The first Coffee Talk was a game with a laid back, character-focused approach to visual novel storytelling. It reminded me of Persona’s Le Blanc or Lo Fi Beats, only instead it simulated running a niche coffee shop in a fantasy version of modern-day Seattle complete with orcs, elves, succubi, cat people, and more. When I discovered that a sequel was being produced, I was eager to pick it up — and from the 90-minute preview build this article is based on, I was not disappointed.
So far, Coffee Talk 2 Hibiscus & Butterfly serves up more of what I loved in the original, now offering not only two new “base tea” options to serve up in bespoke drink requests for customers, but new characters, customers drawn to the shop.
In the original there was a focus on being able to experiment with drink combinations and nailing these request rewarded me with more of each character’s story. Coffee Talk 2 offers similar mechanics, only it also throws in an item system of sorts where customers gave me items (or left an item) and I needed to give it to the appropriate person later.
I forgot this mechanic the first time it came up because it was so easy to slip back into the normal flow of making drinks and talking to folks — without a reminder, it was easy to forget about the items. Thankfully, it’s a simple matter to reload the day and fast-forward to where the action needs to happen. My forgetting aside, the item system is a welcome addition that spices up the formula without changing too much of the core gameplay loop.
The new characters introduced in Hibiscus & Butterfly were intriguing, and I was pleased to see the devs add some neat special effects with the introduction of a banshee who was an aspiring opera singer, and again with a satyr influencer. More aliens and an evolution of the alien character from the first game were other faces I was able to see a little of before my preview ended. Since further developments in prior narratives interested me, I was glad to see that Coffee Talk 2 has found natural continuations of some of these plotlines, especially since they were often struggling with social issues that mirrored what we face in our world, only shown through a fantasy-themed lens of racism and prejudice.
So far, their struggles continue to feel like relatable, down to earth anxieties and tribulations.
This preview is promising, but only the full version will reveal whether Hibiscus & Butterfly lives up to the original. It may not deliver tons of new gameplay mechanics, but the addition of the item system, new tea combinations, and new characters is all I need, and I’m looking forward to another piping hot cup of cozy character stories that Coffee Talk 2 will surely deliver.
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Coffee talk 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly is developed by Toge Productions and published by Chorus Worldwide. The full game is expected to be released in XXXXX.
In her free time she loves to write and travel, having lived in or been to most of the continents, there are still more adventures to be had. Favorite games include the The Last of Us 2, The Witcher 3, KOTOR, and Persona 4&5. LGBT issues and social rights activism is near and dear to her heart. Dabbling in creative writing while teaching herself digital art, she currently pays the bills through freelance consulting. You can follow her random ravings on Twitter at @nikkiwaln, Instagram @newnikki88 & her website newdimensions.io
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