Coffee Talk - Review

Coffee Talk is a charming little narrative sim from the folks at Toge Productions, an indie studio based in Indonesia. 

Assuming the role of the barista and owner of a small coffee shop in Seattle, Coffee Talk (which is also the name of the coffee shop) sets you down behind the bar and starts letting in the customers. Patrons looking for relaxation, conversation, inspiration in the bottom of a ceramic mug. It’s a setting I am all too familiar with. Having been a lead barista myself for a few years, this title immediately made me feel at home. 

The Seattle we find ourselves in is like our own, but in this interpretation the bustling rivers of humans moving down the sidewalks and traipsing the crosswalks are mixed with elves, dwarves, vampires, and werewolves. 

Unlike other narrative sims, rather than giving you dialogue choices that impact how the story plays out, Coffee Talk weighs the outcome of your interactions based on the drinks you make. As the story progresses you learn the orders of your regulars, and learn how to make unique orders. My memories star to float back in. The sound of the machine, the constant hiss and patter of rain, the smell of fresh ground beans. 

To say that I was predisposed to enjoy this game would be accurate, still, I didn’t quite anticipate the degree to which it would make me feel at home. 

Coffee Talk makes life simple for its player. You have customers, you have ingredients. The UI is set up so there is never too much happening on screen. It establishes a baseline that the rest of the game grooves in. Selecting ingredients and tapping “Brew” starts a series of fluid movements and sliding cards that illustrates the process of the drink being made. Your customers are always framed to the left of you, in this process, serving as both a reminder of the setting and a reminder for the beverage you are making. Ah yes, this is Freya’s espresso.

The story of Coffee Talk takes place over just a few weeks of time. Each new day ushered in by an artistic set of panels, the date, and the days newspaper. A second story exists in the Seattle you inhabit, but the only real interaction you get with it comes from the paper. It adds to the sense of world this title so comfortably builds.

After you have named yourself and been introduced to the setting, you are in it. Immediately. Behind the bar, customer seated, drink requested. Over the 6ish, hours of story you get, you will meet a dozen characters, all with unique personalities, specific tastes, and their own lives they are trying to live. It’s comforting, feeling that you are able to help make someone’s mood lighter. Their head clearer. 

Coffee Talk is very good at this. And while I do wish I could have had some control over the dialogue the player character delivers, I never felt like it was too out of line with how I thought. Again, you aren’t making the decisions here, you are making the drinks. 

The conversations you eavesdrop on in this game are diverse and multifaceted. A couple struggling with prejudiced families, a writer slaving away at her first book, a veteran struggling with the beast that still lives inside him, a widowed father trying to break through to his daughter. All of the characters you encounter have something going on, and all of their struggles feel…well…real. 

Outside of the story the game offers an Endless Mode, giving the players the choice between Free Play and Challenge modes of gameplay. Super useful for testing your memory and experimenting with new drinks. Even more useful if you want to make an effort at creating latte art. 

Honestly, the latte art might be my favorite part of this game. I spent what felt like hours in the Endless mode, perfecting my pours, learning the intricacies of the system they built. It is so rewarding when you find your groove. 

At the end of the day, Coffee Talk feels like it was made by people who love coffee, tea, and coffee shops. The aesthetic is executed extremely well. Even the soundtrack feels like a Chilled Cow playlist. After playing for a few hours, I couldn’t help but make myself a latte, grab a notebook and a cigarette, and listen to the rain. 

Coffee Talk is out now on Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Switch now! You can also find Andrew Jeremy’s fantastically chill soundtrack on most platforms.