Games You Might Have Missed: Coffee Talk

Between stressful work, long blogging hours, and intense gaming, it can be hard to find some time to relax and chill for a while. Even with all of that, I somehow find time to play another game. A more relaxing game then I expected. A game I decided deserved its review to focus on. So here is my article review for the quiet pixel game, Coffee Talk.

Whatchu Talking About:

Coffee Talk is a pixelated visual-novel slice-of-life game developed by Toge Productions. You play as a coffee shop barista in a magical version of Seattle. Throughout the game, you talk to several customers about their daily lives. They can be humans, werewolves, elves, and more.

So, What’s Good:

Coffee Talk’s dialogue and characters kept me interested throughout the entire game. Like I said prior, in the game, you talk to several customers about their daily lives. But what makes it unique is that each person’s personality, ambitions, and emotions. Each one can make a character stand out. But combined, get me to want to know more about everyone.

Sidenote: During my second playthrough, my character somehow remembered what happened in the last game with his speech. This event altered the dialogue between the other characters at different points in the game.

The music is calming. The entire music soundtrack for the game was made Andrew Jeremy and featured mainly lo-fi jazz music. I appreciate the tunes because it matches the aesthetic perfectly. Whenever I played this game on a reclined chair or covered up in bed, it was just a sense of daze. The music was so enjoyable; I listened to it while writing this review.

The last good thing about the game was how short it was. If 2016 taught me that you couldn’t judge a game on its length (Look at this article to know which one), then 2020 has taught me short games can be more appealing. In most games I’ve played, I have sucked in 50-1000 hours. In Coffee Talk, you can play through the story twice and won’t hit 10 hours. Younger me might say that’s bad. However, when things get busier, a short game that you can finish in 2-4 sittings can be appealing and make you feel accomplished.

Then, What’s Bad:

What’s bad about the game is that the actual game mechanics doesn’t do much of an influence in the game. Keep this in mind; the game act as a visual novel first and foremost. Meaning you’re just there to see the story unfold. The story doesn’t stray that much except for the alternate ending. The only thing players interact with is the brewing mechanics. The greatest impact a correct drink would do is a change in a few lines and dialogue. That’s it.

Final Thoughts

For those of you who were slow on the explanation, I enjoyed my time with Coffee Talk. Although the gameplay wasn’t intriguing, the characters, the design, and the length made it very appealing. It’s a calming game to play, especially when I’m in between play BR’s and Overwatch. So, recline the chair and grab some a drink (maybe something cold to avoid the heatwave) because you’re in for a nice de-stressor with Coffee Talk.

Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, Switch, PC, macOS

Price: $12.99

Recommendation: Worth A Buy at Full Price