A cozy feeling that continues in its sequel
Honestly this is just an overall good follow up to a very good first title which saw some improvements. The first title really put my mind at ease with its great setting, OST, characters and great dialogue that can sometimes get very thoughtful and deep. I simply couldn’t have asked for much more with the sequel and in every way they simply did what I think more games should do with its sequel. Don’t fix what isn’t broken just simply add onto it and improve and that is what you get with its sequel.
What is different and what is good?
Of course with this being a VN you ask yourself “what in the world can they change” which is a simple answer. The core loop of Coffee Talk EP1 has you creating drinks for your customers as you listen to their story. In EP2 you now have even more ingredients to use for your tasty looking drinks opening up how many possible combinations you can make. In addition there is a new side mechanic in which customers will sometimes forget items or give you items for you to give to someone else. This serves as a way for potential story changes for characters as you have to remember to give specific items to specific people. It's a neat mechanic which however does lead into a small issue I have that I will get more into in my negative portion of the review. What would be a good VN without good dialogue? Luckily I am happy to say this game continues the trend of great storylines with sometimes really thoughtful dialogue that can really hit home for some people if you are in the field of creating. In addition, the new cast of characters were great and all fit in very well to the story quickly making you care very deeply for these pixels. It's funny because I almost felt terrible when I had to go through my bad end run because I genuinely did not want to see these characters fail LOL.
A way to calm
I want to give this a little section on its own because I really want to drive home how comfy this game feels. They really created such a cozy atmosphere that I really adore and wish I could have in real life. The OST is just as great and the setting is once again just as great, really making you feel like you have gone back home. I really recommend this game just for this alone if you want something that will help you put yourself at ease while getting a fix of great stories and world building.
Some negatives
Luckily while I do have some negatives it isn’t anything game breaking that will push anyone away it's just annoyances for a specific group of people. To explain , remember how I mentioned the new item mechanic ? you get items from characters and pick up forgotten items from characters to give to another character or back to the person who lost it. It's a simple yet cool addition that can lead into some VERY frustrating routes if you do not want to guide. On top of having to get drinks right you have to remember to give items to specific people and if you forget anything you will ruin a run. This becomes an issue because this game is insanely confusing when it comes to 100% YOU WILL HAVE TO GUIDE THIS GAME. Going for a 100% playthrough without guiding will make you pull your hair out as it is so damn specific of what is needed from you. In general you will have to go through this game multiple times to see everything and this time around the dialogue skipping button feels slower due to the game pausing every time characters expression changes or anything. This will slow down the process a bit but not to an annoying degree.
In the end
While going for the true ending is annoying I will say I DO recommend it as it is one of the most heartfelt endings that I have seen in a while put into a game in recent times. It really elevated the experience for me and just really showed how close the team who made this game was. What is to come from this series is unknown ( to my knowledge ) but I am VERY happy to have picked up and read both titles.
Honestly this is just an overall good follow up to a very good first title which saw some improvements. The first title really put my mind at ease with its great setting, OST, characters and great dialogue that can sometimes get very thoughtful and deep. I simply couldn’t have asked for much more with the sequel and in every way they simply did what I think more games should do with its sequel. Don’t fix what isn’t broken just simply add onto it and improve and that is what you get with its sequel.
What is different and what is good?
Of course with this being a VN you ask yourself “what in the world can they change” which is a simple answer. The core loop of Coffee Talk EP1 has you creating drinks for your customers as you listen to their story. In EP2 you now have even more ingredients to use for your tasty looking drinks opening up how many possible combinations you can make. In addition there is a new side mechanic in which customers will sometimes forget items or give you items for you to give to someone else. This serves as a way for potential story changes for characters as you have to remember to give specific items to specific people. It's a neat mechanic which however does lead into a small issue I have that I will get more into in my negative portion of the review. What would be a good VN without good dialogue? Luckily I am happy to say this game continues the trend of great storylines with sometimes really thoughtful dialogue that can really hit home for some people if you are in the field of creating. In addition, the new cast of characters were great and all fit in very well to the story quickly making you care very deeply for these pixels. It's funny because I almost felt terrible when I had to go through my bad end run because I genuinely did not want to see these characters fail LOL.
A way to calm
I want to give this a little section on its own because I really want to drive home how comfy this game feels. They really created such a cozy atmosphere that I really adore and wish I could have in real life. The OST is just as great and the setting is once again just as great, really making you feel like you have gone back home. I really recommend this game just for this alone if you want something that will help you put yourself at ease while getting a fix of great stories and world building.
Some negatives
Luckily while I do have some negatives it isn’t anything game breaking that will push anyone away it's just annoyances for a specific group of people. To explain , remember how I mentioned the new item mechanic ? you get items from characters and pick up forgotten items from characters to give to another character or back to the person who lost it. It's a simple yet cool addition that can lead into some VERY frustrating routes if you do not want to guide. On top of having to get drinks right you have to remember to give items to specific people and if you forget anything you will ruin a run. This becomes an issue because this game is insanely confusing when it comes to 100% YOU WILL HAVE TO GUIDE THIS GAME. Going for a 100% playthrough without guiding will make you pull your hair out as it is so damn specific of what is needed from you. In general you will have to go through this game multiple times to see everything and this time around the dialogue skipping button feels slower due to the game pausing every time characters expression changes or anything. This will slow down the process a bit but not to an annoying degree.
In the end
While going for the true ending is annoying I will say I DO recommend it as it is one of the most heartfelt endings that I have seen in a while put into a game in recent times. It really elevated the experience for me and just really showed how close the team who made this game was. What is to come from this series is unknown ( to my knowledge ) but I am VERY happy to have picked up and read both titles.