As somebody who used to stay and die by midnight lattes, taking part in Espresso Discuss was a nice jaunt into the previous when all I had had been faculty deadlines and a way more resilient physique. Now, caffeine after sundown sends me right into a sweaty ache spiral, so it was simple to get sentimental over a sport centered on sitting over a comfy brew at midnight. This attraction and ease drew me in rapidly, and the second chapter, Espresso Discuss Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly, is extra of the identical: the participant is the enigmatic barista (and ostensibly proprietor) at Espresso Discuss, a tiny cafe that solely opens at evening, and makes comforting drinks whereas listening to clients speak about their issues.
The sport begins a number of years after the tip of the primary, and options earlier regulars like neighborhood police officer Jorji and lifelong greatest mates Hyde and Gala. It is set in the identical supernatural model of Seattle crammed with otherworldly creatures, from orcs and satyrs to vampires and gnomes, with a “Major Six” listing of acknowledged races and an excruciatingly gradual integration course of for different beforehand “unknown” peoples. Fortunately, Espresso Discuss’s slice-of-life focus helps it keep away from the worst pitfalls of hackneyed fantasy-race stereotypes, as characters take care of relatable private crises on a a lot smaller and intimate scale than, say, a hundred-year conflict between orcs and elves. For example, a socially awkward banshee named Riona harbors goals of turning into a soprano in an opera scene dominated by sirens, and the ever-exhausted Jorji will vent about his residence life and relationship along with his household.
The subtitle comes from two new teas – hibiscus and blue pea (often known as butterfly pea) flower – that are required to make new drinks like Zobo from Nigeria, or Teh Jahe Rosella from Toge Productions’ residence base of Indonesia. Not like the primary sport which was purely drink-mixing and dialogue, this time the participant additionally receives objects left within the cafe and should give them to the suitable individual the following time they arrive in; the participant solely will get one probability handy over an merchandise whereas serving stated individual their drink, which is stupidly simple to neglect, and with a few exceptions, has no actual influence on main character arcs. Objects additionally disappear after a sure variety of days. Failing to provide Riona one other character’s contact info, for example, is a non-negotiable a part of the principle narrative, so she’ll pay money for it regardless of the participant’s forgetfulness
Mixing drinks – essentially the most interactive portion of the sport – is a simple course of of mixing three components so as. There is a base, major, and secondary ingredient, however I often discovered a few of the combos to be unimaginable – Lucas, at one level, asks for a pumpkin spice latte surrogate, however at no level does the barista have something remotely near a pumpkin or perhaps a gourd-like fruit of their arsenal. After randomly googling one of many different drinks, I stumbled throughout a possible resolution fairly by chance. The latte artwork mechanic nonetheless stays a particular hell the place hand-eye coordination goes to die – my a number of makes an attempt at scrawling a coronary heart had been worse than what I drew once I was a toddler. I blame this on my Joycons, however my expertise utilizing a keyboard and mouse within the first Espresso Discuss had been virtually as dangerous. If this can be a pointed trace to tip your baristas extra once they provide you with latte artwork, it is working.
It feels bizarre to complain {that a} sport structured round on a regular basis vignettes would not really feel as cohesive as its predecessor, particularly with the understanding that video games are arguably probably the most efficient mediums to subvert standard expectations of what a “story” ought to appear to be. Maybe it is as a result of the primary sport had a constant throughline within the type of Freya, the green-haired author whose arc was integral to serving to the participant kind a bond with the sport; Hibiscus and Butterfly leans extra on the ensemble solid of a number of regulars, which has a drastically completely different really feel. For essentially the most half, the writing hews to the identical tone as the primary sport – a usually clean mix of banter, well-defined characterization, fantasy Seattle-specific colloquialisms, and a contact of ritual on the barista’s half.
Hibiscus and Butterfly, although, has a noticeable share of stiff dialogue, filler, and unwieldy chunks of exposition, which, whereas unavoidable as a result of nature of the visible novel format, might use extra polish. The saving grace right here was the real affection I’ve for the 4 of the principle regulars: longtime couple Lua and Baileys, and previous mates Hyde and Gala. Greater than something, it is this comfy familiarity that outlined my Hibiscus and Butterfly playthrough, whether or not it was Lua’s very welcome first look within the sport, or pairing any of the previous regulars with the (at instances, moderately irritating) newcomers to create a heat sense of belonging. Jorji’s storyline a couple of vandalism case-turned-history lesson was patchy at greatest, and featured a very baffling interplay with random different cops who preach empathy and compassion. My greatest guess right here is that the writers had been making an attempt to humanize people in legislation enforcement, which is a weirdly disjointed factor to push right into a sport explicitly about not policing race and identification towards a backdrop of virulent anti-immigration and tech-enabled racism.
Espresso Discuss’s fiercest attraction to me was its simplicity, rigorously constructing on layers of nostalgia and fantasy not only for an old-school espresso store the place the barista doubles as native everyfriend and therapist, however a north star in a time when the normal brick-and-mortar third place – a public, community-oriented area that fulfils particular social roles – is an endangered idea. The web and social media has turn out to be a surrogate for a lot of of those previous interactions, and the characters within the sport use a social media app referred to as Tomodachill to submit “tales” that the participant can like (with no discernible impact on gameplay). It turned such a nightly supply of low-stakes pleasure that I might simply overlook a few of the extra uneven writing and tedious bits to unwind with acquainted faces and undergo the motions of serving to my little flock of consumers.
Video games-as-a-third-place is not a brand new comparability – MMOs are in all probability the clearest examples of digital areas the place individuals have fashioned low-key, low-stakes hangouts that revolve round chat. I am not speaking about doing combat-intensive raids or high-level situations, however extra alongside the strains of Last Fantasy XIV housing roleplayers who create cute little cafes with different gamers (and bathhouses, and brothels, and so forth). That is all, after all, player-made content material, pushed by teams of gamers throughout the confines of the sport’s parameters. And whereas there are different lowkey hangout visible novels that concentrate on conversations and low (or no) stake battle, Espresso Discuss is devoid of gimmicks and easily has a dependable, well-executed formulation: an exceedingly chill soundtrack, relatable drama with often sobering outcomes, earnest if not often awkward makes an attempt to provide its characters significant social and political context, and an innate understanding of the unavoidably human have to be heard.
The entire Espresso Discuss collection is, on the obvious surface-level studying, a story love letter to the third place, however with just a little behavioral twist – it encourages (moderately meta) return patronage within the type of the participant loading up the sport to hunt a uncommon type of connection by way of its characters: the distinctive moments in time when strangers (or strangers who get off on the mistaken foot) can maintain it collectively lengthy sufficient for a spark of friendship to kind. Like the primary Espresso Discuss, Hibiscus and Butterfly winds down with the understanding that there is not actually ever an finish, and the evening owl in me is glad.