Apr 29

Apr 29 Review | Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus And Butterfly - A Smooth Blend

“Home, it’s where I want to be,” David Byrne sang in Talking Heads’ 1983 classic This Must Be the Place. It’s a sentiment that could easily be applied to waiting for Coffee Talk 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly, after the first game successfully offered a relaxing refuge in the chaotic world of 2020. The sequel drops in a similarly challenging 2023 and brings with it much of the homely delight that made the original so appealing, with a few changes to boot.

That the game owes an enormous debt to Midnight Diner remains clear, though thanks to that influence the narrative style that made Coffee Talk so fresh returns in the sequel. In fact, despite the game taking place three years after the first, little has changed. We still run a small cafe in a reimagined Seattle. Dividing our time between being a barista, checking our phone, and interacting with the mythical creatures that serve as proxies for human social issues.

Characters like Officer Jorji, Hyde and Gala, and the enigmatic Neil all return. Supplemented by new faces Riona, a banshee with designs on being an opera singer, and Lucas, who is… an influencer. All of whom sit ready to try the two new flavours that give the game its subtitle: hibiscus and blue pea (or butterfly pea).

There is a subtle shake-up at play here, however. For as similar as the game plays and looks to the first Coffee Talk, everything does feel just a little tighter and better presented. A few new mechanics have been folded into the mix, including the ability to retrieve and dole out items from a lost-and-found drawer which in practical terms has very little impact on gameplay. For instance, forget, as I did, to give Hyde an invitation and he doesn’t miss the event – he just makes a snarky comment later. It makes it less stressful managing the little details and it adds another small layer of interactivity to the game that brings to mind a similar mechanic in Papers, Please, albeit without the existential National Communist dread.

However, the core of the game remains unchanged. We mix drinks based on three ingredients, combined in certain orders and combinations, in order to fashion hot beverages for weary customers. It’s a simple and satisfying minigame to break up the visual novel rhythm, though Coffee Talk 2 makes some of these recipes too esoteric. Being asked to create a pumpkin spice latte when pumpkin hasn’t appeared on the barista’s shelves at any point in the two games is a challenge. A significant amount of Googling allowed me to make an educated guess, only for the barista to magic some pumpkin out of thin air while serving. However, moments like this makes your mixing process feel less intuitive and more obtuse, and while it doesn’t happen often, it’s not exactly a unique issue with the game’s puzzles.

Similarly, the rest of the gameplay is as you’d predict for a visual novel. But for latte art sections that call into question the ten years I worked as a graphic designer, it’s mostly reading and clicking.

Those few inputs can be mitigated with an auto-scrolling text feature and a chat log helps keep track of what’s been said. Though, considering the game requires the player to remember drinks served several nights before (and even in the first game) multiple times, the fact that the log only records the current night’s conversations and events is somewhat limiting. If you struggled with the pixelated text of the original, that’s back and while the size is generous, an option – which is rapidly becoming standard – to switch to more rational typography would have been appreciated. But, overall, the game enjoys a strong baseline accessibility, thanks mostly to its simplicity, that makes it approachable for most players – especially those on PC.

That simplicity is where the game shines. Short, relatable vignettes designed less as an interactive experience than a story playing out in front of you, backed by the persistently chill music of Andrew Jeremy, make for a relaxing experience throughout. It’s not a game to boot up when you really want to be involved in gameplay, but Coffee Talk 2 is at its best when you treat it like the titular cafe and visit for a short while after a long day.

That being said, those vignettes aren’t as cohesive as before. In particular, Freya is sorely missed as the anchor that held the first game’s narrative together. Coffee Talk may have offered multiple narratives, but it ultimately boiled down to the interplay between Freya and the barista.

In her absence, Officer Jorji becomes an infrequent focal point. But, as you can imagine, a friend with writer’s block is a much easier sell for a consistent companion than the misbegotten idea of a “good cop.” Indeed, in a game that touches on themes of anti-immigration and xenophobia (terrestrial and otherwise) and mostly succeeds in avoiding tired tropes and clumsy analogues, tying the core of the story to an attempt to humanise the police feels like an odd – and ultimately, jarring – decision.

I feel like we’re missing an ingredient.

Coffee Talk 2 is at its best when Jorji moves into the background and nights centre on Hyde and Gala’s evolving relationship, or the continued development of Aqua and Myrtle’s video game, and most of all the continuing pre-marital drama of Lua and Baileys. Riona and Lucas provide a somewhat fresh garland to proceedings, but they never quite feel as integral to the game’s story.

Fortunately for this sequel, the unevenness in storytelling doesn’t distract from the appeal of Coffee Talk 2. It remains a relaxing and compelling visual novel with beautiful presentation. It has its flaws and, as the series continues (which this games insinuates it will), it may be viewed as the weakest entry. That being said, just like the game’s characters, I see myself wanting to return to this cafe.

It never reaches the heights of its predecessor and maybe part of its appeal is reminding us of just how fresh and exciting the first entry was, but I kept playing it. The game tries a few new things, which should always be applauded, but holds back just enough to remain a convincing echo of the first installment. Just as the titular cafe becomes a comfortable rest stop for characters in both games, Coffee Talk 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly manages to feel a lot like coming home.