Screenshot of Baileys, Myrtle, Aqua, and Freya from 'Coffee Talk'. Copyright goes to Toge Productions.
Hey! Hallie here!
Once again, it's been a while since I've talked about video games on this blog, mostly because I've been revisiting games I've discussed on this blog before. But now I'm back in the mood to explore new games I haven't experienced, particularly cozy games. As someone with anxiety, I gravitate heavily towards cozy content and video games are no exception. I'm always on the lookout for games that can calm me down after a stressful day and sweep me into an immersive story that appeals to my love of escapism. 'Coffee Talk' was probably the cozy game I saw most recommended on TikTok, especially after the Animal Crossing craze started to die down. But I resisted playing it, mostly because I heard it was very short. Still, I couldn't get over the plethora of good reviews, so when I decided I was going to start looking for new games again this one was at the top of my list. But does the content really hold up against the short length? And does the gameplay make this a relaxing or frustrating experience? Let's look at what 'Coffee Talk' has to offer.
Gameplay:
The gameplay in this game is really simple. You make coffee for the customers that come into your shop. You have a select amount of ingredients that grows slowly as you progress through the game, and customers will give you either an exact type of coffee or the flavors they feel like having that day. You use those orders to put ingredients together and create the perfect cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. You're only allowed to use three ingredients for each drink, but the game will tell you how warm, cool, sweet, or bitter the drink is to help push you in the right direction. Also there to help is a list of recipes you can access throughout the game, but the game will only give you three recipes to start you out. The rest you have to figure out yourself through experimentation, which the game strongly encourages. There will even be characters who come back multiple times specifically so you can experiment until the drink they order is exactly to their liking. And lucky for you, you can also trash a drink up to five times before you serve it, so you get plenty of chances to get a vague order right. However, while the game tries to take importance away from getting orders right the first time to encourage mistake making, there are different endings to this game. And you only get the good ending if you get almost every single order right. So while the gameplay can be lenient, I wouldn't exactly call it completely stress free, though you can play individual chapters to fix what you missed. Still, I found making drinks to be an overall fun and relaxing experience. My one hint to you if you start this game: A drink will usually be right if it has an official looking name. If you make something that has a name like Tea with Honey and Mint, you've probably messed up somewhere.
Story:
The story takes place in a modern-day Seattle that's filled with fantasy creatures as well as humans. It plays out as various unrelated storylines converging on the coffee shop you, the player, own and run. Customers of the coffee shop will either open up to you or other customers, allowing you to get insights into their lives and troubles. The storylines are smartly framed around one character, Freya, who is friends with the player and wants to write a novel based on the patrons of the coffee shop to reinvigorate her writing career. Freya not only gives context to the story, but is also more outgoing than the player which allows more sensitive or shy characters the opportunity to open up. Amongst the characters who open up about their lives there's a half-elf man and a succubus woman who are trying to overcome their families prejudices against the other in order to continue their relationship. There's a werewolf and vampire who get existential about their long life spans amongst sexual tension. There's an experienced game developer befriending a new independent game developer and helping her with a new release. A young pop star who's overprotective father is complicating her job. A mysterious alien who's looking to find love. There's also my personal favorite, a cop who likes to slack off and gives amazing advice. Some characters are better than others, the game developers don't seem to get as much attention as some of the other characters for example, but overall each storyline has its own charm. And it's fun to see these characters grow and change with each visit to the coffee shop. I was also surprised by some of the plot twists, though the main ones only occur once you unlock the best, and true, ending.
Length:
This game is only about six hours. For regular gamers, that's very short. And it feels even shorter when you consider how much gameplay the player actually participates in. The issue with this game is it's a visual novel, so if you go in expecting much more than a visual novel, you'll be disappointed. You don't make that many drinks compared to the amount of dialogue you read in the game, nor does your character participate majorly in any of the storylines. You're more of an observer. And because you don't participate much, your reading speed effects how long the game goes. If you're a fast reader like me, you can breeze through the story in even less than six hours without much gameplay to slow you down. It's also not the most repayable game once you get the true ending. And while there is a mode that's dedicated to endless coffee making, it doesn't add to the story. Ultimately, wether or not this effects your desire to play the game depends on the player. This game is fun, but if you want a good amount of things to do in your games this one might not be for you.
I really enjoyed 'Coffee Talk'. It was a nice cozy game with excellent pixel art, interesting storylines, and relaxing gameplay. I do wish that it was longer or in the very least, that the player was given more to do. Maybe even giving players a choice of dialogue, even if it didn't effect the ending of the story, could have helped the player slow down and feel more important to the storyline. And speaking of the ending of the story, if you couldn't tell, I have mixed feelings about the true ending. I liked the added elements when you go back through the story, but I didn't think the true ending added enough gameplay or enough story to truly be worth it. But despite those things, I don't regret playing 'Coffee Talk' and I can see myself returning to it on days where I want to relax.
Don't do anything fun until I get back!
Hallie
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