The burgeoning drinks emporium simulator welcomes a new entry, in an indie game were listening to customers’ problems is just as important as pouring them the right drink.
On the face of it, playing a game that revolves entirely around listening to other people talk – and making the occasional cup of tea – might not sound like fun. But much like Wanderstop, 2025’s surprise tea-making hit, it turns out there’s actually bucketfuls of charm in Coffee Talk Tokyo.
A sequel, or rather spin-off, to 2020’s cult hit game Coffee Talk (by Indonesian studio Toge Productions), this follows much the same format as the original game as well as its sequel, Coffee Talk: Episode 2. Except this time, it’s in Japan.
Set in an alternate version of Tokyo in the near future (the near future being August 2026), you assume the role of a barista at a late-night coffee shop of the sort that should definitely be more widespread, in an alternate universe where fantasy creatures roam the streets and live alongside humans. So think VA-11 Hall-A but with tea and magical realism, instead of beer and cyborgs.
Serving no alcohol (or caffeine past 8pm) should be a business killer, but instead all sorts of people end up dropping by, nominally to sip a cup of hojicha (Japanese green tea) or Royal Milk Tea (something advertised as a British drink, although we must’ve missed that one at Sainsbury’s) but really to offer some wisdom, unburden themselves, or ask for advice.
As it turns out, advice is something the barista in Coffee Talk Tokyo is very good at, since at its core, this is a game that advocates for being kind to everybody – including to yourself.
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‘There’s this thing called Spoon Theory,’ the coffee shop’s assistant Vin earnestly tells a customer at one point. ‘Spoons represent your energy level. Every time you do something, you use up spoons, and once they’re gone, that’s it for the day. Even fun things can be draining.’
Even Kenji, a kappa who makes an entrance by being overly brash and rude, is soon blushing, apologising and proclaiming that, ‘I’ve truly embarrassed myself.’
As befits this ethos, Coffee Talk Tokyo also has very simple, pared-back gameplay. Mostly, it consists of finding out what types of coffees the customers want to drink and making them to order, while chilled lo-fi beats play in the background.
That involves a fair amount of trial and error, especially as there isn’t really a tutorial for how to work the coffee machine. Correctly made drinks are logged in the brewpad section of your in-game mobile phone, which also hosts a Tomodachi: a form of social media where characters from the game post updates about their lives.
Fortunately, there’s no penalty for getting the recipe wrong, beyond a polite enquiry about whether this actually is the drink that the customer ordered.
A lot of the game involves simply lending a listening ear to the many patrons who pass through the shop’s doors, each of them with their own concerns and backstory.
Coffee Talk Tokyo is structured into chapters, each of which takes the form of one specific night at the shop in high summer. As the night goes on, people come and go, make idle small talk, or deliver a bit of therapy to whoever else is in there.
There’s Vin, whose mysterious and tragic past is hinted at during your playtime, and who lives with the barista. Then there’s the family unit of Ash, Erika and Emi; and the down-on-his-luck musician Jun and Kenji, who has finally retired but seems at a loss about what to do with his life.
As the game goes on, it gently dives into issues like parenthood and working culture (something for which Japan is still unfortunately infamous), as well as polygamy, mental health, being in a closeted gay relationship, and childhood bullying.
On the face of it, sitting there while lines of dialogue scroll across the screen could make for rather a boring time (there’s even an autoplay option, which removes the need for button pressing entirely).
Fortunately, as the game goes on, it weaves a slow spell. It’s not something to be played in a rush; Coffee Talk Tokyo demands to be savoured, to be played for at least half an hour at a time. It’s a game that requires you to slow down and think – which, depending on why you play games, could either be frustrating or incredibly rewarding.
At times, it feels almost like watching a low tech animated movie. The graphics are simple but warm and retro-flavoured, and it’s hard to deny that making coffee is fun – even if there isn’t a whole lot of agency to be experienced here, beyond making the right or wrong drink.
‘If something’s on your mind, perhaps it would be worth talking about it?’ Ash suggests of a customer at one point. They have a point and it’s exactly the point the game is trying to make.
Coffee Talk Tokyo review summary
In Short: A charming coffee shop sim that’s slow going but packs plenty of emotional wallop into its runtime, with a cast of colourful characters that are well worth the asking price to meet.
Pros: The storylines unfold slowly but become gradually more fascinating as the game goes on. The low tech graphics are pleasingly retro; the coffee making minigame is short but fun.
Cons: The gameplay is minimal, with no real agency over the story. The lo-fi music would benefit from the addition of a few more tracks.
Score: 7/10
Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC
Price: £12.99
Publisher: Chorus Worldwide Games
Developer: Chorus Worldwide Games
Release Date: 21st May 2026
Age Rating: 12
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