Coffee Talk: Giving what you need, not what you want

 

A warm cup of coffee can ignite a lot in you. Its smell activates your senses, harnesses focus. Each sip enacts clarity. Brewing is an entrenched part of a morning ritual. Caffeinated highs aside, the act of coffee consumption opens the door to community, togetherness, and conversation.     

Piano chords ring; a tile slides down the screen showing the front of a coffee shop. The sound of raindrops pour out of your speakers. You feel the warmth of the water as you are about to enter. A soulful song plays; a shopkeeper's bell dings as you walk through the coffee shop entrance. Here begins your gaming journey. 

Come on in, warm up with a hot brew

Coffee Talk developed by indie studio, Toge Productions, isn't a sought-out gaming experience. Yet it is an experience you need. Genre limitations be dammed. Coffee Talk straddles various gaming flavors and serves a rich mix of gaming content. It expands your gaming palette past traditional titles. Like a good cup of coffee on a snowy day, sit and take it all in. Enjoy the scenery. 

Careers, relationships, and dreams are topic slices you'll hear inside the walls of the small fictitious Seatle coffee shop. As the faceless barista behind the counter, you listen and do your best to help your patrons unpack their life's woes. How do you do this? Choose the right ingredients, brew, make their desired beverage. Thus, fostering a safe space for these characters to speak freely.   

Two cream, extra sugar

Would voiced characters enhance immersion? Yes, but without knowing budget constraints or initial game ideation, I'm giving it a pass here. It would be nice but doesn't deter the game.  

Coffee Talk is not a pure talkie or choice-your-dialogue experience, a la Telltale's The Walking Dead or Detroit Become Human. Conversations are in text with limited player interaction. There are no world-shattering stakes; Earth's existence is not in jeopardy. Rather, personal journeys and growth are at its core ingredients. You'll help uncover what these characters need, beyond their perceived wants.   

Despite its small artsy scale, Coffee Talk, delivers big learnings in the power of being present and attentive. In a time of constant distraction (open up your phone to enter an endless scroll of images, videos, hijacking your time), it's refreshing to focus on steady conversation, even if in text form. Miss something and lose a contextual clue for what ingredient is needed in your customers' beverages. Add ginger! I seem to always miss this go-to ingredient. Don't worry, you are not punished for missing text and can go to a log to review.  

You have no espresso!?!?

The music does not hinder atmosphere but enhances it. Tones range and stream like a soulful bluesy river with an electronic synth shine. Warm and welcoming, the music compliments and helps focus patrons' discussion topics.     

What differentiates this slice-of-life narrative is that it incorporates a sense of fantasy in a modern-day setting. Imagine vampires, elves, orcs, werewolves, and humans live in the world together, grasping with today's issues: careers, dating, family and social dynamics. It is surprisingly grounded for its context. Serving as an introspective mirror in our own lives. It gets personal. A conversation between a couple grappling with differing family values and traditions felt nuanced and authentic, even between an elf and a succubus. Go figure, grounded conversations with fantasy characters. 

It's amusing self-aware. Charming and delivering interesting storytelling, the game stands out. Action-gaming enthusiasts may wither by the pacing but will come out rewarded with witty writing and fully fledged characters. For text-based storytelling, a cross between a glorified Kindle mixed with a motion comic, this is a compelling character piece. Something I didn't expect going into it. Some characters I gravitated to more than others, but there is depth imprinted in each conversation.  Add a splash of interactive-brewing and you have the Coffee Talk success recipe. Maybe this isn't the most exciting experience. But small acts net big rewards as you see your patrons' lives change through your interactions at Coffee Talk.