A narrative adventure in which we prepare hot concoctions for our clients, whose stories enliven our lives behind the cafeteria bar.
There is no epic fantasy story without a tavern, the warrior's resting place where beer runs through the tables, among the jovial screaming of adventurers gathered there to replenish their energies and seek a new mission. In adventure and role-playing games, it consists of a mandatory stop just like the store. In our reality, that space translates as the bar, the meeting point after the workday where we exchange a cane with our friends, release our anguish and find comfort in a comrade shoulder. Sometimes, the same barman is complicit in our intimacies and becomes a valuable confidant who guides us through his experienced and impartial perspective.
The Red Strings Club (Deconstructeam) turned the relationship between the bartender and the client into a very interesting mechanic to extract information. In the role of Donovan, we prepared cocktails that would better tune with the emotions of the clients and thus be able to direct the conversation towards courses beyond a simple dialogue choice. Through this connection, the limit of the human and the artificial in the malleability of feelings was put on the table. Starting from a similar hotel mechanic, Toge Productions brings us an intimate title that reflects today's society from the prism of urban fantasy: Coffee Talk, a narrative adventure and first-person coffee that we can enjoy on PC (Windows and Mac), PS4 , Xbone One and Nintendo Switch.
The hug of a cup of coffee
Coffee Talk moves the warrior's rest to a night cafe in a current Seattle where humans and fantastic creatures live together who have started a new life in the city. From the role of barista, we will serve the various clients, with whom we will talk while we serve you the best concoction available in our extensive menu of hot and non-alcoholic drinks.
With an aesthetic that combines the 90's anime and pixel art, Coffee Talk stands out for the authenticity of its stories and the characters that star in them. Clients of different races and with unique personalities will come to our premises that will challenge stereotypes based on the fantastic genre and mythology: the Mermaid Aqua, far from being a seductive creature of the sea, is shy and innocent; the succubus Lua is far from being a provocative and promiscuous devil. For approximately 5 hours of play, we will learn their stories, which deal with topics as daily and current as racism, sentimental relationships, labor exploitation, creative crisis, etc. The charm that each character gives off will cause us to take care of them and be interested in their problems and well-being. Every morning we will read a diary with the events of the day, and we will observe how socio-political tensions affect the daily lives of our clients. If we add to this a warm atmosphere created by the cozy cafeteria, a comforting chill-out soundtrack and the craft preparation of each concoction, Coffee Talk becomes a pleasant and tender game.
However, interactivity is reduced only to prepare concoctions in response to customer requests, with an intuitive point & click system. In our machine, we will mix three ingredients – base and additives – and we will have a recipe book in which we will gradually discover each of the available drinks, either at the client's recommendation or through our own experimentation. Wrong, moreover, is very difficult, since the requests are mostly very descriptive, except for some occasions in which we must decipher the desire of some parishioners through trial and error. As for the drinks with milk, we can sculpt a drawing of our own creation, although it is difficult to master the control to make a figurative and decent illustration. On the other hand, some freedom of action is lacking when participating in the conversations, beyond being a spectator barman with a unique dialogue option. It should also be remembered that Coffee Talk, despite having readable texts – conversation history included – is not localized to Castilian, so we cannot enjoy the game if we do not have a certain level in any of the other languages.
Through our treatment and success in the preparation of drinks, our affinity with customers will vary, as well as the conclusion of some stories. We will have an electronic tablet in which, in addition to the recipe book, we will consult the social profiles of the parishioners, with information that will be revealed as our friendship with them is strengthened. We will also choose which song to listen to on our playlist and read Freya's stories in The Evening Whispers, which brings a fresh and fun literary touch to the cafeteria every day.
The simplicity of the happy ending
The narrative is another interesting aspect in Coffee Talk and it is that, despite its simplicity, it is highly satisfactory, fleeing from an easy dialogue system in which we magically fix our clients' problems with the appropriate phrase. It is also easy to get the clients' wishes right and guide their stories to a good port that will leave us with a pleasant taste. Undoubtedly, Coffee Talk makes happy endings easy to achieve, which accentuates the friendliness of a game designed so that each user leaves with a sense of peace. In the end, in addition, we will discover a final post-credit surprise that will invite us to replay the coffee adventure. As for the experiences of the parishioners, we praise the authenticity with which they happen; without artifice or morality, added to a positive and hopeful message that conveys. And, after finishing the game, we will have the same feeling as when we had a delicious coffee in the company of someone dear in a friendly and quiet refuge.
Two alternatives are added to the story mode: the free mix mode and the time trial challenge mode. In the first, we will experiment with the ingredients before Freya's watchful eye, to discover new recipes that will be added to our compilation, and have them ready for when we have to use them in story mode. In the second, we will propose the challenge of serving the largest number of customers in the shortest possible time. At first, the requests will be clear, but they will become more abstract as the duration of the challenge continues.
Coffee Talk is a humble and emotional narrative adventure, without pretensions or demands, and very pleasant to play. With the right brevity, we will enjoy stories as we discover a wide repertoire of teas, coffees, chocolates and milk varieties that will awaken us curiosity to prepare in the real world. And also in our real world we will find an interesting connection point between the problems of humans and mythological creatures that inhabit the sweet urban fantasy proposed by Toge Productions.
This game has been analyzed in its version for Windows PC.
CONCLUSION
Coffee Talk is comforting as a coffee shared with a loved one in a cozy place. As a bartender, we will attend the experiences of our parishioners as we prepare – and discover – a large recipe book of hot drinks that we want to try in real life. Through an adorable universe of urban fantasy, we will meet very solid characters that star in very mundane and authentic stories, with a narrative that runs away from morality and easy resolution. A friendly adventure, where the happy ending is the simplest, although we will miss a more active participation than the spectator limited to the coffee creation.
THE BEST
- A cozy atmosphere, like a good cafeteria.
- Characters that break stereotypes of classical fantasy.
- Very authentic and everyday stories, in which the happy ending is the most affordable.
WORST
- It is not located in Spanish.
- The role of the player is very limited.
