Cozy As A Cup Of Tea
HIGH An absolutely charming story, from start to finish.
LOW Coffee-making sometimes hinged on trial-and-error.
WTF Ash, call me.
When I was an undergraduate in college, there was a place I used to go to for tea and lunch. It was comfy, cozy, and the owner was friendly. These days, I miss those carefree times in that cafe, chatting with friends, discussing life’s issues and how to solve them. Sadly, that spot is now gone, but through Coffee Talk Tokyo, I was briefly reminded of those bygone, halcyon days.
Coffee Talk Tokyo is a visual novel about a coffee shop owner talking and listening to their customers. Over the course of about 15 in-game days, various customers will talk about their problems while asking for specific drinks to help cheer them up. While the story does come first, serving the correct drinks will move each character closer to resolving their problems more meaningfully. For example, a person may need something to calm them down and ask for drink with no caffeine. Providing the right beverage will help them emotionally, and move them one step closer toward their best ending.
While we get a fair amount of visual novels these days, something that stands out is that it’s an urban fantasy tale with many characters being mythological creatures such as a dragon, a kappa, and others from Japanese mythology. There’s even a cat man that looks like Wilfred Brimley. They were all incredibly charming, and each grew on me as time went on. I became interested in helping them solve their problems, as well as watching the relationships between different patrons blossom and grow. It reminded me of just how lonely this world has become.
In the era of instant, faceless messaging, Coffee Talk Tokyo is a good commentary on why there’s a need for face-to-face communication, and why finding a community for one’s self is also important. Sometimes, people need a helping hand from a familiar face, or even just a friendly ear to hear them out, and it’s funny how a videogame can be an accurate reminder of that fact.
Without giving too much away, the patrons’ dilemmas were real ones that included topics like rekindling one’s love for their art, trying to find a place in the world, finding love in unexpected places, and discovering that staying in a hated job isn’t for the best, even if it’s stable or fits a skillset. One particular story, which I won’t spoil, moved me quite a bit, because it hit home hard.
As for making drinks, the rules are pretty simple. After receiving a request, I had to pick a temperature, a base (coffee, various teas, chocolate, or soy milk) and then any other ingredients that the customer was looking for. There were quite a variety of drinks to be made with just a few simple ingredients.
However, this is also where I had an issue with Coffee Talk Tokyo. While it was simple to make the beverages, there were a few times where I had to guess what a person was wanting. Sometimes, it was vague wording on their part, and with others I just didn’t know anything about the drink myself. Adding to the opacity, drink recipes are only added to the recipe book after they’re made, which doesn’t make a lot of sense if the player is an experienced barista who owns a shop.
Outside of the narrative mode, there’s an experimental ‘free brew’ mode that allowed me test out new drink combos. This side mode, called Endless. Besides that, there was a challenge mode that did feel a bit tacked on, which allowed players to serve drinks to random characters from the story within a time limit. Sometimes these were simple, straightforward requests, while others requested specific drinks. It didn’t feel substantial, however.
With those few gripes out of the way, this is still an incredibly enjoyable story with a wonderfully charming cast of down-to-earth characters. Playing was like having a chat with a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time, and in the end, Coffee Talk Tokyo is a reminder that sometimes what a person needs is an open ear, compassion, and community — and it also really made me crave a cup of tea.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Buy Coffee Talk Tokyo – Steam – GOG – PlayStation – Xbox – Nintendo
Disclosures: This game is developed by Chorus Worldwide Games and Toge Productions, and published by Chorus Worldwide Games. It is currently available on XBO/X/S, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher, and reviewed on PC. Approximately 9 hours were devoted to the game, and it was completed. There is no multiplayer mode.
Parents: This game has an ESRB rating of T for Alcohol and Tobacco Reference, Language. The official description reads: This is a simulation game in which players assume the role of a barista running a coffee shop in a fictionalized Tokyo. Players can interact with fantastical patrons (e.g., yokai, ghosts, sea monsters) while fulfilling drink orders. Customers occasionally discuss cigarettes and alcohol/being drunk (e.g., “Oh no wait, you are tipsy”; “The ghost floats to the top of the vodka shelf and starts laughing”; “Back in the day, anyone could buy cigarettes and beer easily…”). The word “sh*t” appears in the game.”
Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind options.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The game offers subtitles. Subtitles cannot be resized. (See examples above.) While there isn’t any spoken dialogue and dialogue is by default advanced by the player, there is no option to increase the size of the dialogue. There is also no closed captioning for sound effects, such as bells, which allow players to know when new people are entering the room. Since there is a big pause between when patrons enter and exit the building, this would let players know that the their game hasn’t frozen. This game is not fully accessible.
Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable.
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