HearthWood Tavern is a character-driven fantasy tavern management game by hearthwoodtavern, built in Ren'Py with 2D AI CG artwork. You play Nathanael, the new owner of a forgotten establishment, rebuilding the tavern while listening to patrons, gaining trust, and uncovering its hidden history. Choices shape relationships with alchemists, adventurers, clerics, and rogues, with fantasy, humor, and monster-girl themes woven through the story.
The current build is v0.5, released June 5, 2025, and development is ongoing. It runs on Windows, Linux, and Android in English, and is uncensored. The v0.5 update reworked Elara's storyline, added several new Elara scenes, improved the introduction, and added sound and music to selected environments. It also enhanced NSFW scenes and made minor sprite and CG adjustments.
Developer's description
Welcome to
Hearthwood Tavern
, a
character-driven fantasy tavern management game
where the heart of your business isn’t just the drinks—it’s the people.
As
Nathanael
, the new owner of a once-forgotten establishment, your task is not only to rebuild the tavern but also to rekindle its lost legacy by forging deep connections with the unique individuals who walk through its doors.
Spoiler
From mischievous alchemists and wandering adventurers to soft-spoken clerics and streetwise rogues, every interaction shapes your journey. Will you build strong friendships, create unlikely partnerships, or maybe even spark a bit of romance?
But reviving the
Heartwood Tavern
is no easy feat. You’ll need to listen to the stories of the people, gain their trust, and uncover the hidden history of the tavern itself. With each bond you strengthen and each choice you make, the Hearthwood will transform—not just into a place of business, but into
a
home for legends, laughter, and lifelong companions.
Will you
restore the tavern to its former glory
, or create something entirely new? The fate of Hearthwood is in your hands.
v0.5
Additions:
Elara's Storyline Rework
: Elara's storyline has been completely reworked! Dive in and experience her story like never before.
New Elara Scenes
: Enjoy several brand-new scenes featuring Elara. Get ready for some exciting moments!
Improved Game Intro
: The game's introduction has received some love! I'm gradually implementing improvements across different scenes.
Sound and Music Enhancements
: Added sounds and music to select environments to boost immersion. More to come in future updates!
NSFW Scene Enhancements
: I've learned some new tricks to enhance the immersion in NSFW scenes. These will be gradually rolled out across the game.
Minor Sprite and CG Adjustments
: Made small tweaks to various sprites and CG scenes for a better visual experience.
v0.4.1
Main Focus
This update is all about Lyra and some key narrative improvements!
Major Changes
Reworked Introduction :
The game’s intro has been completely revamped! Now you can make choices during scenes. I want these choices to really matter—not just change a few lines, but also set the foundation for a future relationship system I’m working on. Some choices already influence future scenes, making the story feel more dynamic and personal.
Scene Order Variation :
Some scenes now change a bit depending on the order you meet the characters. For now, this only affects one scene, but I plan to expand this so your choices and the order of your interactions have a bigger impact on the story.
Lyra’s Scenes Overhaul :
All of Lyra’s scenes have been reworked, with new CGs and a brand new sprite for one of her scenes! Lyra now has a lot more sprites than the other characters, so I want to bring everyone up to the same level in future updates.
Menu Sound Effects :
Added new sounds to the menu! If the hover sound gets too annoying, let me know—I’m still thinking about tweaking it.
Fixes and Adjustments
Fixed several images and interactions that weren’t working right in the new menu, especially on mobile.
Made small tweaks to some CGs and sprites for better quality.
Fixed a few continuity errors in the narrative for a smoother story experience.
v0.3
What's New?
New Character Added!
New Scenes
for characters who didn't get any in the last update.
New Random Scene System
: Now, while working at the tavern, you might see a random scene—if you’ve already unlocked its conditions. This is meant to encourage spending time at the tavern while also introducing new moments!
New UI for the Main Menus!
(I still plan to improve the in-game UI as well. This is a work in progress since I’m still learning how to bring my ideas into Ren'Py.)
Added a Disclaimer
at the beginning of the game (just a small detail, but it might be important to have).
Fixes & Improvements
Adjustments to some
sprites and CGs
that looked a bit off (I’ll keep refining these over time).
Tweaked
some dialogue
to make scenes more consistent.
Code improvements
(probably not noticeable on the player’s side, but it helps a lot).
Spanish language added!
(I’m working on refining the translations, so I apologize for any inconsistencies.)
Rearranged Nina's scenes
into an order that makes more sense.
v0.2
New Content
New Character: Zara Dryake
– Her progress is tied to the tavern’s debt payments. Currently, the values are arbitrary, and I'll be adjusting them to ensure a balanced progression that makes sense.
Character Menu on the Map Screen
– You can now check the characters directly from the map screen!
New Scenes Added
– Clara, Talia, and Milena have received new scenes.
Portuguese (PT-BR) Translation
– This was done automatically for now and hasn't been fully reviewed yet. Some menus are still untranslated, but it's a test for now.
Fixes & Improvements
Adjusted some
sprites
that looked a bit off.
Fixed
dialogue inconsistencies
in some scenes.
Reworked how the main menu is displayed
– Though you probably won’t notice any difference, this was more of a technical adjustment.
Gallery Fix!
– I only recently noticed that I had published version 0.1 with a completely broken gallery… Sorry about that! It should now be working as intended.
Several
technical improvements
to scene logic (mostly backend changes for better handling).
v0.1
Initial release
Player reviews
Player rating2.0 / 5 · 2 ratings
Written reviews2 · avg 2.0★
Positive (4–5★)0%
Latest review2025-06-28
Mr23Magic2025-06-28★★★★★
Came for the Tavern Management, but it's not there. You just click around town meeting different girls at different times in different places, read a bunch of text and make small progress with them over time. The Tavern is just…
Willbreaker992025-03-03★★★★★
tldr: Barely a tech demo. Skip for now. As of 0.1 not much here to see yet. A few pretty simple scenes, a basic story, and the management is just investing back into your tavern by endlessly leveling up four…