Is Best Served Cold Worth Trying?

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As a lover of good stories, I stumbled upon Best Served Cold when its demo appeared on Steam earlier this year. The premise, a bartender solving murders in an illegal Prohibition-era bar, immediately hooked me. Now, the full game, developed by Rogueside Games, was released on May 5th, and I’ve spent hours behind the bar at The Nightcap, mixing drinks and unraveling mysteries.

Picture this: you’re in Bukovija, a fictional city in alternative 1920s Europe, where war threatens, strikes simmer, and Prohibition drives people to secret bars like yours. You’re not just a bartender but a detective, forced to solve five murder cases by a police officer who threatens to shut down your bar. The atmosphere is pure noir, with jazz music and hand-drawn art that draws you into a smoky film. I was impressed by the ensemble of 22 characters, from corrupt cops to heartbroken singers, each with secrets they reveal if you play smart.

You’ll serve cocktails to loosen tongues, using a simple mini-game where you trace a symbol to mix drinks. It’s fun at first, but, let’s be honest, it quickly becomes repetitive. The real core is in the dialogue. You must gauge guests’ moods: drunk, angry, or flirty and decide whether to charm them, threaten them, or serve them a bad drink to make them talk.

Each of the five cases, lasting approximately an hour, transitions into the next, and the characters you meet early on develop surprisingly. I was touched by a regular who went from a simple drunk to someone struggling with loss, and I felt compelled to help him find hope. However, the game has its issues. The dialogue sometimes feels static, with characters forgetting key moments, which detracts from some choices.

Is it worth trying? If you love visual novels, murder mysteries, or want a game that feels like a good book with jazz music, I would say yes. It’s not the most complex detective simulator, and the drink mixing could be more engaging, but the characters and atmosphere make it worthwhile. The €17.99 price on Steam seems fair for the 5–7 hours of gameplay, and with planned versions for PS4, PS5, Xbox, and Switch, even more players will be able to try it soon.