A Second Chance at Coffee Talk (Review)
If you are into visual novels, there’s no doubt you’ve heard of Coffee Talk. There are a few cozy games that are considered staples within the community, and Coffee Talk is one of the games that lands on that list. Naturally, that meant I wanted to give it a try. So I did…last year.
A Bitter Cup of Coffee
I first started the game in June of 2023 and to put it simply, I didn’t like it. I unlocked a total of 3 very early Steam achievements and from what I can remember, I made it a few in-game days before putting it down and letting it sit in my backlog for an entire year.
My initial impression last year was that the game felt underwhelming. With a name like Coffee Talk, I was expecting a more evenly split gameplay loop that involved talking to characters and making coffee. While those two aspects are in the game, the coffee-making side of the game was much more minimal than I wanted.
I wanted more coffee, less talking.
After hearing rave reviews across the board for so long, I was surprised I didn’t really like the game and couldn’t get what I was missing that everyone else seemed to love. One thing I’ve learned about my gaming style is that first impressions aren’t always accurate. As such, I’m pretty open to retrying games unless I absolutely hated my first experience.
Fast forward to the present day, and I’m on the other side of finishing Coffee Talk. This blog post is the first of many “second chance” reviews, where I revisit games that didn’t click with me and see if my opinion changes. The hope with this kind of review in particular is to spotlight games that are no longer the flavor of the month, as well as encourage you to do the same for games you already own.
Sometimes games don’t initially click with you because they come out at the wrong time, you aren’t in the mood for that genre, or they aren’t in a solid playable state. Trying games for a second time gives you the chance to see if anything has changed. So, did anything change for me with Coffee Talk?
Going Back for a Second Cup
This past summer, I wanted something short and sweet to play while waiting on my favorite not-so-cozy game (Elden Ring) to release its DLC. I saw Coffee Talk still installed on the Steam Deck and decided to give it a whirl from the beginning. The cozy atmosphere, soft raindrops in the background, and moody art style reminded me of what originally drew me to the game. With my old expectations more appropriately scaled down on the gameplay side, I am happy to report that I quite enjoyed Coffee Talk!
Chatting over Coffee
Coffee Talk is a visual novel first, with elements of gameplay via making coffee for your patrons interspersed with the stories they share each evening. As the barista, you get to know the multitude of characters that enter your late-night cafe. The writing, while relatively straightforward and sometimes a bit wordy, does a good job of layering in a variety of personalities.
You start to learn about Freya and her writing aspirations, Bailey and Lua’s culturally complicated relationship, Hendry’s protective father energy, and so on. Without interesting characters, visual novels can fall flat. The diverse cast of characters and the slow drip of information that they feed you as time passes is what keeps the game engaging when coffee isn’t being served.
Sure, some of the topics discussed are a bit on-the-nose in drawing parallels to the real-world social issues we face, but that’s the beauty of storytelling. Sometimes discussions are best served when the characters are otherworldly.
The Quest for the Perfect Drink
There aren’t any cafe management elements as this isn’t that kind of game, so the most you can do in terms of running the cafe is serving the wrong drink. You see, the characters will oftentimes say they want a drink by describing the type of drink they are looking for rather than outright saying the specific drink name.
Or, they’ll say only the drink name and if you haven’t unlocked it yet, it’s a guessing game as to what ingredients will lead you to the correct drink. I really liked this aspect of the game as it felt like the right amount of freedom. If someone wanted a tea, I had enough freedom in their request to play around with ingredients and try to unlock a new drink or figure out what I think is in the drink they named. I also like that it doesn’t seem possible to unlock every drink with a single playthrough. When I completed the game, I still had quite a few drinks undiscovered.
A Little Room for Extra Foam
When I think of Coffee Talk, I look back on it fondly, but I also think there’s a bit of room for something more. There were some aspects of the game, mainly the latte art mechanic, that felt a little half-baked. Outside of my own curiosity with trying to see how well my drawing skills would fare, there’s little motivation or incentive to adding latte art to any drink. I recall adding art for only two drinks in the entirety of my playthrough, so I would love for that aspect to be incorporated into the narrative. Perhaps characters can specify that they’d love a decorative drink, or adding art would provide more flavor text to conversations. Without in-game acknowledgment, it’s easy to forget that aspect of the game exists.
The other aspect I’d like to see in future installments is character customization. That sounds a bit silly to request in a game where you never see the player, but I often felt a bit disconnected from the character in the way they would speak or how they would be addressed. I have not yet played the sequel so I’m interested to see if it solves a few of my gripes.
Should you play Coffee Talk?
As the first episode, Coffee Talk is an enjoyable time. The sequel, Coffee Talk: Episode 2, was already released by the time I got around to finishing this game so I’m not sure if it is more of the same or if it adds new ingredients to what’s already a good base. A third game, Coffee Talk: Tokyo, was also recently announced for 2025. Needless to say, it’s not too late to give the series a spin if you’re interested.
Ultimately, I recommend this game if you know what you’re getting into. Going into it expecting a coffee simulator with narrative beats will leave you disappointed. On the other hand, going into it expecting a rich cast of characters that you get to know over a cup of coffee will more than likely lend itself to a positive gaming experience. If you don’t already own it and happen to catch it on a sale, give it a shot!
Is it one of my all-time favorite cozy games? Not so much. When I finished the story, the game immediately let me know that there are still story beats and other endings that can be unlocked with multiple playthroughs, but I felt satisfied with my caffeine intake. I can see myself going back to it at a later time when I’m in the mood for another cup of coffee. Despite it not shooting up to the top of my favorite games list, I am glad I gave it a second chance. I enjoyed Coffee Talk and I look forward to checking out Episode 2 and the upcoming Tokyo episode as well once it releases.
Coffee Talk is available on Windows, Mac, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and Playstation.
The Coffee Talk Playtime Stats
Much like the usual reviews, I will still include some general gaming stats for second-chance reviews because I always like to know this stuff when reading or watching reviews myself. Of course, the hours played may reflect total hours played instead of hours specific to my return if I’m unable to gather that information. Let’s take a peek:
Game Reviewed: Coffee Talk
Game Version: 1.61
Hours Played: 9.4 hours total
Platform Used: PC, played entirely on Steam Deck
Performance
With a bite-sized indie game like Coffee Talk, it’s no surprise that the performance section will be short and sweet. The game ran extremely smoothly on Steam Deck, and I even popped into the game on Switch to see the performance there as well. I’m happy to report that it runs like a dream on Nintendo Switch, which is perfect since this is the ultimate game to play handheld.
