Coffee Talk

coziness level of stardew valley
storytelling level of outer wilds
characters likeabless level of persona series
labor of love level of baldur's gate 3
Coffee Talk is more of experience than visual novel with few minutes of actual gameplay

Wow. Just wow. I have not (since Unpacking) found a game that was so good at entertaining me but also allowing me to get my work done? I work from home, in health insurance. So we have ups and downs in calls... That is not the point, the point is. I needed a game I could A. pause, B. walk away from, and C. keep me focused. With ADHD entertainment keeps me focused. Thank you for this game. I love the stories of each character, making the drinks at home myself to see if they really do taste good, and following along with how each story connects. This game was well written and well designed. Best purchase I have ever made. 10/10 would recommend to anyone who likes indie/storytelling/clicker games. 7/10 would recommend to anyone who enjoy the indie games with a story but with more action. Will say, don't play this if you are expecting Tell Me Why or Life Is Strange energy. (I wasn't but a friend was.)

Coffee Talk is the kind of game I needed to take a break from my normal video game routine and also try to alleviate some of my gaming fatigue. Sometimes, I just need a relaxing game to get me through the night after a stressful day. During my playthrough, I felt like I was curling up with a good book under a blanket, sipping a warm beverage, zen mode activated. It's been a while since I've felt so at ease while playing a game, so I really appreciated my time with it!

I was a little skeptical when approaching this game because I have played two other games by the same company and, although I did like them, I could never fully enjoy them because of their flaws - that were mostly found in gameplay and puzzles. In Coffee Talk, that is a VN, however, you only talk to customers and receive their orders... So all the good was kept, and the wrong never existed.
This was a fun little game to play. There were some amazing characters, some boring characters, some annoying characters... But the most important part, people's relationships, were very well made and awesome to see. There were ships here and there for you to freak out about and even some interesting surprises along the way. I liked it very much and can't wait to play the second one.

I wanted to 100% both games before making this review to make it as good as possible, so here I am. I'm going to review both, so people know what to expect when buying the bundle like I did.
THEME: 10/10, it's basically “how people will open up if they’re relaxing and enjoying a hot drink”. It’s explored slightly better in the second game, where giving wrong drinks causes characters to be unwilling to talk about their true feelings, causing bad things to happen due to the lack of communication. I love how the shop is only open at night, so the characters will have a safe place to unwind and reflect on themselves just at the end of their hard day.
GRAPHICS: 8/10, I love it. The pixel art and fonts definitely add to the game's atmosphere, and the character designs are just amazing in both games (even though the second game shows improvement on that side).
MUSIC: 11/10, it’s playable without any music but you’d miss out on the biggest atmosphere factor: the chill lo-fi playlist. This playlist is different for each game and it’s equally catchy. Definitely what contributes the most to the relaxing vibes. Might have listened to them while studying too.
STORY: 8.5/10, the characters and their stories are so interesting that I’d say it’s what actually hooks you to the game. They discuss serious, real life topics, like racism (in its fantasy version), generation gap, dark sides of fame, or hardships of creative jobs. While the first game is mostly linear, the second game does an amazing job at making you a huge part of its story, where each drink you make will change something (and that change will usually make sense, emphasis on usually).
GAMEPLAY: 6.5/10, it’s simple and enjoyable, and it’s probably what Genshin Impact liked when they stole the idea for their “Of Drink A-Dreaming” event. Made me want to try latte art and a lot of new drinks and combinations myself in real life. You’ll have fun… unless you’re trying to 100%, which is impossible without looking for guides, and you will need multiple guides (mostly answers to questions like “why the heck is not unlocking???”). A lot of solutions aren’t even hinted at in game and don’t make sense at all. Not a huge deal though, still doable.
You’ll probably spend about 5 hours on Coffee Talk and about 10 on Episode 2. Replayability is for different endings, after 100% you have no reason to replay. You also have no reason to play challenge mode after you got the achievement. The price is accurate enough to the value.
Trying to be as objective as possible, my conclusion is 7.5/10 for the first game and 9/10 for the second game, so yes they're worth it :)

My Playtime: 8.9h (100% achievement, finished the game)
Grindy Achievement(s): No (you need to AFK for 1h for 1 achievement).
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (~16 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.
Intro
Coffee Talk is a visual novel where you play as a barista, talking to your customers and serving drinks daily. It tells stories based on your customer's situation, spreading them into several days to watch how it eventually unfolds.
Pros:
- Multiple endings for the characters
- Casual conversations that touch well with reality
Cons:
- You need to find the combination to make most drinks with trial and error
Specs
Steam Deck: AMD Zen 2 4c/8t 2.4-3.5GHz, 16 GB RAM, 8 AMD RDNA 2 CUs
Should you buy this game?
Yes.
If you like to play casual games that touch some issues that happen in real life, buy this game.
In-Depth Review
Visuals
I like the pixelated visuals used in Coffee Talk. The environment looks detailed with people walking from time to time in the background. The customers also look lively with their detailed animation; they even give an animation of them doing something when the conversation is focused on another customer. Moreover, the music running in the background matches well with this, making you feel as if you are in the coffee shop.
Story
The dialogue might look stiff at first. I thought there was something wrong with the translation, so I tried to switch the language because of it. Well, it turns out that it's just meant that way. The early game used formal words that might seem off given the casual situation. Luckily, the dialogue changed into a more casual tone as you played. This is vital since conversations are done through dialogue bubbles between the customers and you, the bartender. Well, the bartender themselves speak in a formal tone, but it shapes their character, especially compared to others who are more laid back.
Coffee Talk tells the story of day-to-day situations. Several customers come and go with their troubles. There is a writer who wants to write a story, a couple with their issues -- there are even some that simply come just to have a chat with their friend. Some of the stories might be more than what you see in day-to-day situations, but they touch well on some aspects that might happen in our daily lives.
I like how the story was wrapped up. Despite the different stories that each character has, I didn't have trouble following them. The dialogue format works well to make it easy to follow, and the story is paced well. Moreover, despite the conflict of interest that the characters face, it doesn't judge and say which is right and wrong right away - it will try telling both sides of the situation first before reaching a conclusion. The choice and the result presented in the game might be different if it were done in real life, but it's the process that matters - checking both sides of the story and trying to be understanding to find a way out.

There are two endings for each character. However, finding the other ending can be too vague and might waste your time, especially since it only differs in a few dialogues in the ending. I still prefer the best ending, of course. I like seeing the characters get what they want after everything they have gone through.
The Game
Gameplay
Coffee Talk is mainly a visual novel. You need to go through dialogues, divided into several days to proceed with the story. Since it's still a coffee shop, the customers will order drinks from time to time. You start with a small array of ingredients, but it will improve as you progress through the days.
Making drinks is simple. You just need to choose 3 ingredients and mix them up. The result is already predetermined, and since there are a lot of ingredients to choose from, you are expected to do trial and error to find the combination that you need.
It can be hard to find what the customer wants. You are only given 5 tries every day, and sometimes, your customer will ask for a drink with hardly any clue. Sometimes, they will only tell the name. There is even a case where you are supposed to make a drink that the customers themselves don't know - It's kinda like a "surprise me" kind of thing. I hate these since I was forced to save scum just to find the correct one, especially since you can only remake the drink for 5 times each day. Even though there is a fast-forward option, the animation when you make a drink and the customer's vague reaction might cause trouble if you choose the save scum option. Moreover, there are just too many combinations to try, and since order matters, you'll end up with more combinations to work with.
Length and Difficulty
I finished the game in 5.7h. I continued playing the endless mode after that for some achievements and left the game open for ~1h for the last achievement.
Since it's a visual novel, the game won't give you trouble. You might need to do trial and error to get the drink that your customer wants, but you also can look at a guide if you don't want the extra trouble.
As for the replayability, you can replay the game to get the other endings, but honestly, I don't think it's worth another replay. Just watch a YouTube video for the other ending instead since it'll be faster.
Issues
It's hard to know which button was highlighted in the menu.
Conclusion
I like Coffee Talk. It's a game meant for casual players with a story that is easy to digest. You'll see day-to-day situations in a coffee shop, with some unique stories from the customers. It's a game that can make you chill and relax, especially due to the relaxing music running in the background. If all of these sound interesting to you, you'll definitely enjoy it.

A simple brewing simulator with chance to know the different customers who visit your cafe.
+ chill music
+ interesting characters
it offers just brew and chat options with different endings depending on choices.
if you are into such genre do try it.