2023-06-03 23:44:20
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly (hereinfollowing referred to as Coffee Talk 2) is a game that warms up sleepless nights by expressing a cup of warm coffee and a heart that is relaxed in that warmth. As in the previous work, unrealistic characters continue their realistic concerns, and we who play the game sympathize with and are comforted by the story.
Coffee Talk 2, which is receiving as good reviews as its predecessor, which attracted fans with its uniqueness and comfort, Coffee Talk 2, a game like a dreamy dawn, is the work of Toge Productions, an Indonesian indie developer. And through Xbox, I had the opportunity to talk briefly regarding Coffee Talk 2 with ‘Dio Mahesa’, the lead artist of developer Toge Production, and ‘Junkipatchi’, the narrative designer and lead writer.
Q. I think the biggest attraction of the Coffee Talk series is the ‘story’. Watching the dreamy characters share realistic concerns, players become immersed in the game and share their emotions. How did you select a story regarding these concerns that global players can generally relate to, and how did you draw them into the game?
Junki Pachi = Choosing a story that global gamers can relate to was very helpful in selecting social media as a basic theme. This is because the Internet is used all over the world, and whether or not we actively participate in it, it has a great impact on our lives.
In addition, in order to realistically depict the characters’ concerns, I tried to think of the cafe customers as real people that I might meet in real life. It was assumed that they all had different backgrounds, just like real people, which gave the game variety. After that, the dilemma of reality was reflected in the story as it was, and it was delivered from the perspective of a fantasy species.
At the same time, I also considered how far I would be able to share my story when I had a conversation with a stranger at a cafe, and how comfortable I would feel sharing my story. Working following setting these imaginary boundaries helped a lot in creating a realistic storyline.
For reference, three artists, including myself, participated in this work. Anna Winterstein worked on most of the storylines for Baileys, Lua, Hyde, Silver and Amanda, while Aulia Rahmat created the Evening Whisper intro and parts of the Tomodachil storyline.
Q. Among the various stories in this work, the most unique was the story related to the mystery of ‘blowing the wheels of a car’. I think it’s also a story regarding memories, but I wonder where this original and unique story got its inspiration from.
Junki Pachi = It’s hard, but it’s a really good question. To sum it up, our project manager Kris wanted to incorporate a certain kind of mystery element, and I personally wanted to explore the link between social media and memory a bit more. We also wanted to stimulate players’ imaginations regarding the world of Coffee Talk, especially the parallel world of Seattle, where the cafe is located. Due to the nature of the game, the biggest difficulty was implementing all of these elements into the story solely through dialogue.
After thinking regarding it, the idea of an urban legend came to me. I wondered what a story that might be shared with a cup of coffee, yet interesting enough the first time I heard it, and a bizarre story whose beginning was unknown. After chasing the feeling of an urban legend, I ended up writing a mystery story regarding bursting car wheels.
Q. Among the various worries and stories of the characters appearing in this work, I am curious regarding what is the most cherished story or favorite story. I really want to hear the reason.
Dio = Personally, I like Leona’s story. With her background as a minority community, she struggles to achieve her own dreams that most of her would say would be impossible. It felt like an inspiring story while her appearance was very empowering to her personally. I think she can deliver a hopeful message to many people that she can achieve what she wants regardless of her background.
Q. Coffee Talk’s graphics look crude at first glance, but they are also very detailed. Cigarette smoke, worried expressions, eye blinking to express the void between conversations, etc. The appearance of the character was expressed in detail. I wonder how you came to draw these unique and detailed graphics, and why you chose this art style.
Dio = At the beginning of the development of Coffee Talk 1, I was immersed in the Japanese animation style of the 90s with the late Fahmi, who was a writer at the time. Coffee Talk’s pixel art style is inspired by the Japanese PC-98 series visual novel game art style, which Toge Productions is well known for. I tried to incorporate all of those different styles and reflect them in the game.
The good timing of the character’s expressions is also a result of our great writers who set the right expression at the right time. Sometimes, Junkie and Anna suggested adding a specific expression that I hadn’t thought of.
Q. What was the most difficult or difficult thing while developing this work? I wonder how you got through that situation.
Dio = Many fans were looking forward to this sequel, so there was pressure to show the best results that might live up to their expectations.
Junki Pachi = The programmers and artist worked hard to work on the story of Tomodachil, the unlockable dialogue, and the multiple story branches. Fortunately, programmers liked this challenge. After that, I worked tirelessly with the QA team right up until the release to fix all the bugs. With just sheer willpower, I was able to overcome these difficulties. Infinite thanks to all who participated.
Like Dio said earlier, we wanted Coffee Talk 2 to be a sequel that fans can enjoy and enjoy as much as the first game. So, I followed the game design foundations of the first game as much as possible, and tried to keep the original atmosphere and thoughtful feeling while adding new elements.
Q. In Korea, there is a term called ‘dawn sensibility’. It means that various emotions are compounded at dawn, and I think the Coffee Talk series is a game that fits well with that dawn sensibility. It’s a perfect game to play when you want to be comforted or when you want to empathize. As a developer, I wonder what game the Coffee Talk series and Coffee Talk 2 would like to reach players with.
Junki Pachi = Dawn sensibility is a very interesting word! When I was working as a freelancer, I often visited 24-hour cafes to complete my work or manuscript. Since I thought there was a kind of peacefulness that can only be felt between 2 and 5 in the morning, I very much agree with the term early morning sensibility.
Personally, I am a person who likes the concept of a third space outside of my home or business. There is a closing time like a store, but there is a charm of a temporary shared space that exists in a place where business hours are set and can be visited at any time. I want Coffee Talk 2 to approach players in this way.
Dio = Coffee Talk is a game that started with ‘a cup of hot drink enjoyed while watching the rain outside with calm music in the middle of the night’. Taking this as the main concept, it has been expanded to listen to customers’ stories and help them. This work also tried to make the most of this basic main sensibility. We want our players to feel the same way through the game.
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