Check out our Coffee Talk Episode 2: Fleur and Butterfly review, where we check out the 2023 sequel to the 2020 title, which is simply called Coffee Talk. Take on the role of a barista in a coffee shop called Coffee Talk and listen to the many different characters of the cafe customers and hear them share their stories with you and other customers while enjoying the hot and cold beverages you serve them. This is our take on Coffee Talk Episode 2 Review.
Coffee Talk 2 Review: What is Coffee Talk 2?
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly is a visual novel with bartending gameplay developed and published by Indonesian indie studio Toge Productions.posted on April 20, 2023, on PC via Steam and on PS4 and PS5, it tells the story of various characters dealing with their hopes, dreams, struggles, and everyday life. As a barista at a local coffee shop in cyberpunk fantasy Seattle, you provide a respite for these busy people as they navigate the hardships of life in a metropolis that is not only a melting pot of different cultures, And the same goes for different races. You’ll deal with all sorts of people, from humans to banshees to aliens, as they spend time in your humble café, where they share parts of their lives with you, and you serve them Hot and cold coffee and tea are provided.
how to play
Coffee Talk 2 plays in much the same way as the original Coffee Talk. It’s a visual novel told through conversations between Barista and various characters who often appear in the game’s background Coffee Talk. Based on these dialogues, players can explore the story and travel through the highs and lows of each character’s storyline. The only way players can affect the story is through the drinks they serve–characters will come to the cafe for a drink most of the time, and the player can offer them anything based on the dozens of drinks available. They may choose to comply or not comply with the wishes of the characters, and sometimes customers will ask for open drinks: no matter the situation, the player’s reaction to them through the drink brewed for the character will affect their behavior, and their way will affect the behavior of other characters. reactions, and the way their character arcs develop. As such, simply following everyone’s wishes doesn’t really allow players to unlock all the different drinks in the game, as sometimes swimming against the tide or trying a drink will prove to be beneficial for everyone involved. The game has a branching storyline and multiple endings.
Serving drinks in this game is akin to testing the player’s understanding and connection to the characters in the game. Most characters will make their request directly, and the player can give them what they want. Sometimes, however, players can use their insight to offer something better than what the client asked for, or even offer something they may never have thought of but appreciate more than they asked for. At other times, some characters will forget what they want and just give the player a hint of what they want. Even at other times, some characters test the player on what they want to drink by doing guesswork. As such, paying attention to dialogue, understanding where characters come from, and connecting with them on a personal level will help players decide what drink to give them for best effect. In addition, having some knowledge of the available ingredients and what they do to the drink will help the player solve the puzzles that customers ask for.
New in Coffee Talk Episode 2 is the ability to deliver items to characters. Sometimes, some customers will leave items for players to give to different characters. Other times, customers will inadvertently drop items, and the player can choose to return the item or give it to someone else. Players have the opportunity to gift these items when they serve drinks to their characters, as there is no need to actually serve customers the drinks they ordered, nor to return items they left behind. Characters usually respond to these, though, sometimes reminding players of items they should have received. Sometimes, failure to deliver items can lead to some items disappearing suddenly, as bartenders sometimes misplace items, or some items simply disappear without a trace.
The game also has a harmless latte art mechanic that allows players to make latte art while the player is serving it. This doesn’t seem to affect the story as it’s more fluff than function. It’s a neat little feature that adds charm and character to the game, and doesn’t actually require players to devise tedious latte art for every glass of milk drink they’re offered.
Another neat feature of the game is its social media system, where players can add customers they’ve met on Tomodachill’s social network, and players’ access levels to their accounts will increase based on how well their relationship with the bartender develops . New to Tomodachill is its Twitter-like feed, where players can keep tabs on characters’ stories even when they’re not in the café. While these allow players to learn more about characters and add depth to their personalities, they don’t provide any serious gameplay functionality.
story
Coffee Talk 2’s story takes place three years after the original, and isn’t exactly a direct continuation of the original. After all, three years have passed. Many characters return, most of them in new clothes. Their stories in the original Coffee Talk are sometimes referenced, but players are never required to play the original before jumping directly into this game. It’s great to see the character relationships develop, and if you played the original, you’ll also be excited to see the relationships built and nurtured from the first game carried over to our new stories in the new game.
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly doesn’t involve anything fantastic or grand. It follows the daily lives of characters in a world where different sentient species coexist, in a cyberpunk world where faes, succubi, satyrs, ghosts, banshees, humans and aliens all interact with each other.
There are some overarching stories throughout the game, and it’s fun to see how those stories intertwine. It will take time and patience to see it all unfold, but Coffee Talk Episode 2 will reward anyone willing to invest. While these stories aren’t any kind of grand or epic adventure, very human and very relatable stories will build people’s empathy and social skills as long as they’re willing to learn from those conversations and willing to listen to people’s stories that relate to them Struggling, and empathize with them like a true friend would.
graphics
Coffee Talk Episode 2 is visually consistent with the original, and if you think about it, it’s a true sequel. It’s pixel-based, but each character’s rendering exudes charm and personality. The character models (elven?) represent how different races fit into human culture – wearing human clothes and accessories. Hints of character race are pervasive but never out of focus, making them feel as natural as possible. This is a simple cafe, where ordinary creatures come and go, drinking coffee and tea, talking about their days and lives. It’s amazing how art direction like this can tell so much about the world the characters live in without spelling anything out or doing anything on the nose.
The short animation that accompanies the brewing of the drink is also nice, and Toge Productions has improved upon the previous game. It’s still the same three-panel comic that showcases Barista’s craft, but it’s a charming little animation that really adds a lot of character to the game. The many different drinks you can make in the game are also rendered with really nice artwork, which fascinates me and makes me want to try some of them in real life.
Toge Productions has done a great job of making a game that looks and feels similar to Coffee Talk. Its themes of friendship, unity despite differences, and the normality of people from different backgrounds coming together are well portrayed through the game’s colorful, vibrant, and engaging design.
Music and Sound Design
The game also features a lo-fi soundtrack, giving the game a chill factor of 10. I try really hard to stay up late while playing because it’s so relaxing and the music is so calming and soothing. Sound design helps depict motion and activity, such as the chime of a bell signaling a character’s arrival or departure from a café. The game also has great sound effects that go along with the brewing animations.
Just like the first game, Coffee Talk 2 has no voice acting. It feels like the right direction for a game like this, as it leaves something fantastic for the player’s imagination. While I’d love to hear what those voices sound like, replacing the voice acting with classic old-school dialogue ticks adds a nostalgic and homely feel to the game. I don’t think adding voice acting to the game would really ruin Coffee Talk, but not having voice acting would actually enhance the experience.
Verdict: Coffee Talk Episode 2: How are Fleur and Butterfly? Is it worth your time and money?
This is definitely not a game for everyone. It’s a relaxing game where you’ll read text line by line, and it’s understandable that many gamers would rather do something more active than read. However, fans of the visual novel are sure to have a great time. If you’re a fan of fantasy and/or cyberpunk worlds, and you’re curious about how the two worlds collide, this is a good game to get your hands on. If you want a personal visual novel (at least for your player character) without any romance, this is the game for you. This is great if you like playing the role of barista. If you played VA-11 HALL-A and liked it, you should give this one a try too.
However, it will take some time to find out whether the Coffee Talk 2 is really worth the money. This is debatable, but I’ve seen some people think the game has the same price tag as it did when it was originally released. Perhaps knowing that Coffee Talk 2 was originally planned as DLC rather than a full sequel bothered them. However, to me, the $12.99 price tag is well worth the money for the game and the experience it gave me. Coffee Talk 2 is a relaxation game that makes me sleep better at night, both figuratively and literally, and I hope more people feel the same way after playing this game.
Score: 7/10
Editor’s note: ClutchPoints received a copy of the PC review so we could cover the game. This copy will not affect in any way the final score and verdict of this Coffee Talk Episode 2 Review.
