Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly is a visual novel for Ps4, Ps5, Switch, PC, and Xbox Series S and X. I was provided a code for review and played it on the Xbox Series S and X as well as the Switch. So I’ll be real with you guys. I’ve never been a coffee drinker and I despise the taste of Tea just like my boy Ted Lasso. As a result, I’ve never wanted to be a barista. So You’d think that a game centered around being a barista wouldn’t click for me at all, but the developers, Toge Productions introduced me to a narrative that’s filled with so many engaging elements that I could help fall in love with the occupation. Let’s dive into it with this Coffee Talk Episode 2 Hibiscus and Butterfly review.
Let’s dive into it.
Coffee Talk Episode 2 was released on April 20th, 2023. It’s available on all platforms.
Narrative:
“Seeking bittersweet comforts to help pass on lonely nights.”
In Coffee Talk 2, you play as the barista of an all-night coffee shop in alternative history Seattle. In this world, mythological creatures (like vampires, banshees, werewolves) live alongside humans all of which, endure our daily modern-day struggles like jobs and relationships.
You serve drinks to your customers as you get to know them. You hear about things like their jobs, dilemmas, insecurities, and victories. This game could have just been a cute chill and relax game about serving drinks, but kudos to Toge Productions for exploring deeper real-life themes. This game tackles racism, societal pressure, anxiety, dating, managing relationships and friendships, and more. While the narrative could have dove into some of the issues deeper, it’s a good modern representation of them overall.
Gameplay:
In Coffee Talk 2 you make requested drinks based on your customer’s requests. Afterward, you receive feedback on the drink that you made and you continue on with the game’s linear story.
This game doesn’t have branching storylines that you affect slightly, but you can affect the dialogue a bit by mixing many different types of drinks for customers. This adds a slight replayability factor to the game.
The game gives you ingredients that you can choose from and then you simply select the order of the ingredients and it does the rest for you. On the drinks that have milk,
you can create latte art on the drinks. Other than that though that’s all the gameplay you are going to do.
Outside of creating drinks, you are just experiencing the story. The gameplay is simple, but it’s perfect for gamers who are looking for a game story-centric cozy game to enjoy.
The Characters and Features:
An aspect of the game that really shines is the characters. They are well written in a way that they feel like real people with real problems and emotions. All the customers that you meet have their own issues and while some hit harder than others they at least feel memorable.
The Artstyle and the Soundtrack:
This game features a remarkably detailed pixel artstyle. Everything in the coffee shop is perfectly designed and illustrated. For example, you can see the accuracy on the Latte machine, see pixel art smoke hovering over the cups, and see moving silhouettes through the shop’s tinted window of the people passing by the shop. That also includes the characters themselves who look and dress differently.
There’s so much to like about the game, but maybe nothing more than the soundtrack. To say that it’s a jam is an understatement. I honestly listen to it on repeat and I’m perfectly content.
The game’s composer was Andrew “AJ” Sitompul and the music features a fantastic mix of Lofi beats. It’s so dope that the soundtrack has Lofi beats from different types of genres. The Jazz/hip hop type of beats are bangers, but the whole soundtrack is outstanding.
Cons/Flaws:
This is a visual novel that gives you a bit of gameplay, but for the most part, you are just along for the ride. It would have been great to see a bit more gameplay mini-games or elements mixed in.
Overall/Should You play Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly:
If you are a fan of platformer then this is a easy yes. Onion Assault is short enjoyable experience that will scratch that itch if you are looking for a game similar to Super Mario World two. The soundtrack and the artstyle are solid and the gameplay is fun. It does come with its flaws like the enemy variety, and the lack of a difficulty slider; however those are outweighed by the game’s positives. You can get this game for around 8 bucks and at that price it’s a solid deal.
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