I live in my favorite coffee shop in Tokyo

Finding the cafe that suits you can be an eye-opening experience. For me at least, there are few places outside of my house where I can be comfortable. I’m lucky to have two choices in walking distance: a coffee shop that’s bright, airy, and full of art, and another that’s like a plant shop so I’m surrounded by greenery while I write. It is the third place that has become the foundation of my life. But in the place I have I have the opportunity to choose again – and even if it is not a place to work, I am just relaxing.

The Coffee Talk series started in 2020and direct result three years laterand the title really says it all: This game is about coffee and talking. They are visual books, which means that most of what happens is reading dialogue, like a interactive book. In each game, you play as a barista who runs a restaurant late at night and acts as a therapist, listening to the problems of your loved ones and helping them. You also have to make them drinks, using the simple screen to make everything from espressos to exotic iced teas. Oh, and you’re in a fantasy world, so you’re serving vampires, elves, and other mythical creatures.

Latest articles, Coffee Talk Tokyoit doesn’t change much in terms of design or gameplay. But it’s a stand-up story set in a new area – the first two games took place in Seattle – which means new characters to help and new drinks to brew. Again you play as the ever-supportive owner of a coffee shop that’s only open late, and your job is to serve the right drink and lend an attentive ear. Moving to Tokyo means that most of your loved ones are removed from traditional Japanese culture, such as a retired salaryman who is also a kappa, or a pop star who was once a powerful dragon. It also means you’ll make a lot of matcha, and a lot of cold drinks to beat the oppressive Tokyo summer.

There are several things that make this game so comforting. One is the drinks itself; while the process is fairly straightforward, there is a refreshing ritual that comes from choosing the right ingredients or discovering something new through experimentation. Similarly, it is very satisfying to create exactly what your client is following based on simple explanations. In Coffee Talk no more penalty for messing up. Someone can be upset with a drink, but you just carry on as if nothing happened. I must also note that the vibe in the coffee shop is very cool: lo-fi music, the sound of rain, and lots of vinyl records and cute knickknacks decorating the joint. It’s a place where I want to hang out.

But what makes this game the best is the story and the characters you meet. It looks like a cross in the middle Midnight Meal: Tokyo Stories and Ted Lasso. Coffee Talk Tokyo it may be about a world where people live together with interesting creatures, but the problems you will face are real. Your agent, Vin, looks like a cool cyberpunk hacker with extra limbs, but he’s dealing with chronic pain and trying to hide it so he doesn’t burden anyone around him. There is a girl who feels lonely at school because she is an outsider. A stay-at-home dad questions his decision to quit his job.

These are important, interrelated topics, and the game handles them with care and tenderness. It doesn’t hide the difficulties, but almost everyone in the game is just trying to do their best, so things change in a way that feels hopeful. I wish everyone I knew was as understanding as the spirits and yokai I encountered in this game.

All these things are what make the series so popular. Coffee Talk Tokyo it doesn’t change much, but it doesn’t need to either. All I need is some friends to help me, and another excuse to hang out in a chill, pixelated cafe.

_{Coffee Talk Tokyo available on PS5, Xbox, Switch, and PC.}