Coffee Talk

Coffee Talk is an adorable little slice of life game where you can serve coffee and listen to some great stories.

Coffee Talk is such an odd gem. It certainly has its problems, but none of them really hinders the game in a significant way. It's an incredibly relaxing and thoughtful experience that anyone can enjoy thanks to its fictitious take of a very familiar setting. It may not have been the coffee shop simulator I expected, but had a good time playing nonetheless.

Feeling comfortable and provided for is important. That's not really a truth that Coffee Talk explicitly gets into, but it's fundamentally what it's about. It could have been longer, it could have been more substantial and dramatic. But it's a good way to relax for a few hours.

Coffee Talk utilizes all of its aspects of relaxing atmosphere to tell a meaningful narrative. From the dialogue on the interpersonal issues characters are facing, to the short stories which are created by Freya, the writing is overall excellent. Characters go through meaningful arcs that are measured eloquently. Even though you don’t choose what your barista says, when they help someone out it is...

Sometimes, after mowing down hordes of enemy goons and exploring massive fantasy worlds, you just want an experience where you can relax and listen to a good story. Developed by Toge Productions, Coffee Talk aims to provide that kind of slower-paced experience, placing you in the shoes of a barista at a late night cafe in a version of Seattle inhabited by shapeshifters, elves and vampires.

Coffee Talk does so much right and only manages to miss the mark in ways that I selfishly wish it hadn’t. Regardless of its weak points, Coffee Talk is a wonderful, mellow, melancholic yet hopeful experience that anyone with a Saturday morning, and a pot of coffee to kill, should enjoy. Its a great addition to GamePass, and I cannot wait to pour myself another cup with its sequel in 2023.

When life gets tough, people often reach for what comforts them and provides the extra boost to endure. For a lot of people, that can just be a good cup of coffee; they develop routines around when to get it, find favorite cafes that cater to their style, and get to know the baristas who are serving their beverage of choice. Toge Productions taps into this concept in Coffee Talk, an interactive ex...

Coffee Talk (the game, not the late-night skit) allows the player to open their own coffee joint, speaking to the oft-eccentric characters that make up a fantasy-inspired alternate universe. With impeccable drinks and a comfortable spot for talking it out, the rainy nights promise to have some memorable events.

The problem is, everything here has been done before, and better. It does feel like Toge Productions wanted to craft a homage to Valhalla, but doing so puts them right up against a cult classic. I truly think that they should have done more to differentiate themselves, to stand out more in this burgeoning genre.

Coffee Talk is very much a mismatched brew. Without strong focus, the surface-level approach to a catalogue of important issues hampers the writing, the principal element of all visual novels. But while its casual philosophies can sometimes be hard to swallow, great visuals, fun side modes, and a budget price point suggests that, for some readers, Coffee Talk will still go down smooth.