➤ Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly, a review of the narrative adventure in a virtual bar 🕹

Indonesian studio Toge Productions brings us back to Seattle with Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly to serve customers and chat with them.

In Indonesian, the word "toge" means "bean sprout." The reason for the company's choice of this name lies in the stubborn nature of the seedlings, capable of growing and adapting to various types of environments: they may be small at first, but then the sprouts will become large and robust plants. , capable of making a significant contribution to the place in which they find themselves. Indeed, toge productions has managed to make its way into the undergrowth of Indonesian independent development and make a non-marginal contribution to the country's studies through specific funding programs, in addition to publishing works of great depth (this year A Space for the Unbound by Mojiken) and create video games appreciated by the public and critics, including the first Coffee Talk.

Like A Space for the Unbound Too Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly is dedicated to the memory of a very special person: Mohammad Fahmi, creator of the Coffee Talk concept and its developer during his time working for Toge Productions. He passed away at the end of March 2022, he was only 32 years old; In the last period of his life he dedicated himself to founding his own development studio, Pikselnesia, and worked on What Comes After and Afterlove EP. It's comforting to know that his legacy continues to be celebrated even in the sequel to the most famous video game he contributed to, a product that continues the path laid out by his predecessor, but manages to have a greater focus on the themes covered. .

We tell you in detail in ours. Coffee Talk Episode 2 Review: Hibiscus and Butterfly.

Reality and fantasy

Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly, a review of the narrative adventure in a virtual bar — In Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly, familiar characters return, accompanied by some new entries that often don't get the space they deserve.

Seattle, 2023, a rainy September afternoon. Like every day, the owner of Coffee Talk prepares to open his bar. It's a familiar beginning for those who loved the first Coffee Talk, released in 2020, when the pandemic was still at its peak and many were looking for warm, comforting gaming experiences. Toge Productions provided exactly this: a safe virtual space, immersed in lo-fi music, perfect for relaxing and listening to the chatter of very particular clients. Yes, because this Seattle video game suffers from the same problems as our world: racism, overtime, abuse, pollution... but it is inhabited by a lively tangle of humans, banshees, vampires, werewolves, orcs, etc.

The presence of fantastic creatures offers developers an excellent hook to approach in a not too heavy way. also very thorny topics, such as illegal immigration, lack of job opportunities for war veterans, sexism and depression. The coming and going of customers is continuous and gives rise to friendships, advice and conflicts between them and the bartender, with some small narrative branches. Junkipatchi and Anna Winstestein's writing lacks a bit of bite in the initial part, and then takes advantage of the criticism of those who found the first Coffee Talk excessively dispersive: here the main themes are the impact of social networks on human relationships and The importance of having authentic contacts in person, improving relationships in a way that is not necessarily based on traditional conventions.

The cast of characters from the previous episode (the policeman Jorji, the werewolf Gala, the vampire Hyde) make a welcome return, perhaps in a way that is too invasive, "cannibalizing" the new participants, who do not always get the space they need. deserve. In this sense, it is a shame that in many characters in the first chapter there is a certain laziness in the design, often not renewed, although with some laudable exceptions; However, the look of Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly is excellent and well constructed, also from a chromatic point of view. During the five hours it took to complete the adventure, we enjoyed the relaxed tone of narration: Although it sometimes falls into some cliché, Toge Productions manages to maintain a decent pace and successfully accompany the player until the end credits.

Timid news on the gaming front.

Each work evening always begins in the same way, that is, with reading the front page of The Evening Whispers newspaper, which often anticipates some of the topics that will be discussed by clients during their talks. In addition to preparing the required drinks - sometimes with express indication of the ingredients, other times with the need to get involved a little more with the imagination - in this second chapter the mechanics of delivering objects of various kinds through the tray have been added. The impact of any error or omission is minimal: forgetting to deliver an invitation will not prevent the guest from participating in an important party, and this lack of incisiveness is sometimes a bit embarrassing.

The options available have been increased in Tomodachill, a social network installed on our bartender's phone from which we can not only consult the profiles of our clients (whose information will be revealed as our friendship grows), but also read their statuses and see the photos they publish. You can also read news from The Evening Whispers or change the music playing in the bar through Shuffld. Interaction with the corresponding interface is very comfortable through the Nintendo Switch touch screen, which turns out to be the platform of choice for relaxed experiences of this type.

They're small details, sure, but don't forget that the main goal of the Coffee Talk series is listening to customers' stories. If you want to learn more about the mechanics of beverage preparation, at endless mode You can access Free Brew (in which you prepare all the drinks you want, without a time limit) or Challenge Mode (where you have to satisfy as many requests as possible in a limited time).

We point out the absence of a translation into Spanish; he texts in English are excellent, and the small spelling errors that characterized, albeit minimally, the dialogue of the first Coffee Talk are absent. There lo-fi soundtrack It's great for creating the atmosphere of a safe, cozy bar, and some of the tracks from the first chapter return in nice remixed versions.

Conclusions

Tested version Nintendo Switch digital delivery Nintendo eShop Price 14,99 € Holygamerz.com 7.0 Readers (3) 7.9 your vote

Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly brings minimal innovations to the gameplay of the first chapter of the series, while the writing does most of it, improving some of Coffee Talk's rough edges, but failing, in many cases, to give depth to it. the new characters introduced. Toge Productions' video game remains a must-have for those looking for a relaxed and fluid experience, without the need for frequent input from the player, and benefits from a greater focus from a narrative point of view, wisely leaving some of the (too many) themes behind addressed in the first Coffee Talk. The lo-fi music continues to be the protagonist of the setting and maintains the video game bar atmosphere that we will hardly forget.