Coffee Talk Tokyo Review

Gameplay

As with the other games in the series, Coffee Talk Tokyo is a delightful mix of a visual novel of the highest caliber and some low-stakes puzzling- so we talk, and we make coffee (and other drinks).

For the coffee-making part, Coffee Talk Tokyo follows the blueprint of the previous games – we start with choosing a hot or cold drink, and then we start adding ingredients. We start with several unlocked but very basic recipes, such as capuchino and hot chocolate, but beyond that, we discover the rest as we brew. From what I can see, we can combine any ingredients and still end up with something drinkable. Once we input the ingredients and hit the brew button, the game takes over. The brewing animation is smooth and different, depending on what’s used. It’s so satisfying that it’s almost meditative.

The process of making drinks is the same regardless if we are playing in Story mode or Endless mode. The only difference, really, is that if we develop a recipe in Endless mode, it won’t show up in our recipe book until we’ve replicated it in Story mode.

The coffee-making is what I’d describe as the puzzle part of Coffee Talk Tokyo, not because it’s difficult. The puzzling part comes from trying to guess how to fulfil the orders our clients request. In Endless mode, we can choose between free brewing – just trying out recipes and challenge mode, where we are given orders and have to fulfil them correctly.

We can also master latte art with sprinkle stencils, personalizing each drink by adding milk and etching our own mark.

The game has basic audio and video settings. Coffee Talk Tokyo uses a manual save system, so you shouldn’t forget to save your game before exiting. The game also has three save slots, so you can have multiple playthroughs as you explore the multiple endings of the game.

Coffee Talk Tokyo has Steam achievements, but no Trading cards yet.

Conclusion

It is quite fitting that our first true customer is someone familiar – it sets the tone of the game- we are in familiar cozy waters, but it won’t be quite the same as before. There are new things to learn and hear, new friends to meet, and new faces to remember. The Coffee Talk games are very dear to me, always a comforting gaming experience, which I continue to return to. It was a relief when Coffee Talk Tokyo was announced, and now I am ecstatic to report that the new game is just as good as the others. If you loved the originals, I think you’ll absolutely love Coffee Talk Tokyo too.

Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up