Medieval StartUp
Medieval StartUp is a simulation game in the style of Supermarket Simulator, but instead of running a modern supermarket, you manage your own medieval tavern. While it shares the same core genre, it introduces several fresh mechanics that give it a unique identity. A major difference lies in the hands-on approach to production. Rather than simply ordering finished products, you will have to gather resources and craft the meals your customers will order.
While Supermarket Simulator has you purchasing goods, placing them on shelves, and waiting for customers to check out, Medieval StartUp shifts the focus to preparing dishes from scratch and placing them on the tavern’s counter. You’ll need to collect ingredients and unlock new recipes by upgrading your tavern. Storage management is simplified due to the limited variety of dishes. While in Supermarket Simulator you end up selling hundreds of products of different types, Medieval StartUp allows you to sell only a maximum of six different dishes at a time. Nice is that everything from crafted meals to raw materials can be stored in a shared chest with generous stack sizes, so inventory limits rarely become a concern.
Like its modern-day counterpart(s), Medieval StartUp features a day-night cycle. Your tavern operates only during the day, and each morning you set a menu that defines what customers can order. Daily tasks include not only cooking and serving but also cleaning up after guests. For instance, washing dirty dishes and pots becomes part of your routine. Early mornings and late evenings are ideal for gathering ingredients, prepping meals, or tending to upgrades and improvements, as during these times you won’t need to serve customers.
Beyond meal service, customers can also rent rooms in your tavern. These rooms must be furnished using items crafted from wood, which, much like cooking ingredients, respawns in generous amounts. In fact, you’re unlikely to run out of resources. Instead, the challenge lies in managing your time effectively. Fortunately, customers are quite patient, giving you the flexibility to dash out during open hours to pick some apples for cider, mushrooms for soup or flowers to craft bouquets to be sold at the market.
As your tavern grows, you can unlock a variety of new production buildings through a talent tree. Farm plots, a flour mill, a carpentry, beehives, brewing barrels, and market stalls gradually become available, alongside new recipes and perks that boost your income or efficiency.
While the gameplay stays generally casual, running the tavern becomes more demanding as it expands. Thankfully, much like in Supermarket Simulator, you can hire staff to help with tasks such as cooking, dishwashing, and serving. That said, the helper system currently has some issues. The employees don’t always behave as expected (they don’t always listen to your commands), which can lead to occasional frustration.
Overall, Medieval StartUp shows a lot of promise, but it still needs polish in its current state. Several achievements don’t unlock, and certain bugs can block your progress, for example quests might fail to complete. English support is also incomplete, with many tutorials, descriptions, and UI elements still in French, making it harder for non-French-speaking players to fully engage with the game. All of this is normal though, as the game is still in Early Access.