In a world that’s blindingly fast, there’s a lot to keep up with, but when everything slows down, is there an escape where you can have your favorite drink in peace? and the second game is coming soon with Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly.
Before we go any further, let me introduce myself! My name is Arya, PR & Communications Manager at Toge Productions. Let’s talk about how Coffee Talk was born. How it connects with you – the player, the significance of its diverse fantastical characters, a little scoop on the ever-mysterious barista, and everything in between.
Coffee Talk originated as an internal game jam by the Toge Productions crew, initially called Project Green Tea Latte. Our Music Producer, Andrew Jeremy, said that the premise is to recreate the calm atmosphere of a coffee shop where you can listen to lo-fi music, hear people talking, and enjoy the atmosphere. Following the positive player reaction to the early demo, we were convinced of the game’s potential and decided to give it a try.
What most people don’t know is that they almost chose other games to develop! I decided to use it first.
And the rest is history, at least for the original Coffee Talk…
Let’s talk about the sequel “Coffee Talk Episode 2 Hibiscus & Butterfly”.
Hibiscus & Butterfly seeks to create more of the same atmosphere as its predecessor and advance the story of beloved characters, but with a richer narrative and new characters added. Our fans wanted a deeper narrative, which forced a more branched and impactful storyline. Some branches give even greater results!
To accomplish this, we’ve added two great authors, Junkipatch and Anna Winterstein, to our menu. Junki as lead writer focused on the main arc, while Anna expanded on the stories of older characters like Hyde, Gara, and Baileys. We want to create a deeper, more expansive story without having to!
Here we have two new characters with contrasting personalities: Riona and Lucas. Riona is a banshee, and contrary to her race’s stereotypes (horrible crying and bad luck), she wants to be an opera singer. People on her social media have bullied her for her ambitions, so she really resents those online her platforms. Lucas, on the other hand, is a loud-voiced, somewhat saucy and vivacious Satyr influencer who may have a layer of his own that is gradually discovered as you play the game. You can imagine it’s funny!
Speaking of characters, Hibiscus & Butterfly returns with these new faces alongside established favorites, and continues with the same diverse cast. He says he was inspired by his love of D&D creatures like elves. We decided to create a fantasy inspired character. We then inject some real-life issues into the mix to create a story that will be relevant to many players.
For me personally, the strength of these diverse fantastical characters is that they allow players to see the characters as they are and their personalities, without the shell of race or species, so they can be relevant to a wider audience. .
And of course, a reunion with the mysterious barista. You decide who that person is. What we do know and design is that the ballista is the bond that holds the characters together, like the neutron in an atom, the story and the characters revolve around it. is designed to be as neutral as possible. At Coffee Talk, baristas are like that because you’re here to listen. With that said, are you ready to enjoy more of the warmth of Coffee Talk?
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly comes to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on April 20, 2023.
