Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Best Served Cold is an investigative visual novel that caught my eye. Although, it is not a style of game I would normally choose to play, I had a lot of fun with it. The game has a ton of interesting dialogue that you will need to read in order to solve crimes committed by your patrons. And if that wasn't harrowing enough, you're a bartender of a speakeasy around the time of prohibition. What a fun concept! Oh, did I mention that in the first scenario you are also a known criminal? No? Well, that fact certainly makes the game a lot more interesting too. Also, there are a couple of different cases to solve giving several hours of gameplay.
Gameplay
In Best Served Cold, you are a bartender who tries to gain information from people while they are intoxicated. At first, you have to guess what sorts of drinks the patron likes before you can gain any information. To make matters more challenging, you only get to serve the patron one drink per day. If you choose a drink that has too much alcohol than they can handle, you will not get any information from them as they will leave immediately. When you discover what a patron's favorite drink is, you will want to serve it on days when they are in a bad mood. Again, part of the challenge is to put them in better spirits (heh.) so that they can unknowingly give you a full picture of the crime committed.
In order to serve your customers a drink, you will click on the corresponding button and select a drink from your menu. Thankfully, you will not need to memorize anything related to the drinks because there is a handy indicator that tells you what is their favorite drink (That is, once you've learned it, of course.) Also, you do not need to manually mix and pour the drinks for the customers. Instead, all you need to do is a line puzzle. Upon successful completion, you will mix the drink perfectly and the happy customer will be more willing to give you information. While this mechanic is neat at first, it gets tiresome rather quickly. The developers did include a handy button to close the repetitive animation, so you don't need to watch it every time it occurs.
After gaining any information you can from your patrons, tap the bell on your counter. This indicates that last call has been served and you will be closing for the night. The game will then switch screens to a room in your home where there is a corkboard and a list of clues displayed on the right. You will be able to connect bits of information together by dragging a line between two clues that seem related. If there is a match, you will gain more insight into a suspect or a piece of evidence used in the crime. Any connection you make may be a key to solving the crime. When you next see any of the parties involved, you will be able to use your new insights to get closer to the truth. Then, after you've connected enough clues together, you will get a key piece of information like a motive, means, or potential alibi of a suspect involved in your case. But be careful as you'll have multiple people who might have committed the crime. You must be diligent in accusing the right party or else!
As you can see, while Best Served Cold is a visual novel, it draws me in by dropping a mystery in my lap. It may not have much other than static scenes and a bunch of dialogue, but it has enthralled me in a big way and I've had a ton of fun playing the game!
Graphics and UI
One thing that I enjoy about Best Served Cold is that it has a lovely 2D graphics style that's rather nice. Unlike other titles that are set during the prohibition era, this one doesn't try to oversell the ambience. Everything from the character images, to the establishment itself, to the simple animated style of mixing drinks is enough to be convincing without feeling 'fake'.
The UI itself is simplistic and not overstated. There is just enough information shown on the screen without cluttering it with tons of menu boxes. Even the minigame of dragging your token around an image depicting the drink you make is straightforward and relatively unique.
Throughout the game you encounter several different characters, each with their own personalities and quirks. Some of the clothing they wear creates an impression of the sort of person you are dealing with. And while all of the dialogue in the game is done through textboxes, you get the sense of each person rather easily.
Sound and Music
One thing that is lacking in Best Served Cold is music and sound. Unlike other games where developers might try to add extra ambience through randomly timed sound effects and background music, this game is void of much audio. While it does have sound effects for pouring drinks or when you ring the bell to end the day, there is not much else. And when a game lacks background audio as well as voice acting, it can lead to disinterest in the title. Thankfully, that is not the case here, but I'd love for there to be some added life to the game.
Final Thoughts
I had a fun time playing Best Served Cold. It's certainly not a masterpiece of a game because it is missing some much needed audio and more engagement from the player. What I can say is that there were several aspects that I enjoyed about the game. For one thing, I noticed that if the drinks used in the game were real drinks, I wouldn't be surprised. Many of them seemed like cocktails I could get from the local watering hole. If some of them were created specifically for the game, then I would love to try a couple!
I also enjoyed getting to know many of the characters. Some developers might try to cheat by using the same characters from one case to another, but I found that the characters were unique and diverse. Their reasons for visiting your speakeasy were sometimes fascinating and intriguing. Though none of these characters are three dimensional in terms of what the player needs to know, there was enough personality shown in their responses to you.
Overall I found that it is a fun and interesting game that lets you solve several different cases as long as you're paying attention to the clues. I can guarantee that it will suck you into its grasp for a few hours so beware! Best Served Cold is a great title for anyone who likes a little mystery with their cocktails.
Score: 8 out of 10
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