58 / wfmag.ccReviewRated
GENRE
Visual novel
FORMAT
Switch (tested)
/ XBO / PS4
/ PC
DEVELOPER
Toge
Productions
PUBLISHER
Toge
Productions
PRICE
£11.69
RELEASE
Out nowInfo
ReviewFine coffee, but not damn fine coffee
offee Talk understands the appeal
of a nice warm drink. You play
as a barista, and from your cosy
first-person perspective behind
the game’s bar, you can see the
perpetual rain of the city outside. As customers
come in and order drinks, it’s up to you to figure
out the right ingredient combination to satisfy
them, and then to listen to the stories of their lives.
Your interactions with the world of Coffee Talk
are limited. There are no dialogue options, no
movement, no real choices beyond which drinks
you make and serve. In any given scene, you’re
only asked to serve a few drinks; most of your time
is spent reading, clicking through each new line of
dialogue, and sneaking glimpses at your in-game
phone to check your growing drink database or
change the music. It’s wise to pay attention to
characters, to try to remember their tastes and
what they ask for, but the punishments for getting
orders wrong are extremely light. You’re mostly
there to be a supportive ear for the game’s cast
of characters.
Coffee Talk is set in a fantastical version of Earth
where humans co-exist alongside orcs, elves,
werewolves, vampires, cat-people, and other
mythical beings, but the dramas that unfold
between characters are, at their core, relatable
and human. A quarrelling couple might consist of
an elf and a succubus, but their problem – that
they come from racist families – is only slightly
heightened by the fact that one of them is risking
their immortality for the relationship.
The script is pleasant enough, but not always
particularly engaging, as Coffee Talk intentionallykeeps the stakes low for most of its running
time. The fate of the world doesn’t rest on your
barista’s shoulders, and while you become privy to
some characters’ secrets, there’s no option to do
anything with them. There’s little incentive to serve
your customers anything other than what they
asked for, assuming you can figure out the recipe
(which will always consist of three items out of a
possible nine you have to work with).
The characters are the game’s strength, with
each of them feeling distinct by the game’s end,
and the script has the good sense to take their
struggles seriously. Even the characters played
for laughs, like an alien in a spacesuit who’s come
to Earth on a breeding mission, are given enough
pathos that when the game ended, I was surprised
to find myself feeling sad to say goodbye.
There’s a pleasant warmth to Coffee Talk, but
it’s also just a little too slight for its own good. It’s
like instant coffee and skimmed milk on a rainy
morning – comforting, but it’s hard not to wish for
something stronger.Coffee Talk
C
VERDICT
A small, pleasant visual
novel with low stakes and
fun characters that could
stand to ask for more from
its players.58 %
ReviewRated
This cat man wouldn’t
look out of place
tending a farm in a
Miyazaki movie.HIGHLIGHT
Sometimes a customer orders
something you haven’t made
before, and you need to try to figure
out the ingredients. I found myself
googling the real-life recipe for
certain drinks on my phone, and
it was easy to imagine my barista
character doing the same thing,
discreetly, under the counter.REVIEWED BY
James O’Connor
The cast is small, but each one feels
distinct in design and personality.