It’s a myth that a barista cleans their bar and leans in to listen to their customer’s woes, right? Wrong. Toge Productions’ 2020 game Coffee Talk is a whimsical visual novel all about listening to people’s problems and helping them by serving up a warm drink using the bare minimum ingredients you have. If you dislike visual novels, you might want to get out now. But if you’re feeling curious, stay a while and let me whip something up for you.
What makes Coffee Talk interesting is the customers are all fantasy-inspired, from long-lived elves to dreamy mermaids.
Before you click away in fear of the word ‘fantasy’, know that this fantasy world is set in a very modern city not unlike that of Seattle, so it’s not too much of a departure from a coffee shop we could find in our world.
If you feel this might be a game for you, it is currently on Steam, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.
A Tale of Familiarity
When our modern world seems too much to bear it is no wonder many people enjoy escaping into video games. When it’s time to sit down with a brew of your own and switch on a video game, Coffee Talk is a game that makes you think, feel, and rest both your body and soul.
Tales of individuals who experience very real things that we would experience, such as relationship problems between lovers or the struggles of a writer, is a perfect way to give you space to just think and relax. Plus, you get to bond with people who are from an alternative-Seattle full of elves, mermaids, orcs, werewolves, vampires, and even extra-terrestrials, all living together with humans.
Features
Sit back and relax with the 90’s anime-inspired pixel art and chill color palette.
The simple aesthetic of this indie game means the stories can be played out in an engaging way that doesn’t over-complicate things. And the selection of lo-fi and jazz music accompanying the game, with the occasional spattering of tingle-inducing rain, is the perfect frothy-milk-on-top finish.
The more you know about coffee, teas, hot choccies, and other warm beverages, the easier the process of making drinks will be. But if, like me, you’re not a coffee connoisseur, then you can use the in-game notebook to keep track of what ingredients you need to brew up a storm. If you do make a bodged coffee, you have a few get out of jail free cards to use where you can remake the drink before serving. And failing that, you can always do the classic save and reload if you’re not happy with the end results.
There is an admittedly frustrating aspect of the gameplay where you can create Latte Art on top of the drink you created, where if you are not using a keyboard and mouse your art might resemble a series of lines akin to a child splattering paint around. Or at least, mine did.
Is Coffee Talk a Game?
To keep things short, yes.
The gameplay of Coffee Talk is akin to any other game where you need to learn recipes to create the perfect product. 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 your customers are asking for. The dialogue options don’t influence the game, but the beverages do.
The game succeeds in depicting something as simple as listening to people’s problems and how they can move forward in their lives by clicking on a few dialogue options and playing a mini game where you bung in a few select ingredients to create a ‘masterful’ beverage… or something that hopefully passes as one.
There are different endings to Coffee Talk, and it all depends on what drinks you give to your wonderful selection of customers. In this fantasy version of Seattle, you will never know who will walk through your door and take a seat in your cosy café. It could be anything from a vegan vampire, an extra-terrestrial in a space suit, or everyone’s favourite neighbourhood uncle.
Final Thoughts
Coffee Talk is a break from the normal video game fare of shooters, JRPG’s, and more. It doesn’t contain ground-breaking dramas or impactful events that will keep you up at night thinking, but that is why it is great.
Grab a blanket and a cosy drink of your choice, and cruise through a game with great visuals, engaging characters, and chill vibes. Who knows, maybe this game will surprise you?
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