Finding the right cafe for you can be a revealing experience. For me at least, there are few places outside of my house where I feel truly comfortable. I’m lucky enough to have two options for walking distance: a coffee shop that’s bright, airy, and full of art, and one that doubles as a plant shop so I can be surrounded by greenery while I write. It is the third places that have become the backbone of my life. But in the physical space I have a choice too – and even though it’s not a place to get work done, it’s more like relaxing.
I Coffee Talk the series started in 2020, with a direct sequel three years later, and the title says it all: These games are about coffee and talking. Visual novels, which means that the experience is more about reading dialogue, like an interactive book. In each game, you play as a barista who runs a late-night cafe and also acts as a therapist, listening to your patrons’ problems and helping them. You also have to make drinks for them, using the simple game-play system to make everything from espressos to exotic iced teas. Oh, and you’re in a fantasy world, so you work for vampires, elves, and other mythical creatures.
Recent entries, Coffee Talk Tokyoit doesn’t change much in terms of plot or gameplay. But it’s a standalone story set in a new location – the first two games take place in Seattle – which means new characters to help out and new drinks. You once again play as the ever-helpful owner of a coffee shop that’s open late, and your job is to serve the right drink and lend a caring ear. The move to Tokyo means that many of your patrons are plucked from Japanese mythology, like a newly retired leading man who turns kappa, or a struggling pop star who was once a powerful dragon. It also means you’ll be making a lot of matcha, and a lot of cold drinks to combat the oppressive Tokyo summer.
There are several things that make these games comforting. Another is the drinks themselves; while the process is straightforward, there is a cool culture that comes from choosing the right ingredients or discovering something new through experimentation. Likewise, it’s more satisfying to do exactly what your buyer is after based on only vague descriptions. In Coffee Talk and there is no penalty for wasting. A person may be praised for a drink, but then carry on as if nothing had happened. I should also note that the vibe in the coffee shop is very cold: lo-fi music, sounds of rain, and lots of vinyl records and cute knickknacks decorating the joint. It’s a place I want to be a part of.
But what makes these games so great are the stories and the people you meet. It’s like a cross between Midnight Diner: Stories from Tokyo again Ted Lasso. Coffee Talk Tokyo it may be about a world where people live with fantastic creatures, but the problems you will encounter are incredibly real. Your sidekick, Vin, looks like a cool cyberpunk criminal with extra legs, but he’s actually fighting a constant pain and trying to hide it so he doesn’t carry anyone around him. There is a little girl who feels ostracized at school because she is an outsider. A stay-at-home dad is questioning the decision to quit his job.
These are important, relatable topics, and the game handles them with a smart level of care and heart. It doesn’t set itself on heavy issues, but almost everyone in the game is trying to do their best, so things are resolved in a way that feels very optimistic. If only everyone I knew understood the ghosts and yokai I encountered in this game.
It is all these things combined that make the series so popular. Coffee Talk Tokyo it doesn’t change much, but it also doesn’t need to. All I want is more friends to help me, and another reason to hang out in a cool, pixelated cafe.
Coffee Talk Tokyo is available now on PS5, Xbox, Switch, and PC.
