Intro: A soft aesthetic, a refreshing cup of coffee, and stories that create a lasting bond. Coffee Talk takes a deep dive into the many stories of coffee house dwellers, some sweet, some chaotic all impactful.
So, Tell Me about Yourself: Coffee Talk, a game that shows the player you can have a game that speaks volumes when you have a great writing team that makes the story a priority, instead of the mechanics or controls. not to say that the mechanics aren't important, but the game wouldn't be a game without a story to drive those mechanics. The story is what moves the game to be something that creates a valuable and impactful message for the player to experience. When we play a game we want to feel an emotional connection to not only the characters, but the concept that drives the message from the device to the person, coffee talk makes a world of monsters very human by putting race as the main driving theme and making the story of the individual a connecting factor that brings strangers in a coffee shop together.
So much of this story is rich, vibrant and made me feel like I was friends with Freya, like I wanted to be there for Rachel, and made me want to have a connection to Jorji and get some good life advice. These characters and their stories are relatable and make them very human with their wit, sarcasm, and realism such as how Bailey and Lua want the approval of their parents but can't get it because they are two different races. Art imitates life in this sense because in reality there are couples whose parents don’t want them together whether it is because of race and/or occupation.
This is Real Life: When playing this game I felt as if it wasn’t there to sugarcoat anything. For example, when Freya Lost her job in the game, there wasn’t this fairytale scenario where she magically got her job back by the end of the game, it was portraying life where we don’t always get want. We have to face the consequences that life deals us through our actions. Another instance of reality entering this game is the discussion of crunch time within this game. Full Metal Conflict is taken from every so popular anime Full Metal Alchemist is the guiding topic when crunch time is conveyed to the audience. Myrtle discusses not getting much vacation time and such. This game doesn’t sugar coat ANYTHING. It goes in and talks about everything from race to K-POP and the music industry with how their artists are treated, to how to communicate with other people in a social setting.
This One's On the House: A calm vibe, a barista there to heal the broken soul, monsters with undeniable humanity, coffee talk brings to life the societal issues and worries of the heart. This game was soothing, healing, and something that will stick with me as a game that has some of the best dialogue I have come across in a game.
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