Coffee Talk

Coffee Talk is a pleasingly creative game with a lot of heart and hidden depth. During my playthrough, I felt like I was curling up with a good book under a blanket, sipping a warm beverage. Every once in a while, we could all do with that relaxing way to pass the time. While I was regrettably late in playing this delightful title, I’m eager to give Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly an earlier try! After all, if it is anything like its predecessor, it’ll be a title to talk about with a warm cup of coffee close at hand.

Coffee Talk is the kind of game I would never have thought to ask for, but it is exactly what I needed to take a break from my normal video game fare. There's nothing to kill or beat up here, just pleasant conversations in a humble coffee shop, and plenty of drinks to go around. There aren't any skill challenges per se, but there is a bit of a challenge in figuring out how to make the various drinks that are asked for. The more you know about coffees, teas, and hot chocolates, the easier this whole process will be. In this fictional version of Seattle, you never know who will walk through the door as it could be anything from a struggling writer, an alien, or a vegan vampire.

This is a game that challenges the idea of how we label games. Sure, Coffee Talk is a sim, but it’s also a vital experience, a potential therapeutic tool. It’s a friend. A gorgeous, lo-fi, nostalgic, heartfelt journey into some complex lives that makes you want to believe in people. What better way to spend your evening than with a couple of vibrant souls, listening to ambient beats and sipping custom coffee? Just don’t blame me if you can’t put it to bed.

Despite being too similar to its inspirations, Coffee Talk is a unique blend of love for retro style, chillout music and a surprisingly vivid and fantasy portrayal of Seattle. A beautiful and relaxing experience that succeeds as a hybrid of barista simulation and traditional visual novel.

It’s apparent that this visual novel will become very much ‘of its time’ in the years to come. And whilst novels are a personal favourite of mine amongst literary genres, the ‘visual novels’ like Coffee Talk have never had me quite so enthralled as their print counterparts. Toge Productions creates an attractive and calming world to be wrapped up in – but doesn’t provide much more than a comfort read.