Cosy game lovers are likely well acquainted with Coffee Talk, the beloved fantasy barista sim from Indonesian studio Toge Productions (Southeast Asia represent!). It was launched in 2020, and like thousands of players, I found a lot of comfort in it during the initial lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Getting to play as an empathetic barista serving drinks to various mythological beings and talking through their problems reminded me of a job I’d had in university, though I was a much worse barista in real life – one of my then-coworkers, and now closest friends, never fails to remind me that I made some truly terrible coffee back then. During that lockdown, unable to talk face-to-face with anybody but my family, Coffee Talk soothed me by letting me chat with these charming characters, which offered quite a lot of comfort even though I knew it wasn’t real.
I reviewed the sequel when it launched last year, and found that while it built on the best parts of its predecessor, it also paid tribute to the unique tastes of the culture the game comes from. The series has always paid attention to detail and expressed a deep affection for diverse types of people and stories, but it’s so far stuck to its original setting of Seattle, Washington.
The next instalment is going to change that. The next Coffee Talk will be set in Tokyo, and I can’t help but think that it’s the perfect place for a new game.
I love Tokyo. I first visited it last year when I covered Tokyo Game Show, and went again mere months later on vacation.
I immediately fell in love with the city, like so many visitors had before me. Every neighbourhood had a distinct personality, and I felt at home in the hustle and bustle of the constant crowds.
The city was so dense that every wrong turn was a new adventure, leading me to stumble across something unexpected – my friends and I stumbled across a quiet karaoke bar filled with sedate, sleepy cats one night, while looking for somewhere to drink. I lay in parks and read books, watching grandparents play with their young grandkids on the grass.
Every place I walked into felt like its own small, self-contained universe. Even the light felt different from the hard, tropical sunshine I was used to.
I’m a romantic, okay? Slitterhead gives us an undeniably faithful rendering of Wong Kar-Wai’s Hong Kong, and then goes even further.
But one other thing I fell in love with was Japan’s unique coffee culture. If you love a good brew, Tokyo is the place to be.
Everywhere I looked, there were cafes with incredibly knowledgeable baristas, ready to let you sniff some beans and give you recommendations. I’ve travelled a lot, and had coffee in a lot of places, but Tokyo is still my favourite city to get a cuppa.
Every cafe felt cosy and warm, and I was chatted up by many a barista when business slowed later in the afternoons. Remind you of anything?
A game, perhaps? Another thing that makes Tokyo perfect for a Coffee Talk game is its mythology, which the sequel seems to be focusing just as heavily on.
After all, the previous games have depicted creatures from many cultures – we’ve seen elves, succubi, satyrs, vampires, and far more. Japan’s mythology is rich with yokai to draw from, and I’m sure there’s a lot of inspiration here.
It makes perfect sense in hindsight, and more than anything, I’m glad that Toge is making a swing at refreshing the series with a new setting. I can’t wait to see what else this new entry tries for the first time.
As a barista in Coffee Talk, your job is to make your clients the quality drinks they request, while listening to their stories. A visual novel game, your beverage-making skills will affect the outcomes of the many plot strands.
