Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly Review

As a regular patron of a late-night coffee shop back in my university days, the cosy and feel-good vibes of the first Coffee Talk made me nostalgic for those long (sometimes rainy) nights with a warm brew by my side. The game definitely got one thing right: a perfect drink can make a bad day better. However, I never divulged my troubles to a friendly yet mysterious barista or bonded with orcs, vampires, and the like; that’s a pleasure reserved for Toge Productions’ well-loved visual novels. Just three years after Coffee Talk’s release, the indie studio has brewed up a sequel titled Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly, bringing us new drinks to enjoy and tales to be told in its modern fantasy-inspired world. If you were a fan of the first game, you are sure to love this one, as it adds a bit more in the way of lore and mechanics, while reuniting you with familiar friends and introducing you to new customers in the same quaint nighttime café.

The story picks up three years after the first game, and we return to an alternate present-day version of Seattle where humans, orcs, elves, mermaids, and many other races coexist somewhat peacefully — albeit not without conflict and festering prejudices. And just like before, you play as the owner and lone barista of Coffee Talk, a café that has become a safe haven for lost and troubled souls. Open from nightfall to morning, you’ll listen to stories over the course of two weeks, and as you play out each day, you’ll serve drinks based on what your customers need, whether it be comfort, clarity, or even inspiration. You’ll explore profound themes about connection, memory, and the legacies we leave behind and, similar to its predecessor, Hibiscus & Butterfly encourages you to stop and smell the roses — a bouquet of coffee, aromatics, and colourful teas, in this case.

The name of this charming sequel pays homage to the two new ingredients on your shelves: Blue Pea and Hibiscus. These open up a variety of new brews to discover on your phone’s Brewpad, many of which sounded so good I wanted to try them myself, from the earthy calm Dreamin’ Blue latte to the warm and gingery Teh Jahe Rosella tea. When it comes to crafting each drink, the process hasn’t changed much at all. A customer places their order and to brew it, you’ll choose your base, primary, and secondary ingredients. The combination “coffee, coffee, coffee” still makes a good (and bitter) cup of espresso and if you add milk to a drink, you have the option to draw latte art on it before serving your customer. I’ll shamelessly admit that the cute patterns and designs I imagined often came out as nothing more than abstract swooping lines. And yet, I don’t regret the time I spent trying to swirl milk into a cute heart shape as the finishing touch on a Sweetheart latte. Luckily, the quality of your art has no bearing on your customer’s satisfaction; that’s still determined by whether you interpret their requests correctly.

You’ll get the simplest brews out of the way right from the get-go, using a single ingredient to craft your drinks. But as you progress, finding the right combination of ingredients is slightly more challenging since some of the orders are worded more vaguely than I remember them being in the previous game. “A red drink that’s bold,” was one that truly had me stumped. With that said, a majority of them are straightforward enough and you won’t have to trash too many drinks before finding the right one. Hibiscus & Butterfly also follows the path of most sequels by building upon its gameplay, but it does so without changing the Coffee Talk loop that players enjoy. The new item-gifting mechanic has characters either leave behind or give you items, such as a special lighter, invitation, postcard, or even a fidget spinner. You’ll keep these items in a drawer (accessible right next to your phone) and when you serve a patron their drink, you have the option to give them an item. It’s not always apparent when you should give an item or who you should give it to, which is fun in the sense that gives you the freedom to play around and experiment, but it can also get frustrating if you forget an item (as I did many times) since they will disappear from your drawer as days pass.

When you’re not brewing at your machines, you’ll be talking with your customers on the other side of the counter. The addition of Lucas, a fun-loving satyr who works as a social media influencer, as well as Riona, a banshee looking for her way into the singing industry, makes up for the fact that our talkative green-haired writer Freya is noticeably absent in this instalment. With the expansion of its cast, Hibiscus & Butterfly continues to do what Coffee Talk did best, introducing you to easy-to-love characters that have relatable problems (and good taste in drinks, honestly). We also get a nice dash of otherworldly humour from a new character named Amanda whose space suit attire and lack of knowledge about Earth’s customs are just as endearing as the first game’s visitor from the stars. And a majority of the regulars from Coffee Talk return: Hyde and Gala, the memorable vampire and werewolf duo; Lua and Baileys, the bickering couple who almost parted ways but are now planning their wedding; Myrtle and Aqua, the hard-working game developers dedicated to their projects. Of course, Officer Jorji, Silver (formerly called Neil), Rachel, and Hendry all return as well, each with their own story arc to experience.

As you might expect, this means that Hibiscus & Butterfly’s narrative space gets crowded, which results in many old characters showing up a lot less throughout the story in favour of giving more screen time to Lucas, Riona, and Amanda. Each of their arcs is absolutely worthwhile to experience as they try to find acceptance, connection, and fulfilment in their own ways. It’s hard not to relate to their emotions, especially when it comes to their dreams and feelings of loneliness. But it’s still unfortunate that some of the other characters had interesting storylines and while I kept waiting to see more of them, they were kept in the background. Ultimately, when those arcs were wrapped up alongside the higher-profile ones, their endings felt rushed and didn’t leave as much of an impact as I thought they could have done.

If you’re interested in Coffee Talk lore, the dialogue does take time to insert a few interesting tidbits about the alternate Earth these characters inhabit. We get to learn about important moments in Coffee Talk’s history, such as the Vindication Act, a treaty that determined whose rights would be recognised, and we hear the tale of an old tree near the café, and how its removal may have spooky implications on the surrounding community. This exposition adds just enough context and depth to the narrative without boring you with too much text in between brewing drinks and other fun instances, such as arguments or the power suddenly going out. However, Hibiscus & Butterfly does feature much more filler dialogue in places where I would have preferred the characters to move along from the topic or let me make them a drink. It’s a thin line to straddle between thoughtful commentary and long-winded explanations. But more often than not, Hibiscus & Butterfly gets the balance right. Even now, I wouldn’t mind brewing my own cup of coffee and hanging out with the characters for another chat about life, love, and everything else.

The beautiful pixel art and soothing lo-fi tunes of Hibiscus & Butterfly continue to deliver the cosiest vibes that made Coffee Talk so mesmerising to me. If you check out the song app on your in-game phone, you can scroll through the multitude of new tracks to chill out to and this time round, you can even influence your song library based on a drink you serve to a certain pop star looking for inspiration. Without spoiling too much, I will say that unlocking the new songs will require you to go back and replay the days. And if you’re familiar with the original Coffee Talk, you already know the drill. Once you’ve completed your playthrough, you can go back to the menu and select specific days you’d like to repeat. Serving different, or completely wrong, drinks and changing who you give (or don’t give) items to, is how you’ll see everything Hibiscus & Butterfly has to offer from the best endings to the worst of them. I haven’t unlocked everything yet, but it’s not for lack of trying. In this case, the game is much more ambiguous in terms of what you need to do differently compared to the first Coffee Talk, so your endgame hunt for alternate dialogue and scenes might be longer, which is a good excuse to spend even more time chilling out in your cosy café.

The original instalment of Coffee Talk was a heartfelt talking sim that needed more interactivity, and Hibiscus & Butterfly does what it should as a sequel by improving upon the game’s recipe of coffee and talking. I remember playing the first game and constantly holding my breath until the next chance I got to make a drink. Hibiscus & Butterfly, on the other hand, doesn’t wait too long before you’re brewing at your machines again, keeping you engaged amidst the many monologues and exposition. The added item mechanic properly gives your barista more agency, letting your decisions have more power over a character’s arc. Though the narrative struggles at times with filler dialogue and its attempt at balancing the larger cast unfortunately pushes some interesting stories into the background, it’s still a worthwhile short experience to play. The combination of charming characters, delightful drinks, and intimate conversations will absolutely satisfy Coffee Talk fans and newcomers to the series.