By Luke Hemming 04.09.2023
Of all the liquids available, the least viable in these eyes, Coffee. Despite this, Every bean based title that has been served up for review has been a great one. Both Coffee Talk efforts were a delight to play and captured and amused the imagination with a captivating story and drawing on the lattes. Hoping to continue the trend comes Affogato, a fantastic blend of genres!
As the superbly written intro will allude to, crammed into the mix is one part tower-defense game, a hint of a coffee-brewing simulator, and a social simulator. The titular (snigger) Affogato is a witch come barista opening shop and looking to delve into the mysterious surrounding her new area. The residents seem infected by whatever mysterious force is holding its grip on the city and along with her demon, Affogato sets off to free them from its clutches.
Once finding one of these dark souls, the tower defense element comes into play, sending tarot card imps to do your dirty work and free the tortured individual. As this makes up the majority of the gameplay element, if grabbed by this from the outset, the rest of the experience is going to be an enjoyable one. Tutorials clearly explain what should or should not be happening and although simple, the graphical aspect clearly conveys what it intended. The tarot cards haven't looked this good since Cardcaptors either (which I refuse to call anything else as the British version is superior). A 2x speed button is also welcome once mastering the basics and looking to plough through to the boss battles or progress with the story.
As mentioned before, those who have experienced the superb Coffee Talk will have no issue accommodating themselves to the sections between soul reaving with easy to follow recipes and ingredients required by the residents in order to garner more insight into themselves. As this is only a part of a larger whole however, the depth of these conversations are a little less in depth than a fully committed Coffee-Sim (trademarked as of now).
Levelling as it were, is restricted by the day-night cycle (although as the lore in interwoven, the reason for perpetual night is explained) and a limited amount of actions per session. These range from exploring the city, increasing your base statistics or grinding away at work. To keep everything ticking over nicely, main objectives are also time based. Its refreshing to have this Sword of Damocles hanging there so things do not get too convoluted. Yes, there is time to explore but still simmering underneath is a tight experience.
Visually, the style is a charming one with the standard JRPG drawn characters popping up to emphasise the personality of any citizens stopping by. Quite a calm experience is garnered from the warm tones of the cityscape. Music choice is also fitting for most scenarios ensuring that the right amount of panic is established for its more challenging sections but bringing it all back to relaxing for the next lore dish.
For the most part, Affogato melds the multiple genres it includes well, delivering an enjoyable and unique experience. Unique does come at a cost for appealing to a mass market, however, with some potentially struggling with its concepts and aims. Much like coffee itself, it's not for everyone, but those who do try it will rave about what the rest are missing.
7/10
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