Coffee Talk Tokyo Review

It’s been three years since the release of Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly, and it was a pleasant surprise to learn that there would be a new addition to Coffee Talk in the form of Coffee Talk Tokyo. After the tragic death of the series’ primary creator, Mohammad Fahmi, some fans speculated whether there would ever be a return to the franchise. However, Toge Productions chose to continue on with a new addition, a new location and a new cast of characters.

In this way, Coffee Talk Tokyo is an entry that can be enjoyed by newcomers and old regulars. Set in the eponymous late-night café (which is not related to the same Seattle-based locale), you take on the role of a mysterious Barista, who is also joined by your assistant, Vin. Together, it’s your job to serve drinks and listen to their stories.

Now, there are a few changes that long-time players will recognise. In Hibiscus & Butterfly, there was a lost and found box where you could hand over items to the intended character. That has been left out of this new addition. Likewise, there aren’t any short stories to read on your phone, and instead, you will learn more about the cast through Tomodachill 2.0, the in-universe social media app. Here, you can unlock your regulars’ social media profiles, read their posts, and even explore the threads they post on.

While I’ve talked about the social media aspect, it’s time to talk about the main focus: the drinks. As with previous entries, there are three ways to play. There’s Story Mode, which is the main experience, and exactly as it says on the tin, and there’s Endless Mode. However, Endless Mode has two experiences: Free Brew, where you can experiment with drink combinations, and Challenge Mode, where you can make your customers’ drinks within a time limit.

Of the drinks, you’ll find that there are some old recipes and new ones to explore. Of course, for your bases, there are the usual: coffee, tea, matcha, chocolate, and milk (specifically, soy milk), as well as a new addition known as hojicha. For additional flavour, you can add yuzu, ginger, honey, mint, mango, and lychee with whipped cream or ice cream as a topping. As usual, you only have three ingredients to mix with, but there’s also now an option to make iced drinks, as well as hot ones.

Even with Vin at your side, you still have a lot of work to do, as they will join you when able, but due to their own circumstances, isn’t always able to do much. Among the characters you meet, you’ll find that while most of the cast is new, Hendry, Rachel’s father and manager, will make his return as he travels through Japan on business. He’s there to meet Jun, a blind musician who has made a name for himself and has been struggling with the overwhelming pressure of fame. Above the café lives a family: Ash, Emi, and Erika. While Emi is human, she works full-time, and Ash is her English househusband (and a pixie) who looks after their daughter, Erika (who is born a kitsune).

Among the cast, you’ll also meet Yuki, a yuki-onna who owns the nearby restaurant; Fuku, who is trying to help a ghost girl (Ayame) move on; Blue, a fan of Jun who works at a nearby Konbini; her roommate Makoto; and his kappa boss, Kenji. Without giving too much info away, you’ll learn more about these characters as the story progresses and so long as you give them their preferred drinks.

Coffee Talk, in general, has a points system where your relationships will grow if you provide them with the drinks that they want. If you get them the wrong drink, you may not get the best ending. Overall, it’s a simple process, and it’s why you’ll need several playthroughs to get the full story.

So far, I’ve only finished the narrative once, and it did take me a little bit to get invested in this new cast. Personally, I appreciated the cosy vibes (of which I’m biased because I have enjoyed the previous two games) and thought the introduction of cold drinks was great. Personally, I felt like the café still being called Coffee Talk was a bit jarring, as, for example, Hendry was a regular at the Seattle-based café, and while he mentioned his time there, he didn’t make a comment on the name despite it being the same (including the concept).

While the overall stories were enjoyable and cohesive, I felt that the days often ended oddly, with it not fading straight to black but lingering before cutting to a black screen and starting a new day. The addition of stencil art was also great, as someone who is notoriously bad at latte art. Although I missed some of the original cast, I understand why they chose to go in a new direction, as their stories had essentially come to a close. Once we delved further into the storylines, I enjoyed it more, as we could see more of the relationships between other yokai and spirits.

Although Coffee Talk Tokyo takes a little while to get into more of the overall world, I did enjoy this new addition to the franchise. While I missed elements such as the short stories and felt that the threads function couldn’t compare, I was able to look past it for the usual fun of making drinks. Overall, it’s got a simple structure, and it offers a lot of replayability, and I look forward to hopefully returning to the series once again.