While Coffee Talk is less interactive than many titles in the "gameplay second" visual novel genre, it more than makes up for it with its small cast of three-dimensional characters, a fully-realized world that feels only slightly different from reality, and a sincere and heartfelt story about getting by in the big bad city.
The world of Coffee Talk is populated by elves, werewolves, vampires, orcs, and all manner of fantasy creatures, but it's nonetheless similar to real life, with racial tensions and controversial immigration policies dominating the headlines while regular folk try to make their way in the harsh and unforgiving urban sprawl of Seattle. In an unassuming corner of the city stands a coffee shop that's only open at night. Therein lies the setting of the slightly interactive visual novel, Coffee Talk.
The player takes on the role of "The Barista," the owner of the cozy coffee bar, and it's up to them to serve drinks to customers while hearing their stories and learning about the idiosyncrasies of the world. Like most visual novels, the gameplay is almost nonexistent, and players will be spending most of the 4-hour journey reading text boxes, while the core gameplay is limited to mixing coffee drinks for customers.
The barista has access to an assortment of ingredients, from bases like coffee and tea to secondary items like ginger, honey, and cinnamon. Different combinations yield different results, and some are trickier than others, sometimes to a fault; it's easy to deduce the recipe for a cappuccino, but considerably harder to figure out how to make a Jahe Tubruk, for example, especially without real world knowledge of Asian cafe staples (developer Toge Productions is based in Indonesia).
While there' s no overt, immediate penalty for screwing up a drink order, there are a variety of endings that can play out for each of the half-dozen or so characters whose stories make up the main narrative of Coffee Talk. These stories can change in subtle and not-so-subtle ways based on whether or not drink orders are delivered correctly. Even more than figuring out how to make particular drinks, the player has to choose what's best for their customers, whether they know it or not; for instance, if someone clearly needs to take a break but is begging for a dose of caffeine, the barista can choose to make them something more soothing for a better result. These situations add a dose of strategy and spontaneity, but it can often be tough to know when to stick to the script or when to take a chance on a different drink, especially without spending time in "Endless Mode," mixing and matching ingredients in an effort to learn all the different combinations.
Coffee Talk's greatest asset is its ability to use its fantasy setting to capture a snapshot of America in 2020, with all social strife and political upheaval masterfully juxtaposed against the daily struggles of hardworking people trying to keep their heads above water in a city that doesn't care about their personal issues. As the game goes on, the big headlines (seen on newspapers at the start of every workday) intersect with the stories of some of the characters, giving Coffee Talk additional gravitas and relevance to the real world.
In terms of bells and whistles, there is startlingly little animation in Coffee Talk, even compared to its peers, but it's a forgivable offense. Less forgivable are the numerous grammatical errors, especially since the game takes the time to make an incredibly clever joke about one character hearing another use "your" instead of "you're." They don't completely ruin the game, but they do negatively impact the experience.
Coffee Talk is a short but sweet experience, perfect for visual novel veterans and newcomers to the genre. It's easy to empathize with the bitter but optimistic world created by developer Toge Productions, and the main story provides a satisfying narrative experience that stands alongside the best in the genre... At the very least, it'll surely have players try out more exotic brews next time they visit their local coffee shop.
Coffee Talk is available now on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Screen Rant was provided a PlayStation 4 digital copy for review.