the way, thieves come through the back door so players will always need to keep an eye out.
After each level, players complete several clean-up activities in the inn to get ready for the following day's activities. Each character gets a choice of what they want to do and will then be given a choice of paths. Often one of the paths will provide a positive outcome such as starting off the next mission with all of the barrels full, whilst other choices can provide no effect, or even a negative effect such as being shrunk ten times compared to the size of a normal player. Also during this phase, players can customise their inn which allows players to change the style of furniture including tables and grills. Players can also go to the shop with their shells and buy upgrades and additions such as increased barrel sizes and a wombat that carries shells from tables to your chest.
Virtual help
If you are playing with less than the full complement of four players in co-op, you can get a helping hand with an AI controlled character. Controlling players can set the AI to perform one of three various tasks - serve customers (this includes making food and drinks the customers require and then serving it to them), refilling potion barrels, or defending the inn from thieves and monsters. Although it may not perform at the same level as an experienced player, this enables players to continue to do the main jobs they have set for themselves. You can change the AI's task whenever you feel it is necessary, so if a more important job appears, they can immediately be switched to that.
Visually, Innchanted pops with colour. Each of the characters have their own style and costume from Florian's green jacket to Yarrul's indigenous inspired red headband as well as her orange and red dress which seems to take inspiration from the colours of the Australian outback. The players will be able to upgrade to different costumes later, as they progress through the levels and gain stars - a favourite of mine was the koala onesie.
The interface works well too, with all the required information well laid out, making it easy for players to determine what tasks are required. Customer orders are clear to see, with thought bubbles that hover above their heads. Whether it is a standard potion, a steak, or a special potion, players can quickly determine what their next step will be. Most of the maps are well laid out too, letting players move from one area to the next without too many issues, although some of the later levels do contain bottleneck areas that ramp up the difficulty a tad.
Fun for all ages
Innchanted is a fun co-op game for all ages. The mechanics are simple enough for younger players but the game still provides enough of a challenge for more experienced gamers. The indigenous Australian story and characters and vibrant cartoon style visuals give the game an exciting atmosphere. Each of the new mechanics and recipes are introduced regularly so that the gameplay always feels fresh. The co-op works well whether you're playing alone or with a group of friends on the couch, with the AI being particularly proficient. With the restaurant upgrades and bonuses, costume unlocks, as well as trying to achieve the three (or four) stars on each level, Innchanted has heaps of replayability and is a must-have for fans of cute co-op games.
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9.0
fun score
Pros
Simple to learn mechanics, proficient AI character, heaps of replayability
Cons
Having to replay the intro cutscene when replaying the first level again