Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly Explained

Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly is a 2023 visual novel developed and published by Indonesian studio Toge Productions. It is the sequel to Coffee Talk, the first episode of the series and was released on the 20 April 2023, after the death of the main creator of the prequel, for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and the Xbox Series X/S.

Gameplay

As the continuation of the first episode of Coffee Talk, both pixel art games are a visual novel, which consists of reading dialogue. This is done alongside working as a barista at a café, to serve coffee and other hot drinks to customers. Both also feature relaxing, lo-fi music, set in a late night rainy atmosphere, located in Seattle where the barista will meet up with a variety of fantastical customers including but not limited to orcs, fairies, werewolves and vampires. It is also possible to create latte art for aesthetics.

Development

The sequel of Coffee Talk was announced on 31 August 2021.^{[1] [2]} It was released as a demo on 17 January 2022,^[3] shortly before the death of Mohammad Fahmi, the main creator of the first episode of Coffee Talk, in March 2022.^[4] The game was released on 20 April 2023 for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.^{[5] [6]}

Reception

Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly received mostly favourable reviews across various platforms on Metacritic.^[7] Izzatul Razali for IGN Southeast Asia states that Episode 2 "provides a great visual representation of the concept of 'sonder' through encounters with strangers in a public setting" while Digitally Downloaded states that the game is "grounded in realism despite its fantasy world".^[8] Shaun Musgrave for TouchArcade opined that the game was "laser focused on my tastes" and gave it a 4.5 out of 5 on the Nintendo Switch.^[9]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly will serve up fresh brew in 2022 . Moyse . Chris . 31 August 2021 . . 3 May 2022 . 4 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220504050124/https://www.destructoid.com/coffee-talk-episode-2-hibiscus-butterfly-reveal-toge-productions/ . live .
2. coffeetalk_game . 1432764560453165056 . ✨ New episode is coming! ✨ We're delighted to announce that we're working on Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly! There will be new characters, ingredients, music, and stories to tell! ☕️ Wishlist here: http://bit.ly/cthb-steam. 31 August 2021. 3 May 2022.
3. Web site: 2021 . Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly . 4 May 2024 . Steam . 4 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220504050124/https://store.steampowered.com/app/1663220/Coffee_Talk_Episode_2_Hibiscus__Butterfly/ . live .
4. Web site: Coffee Talk creator Fahmi has passed away . Nightingale . Ed . 28 March 2022 . Eurogamer . 22 April 2024 .
5. Web site: Return to a Familiar Cafe When Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly Releases in 2022. 26 September 2019. 3 May 2022. IGN Southeast Asia. en. 1 December 2021. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211201034710/https://sea.ign.com/coffee-talk-episode-2-hibiscus-butterfly/177411/news/return-to-a-familiar-cafe-when-coffee-talk-episode-2-hibiscus-butterfly-releases-in-2022.
6. Web site: Razali . Izzatul . 2023-04-19 . Coffee Talk 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly Review . 2024-04-22 . IGN Southeast Asia . en-sg.
7. Web site: Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly . 20 April 2023 . . 20 April 2024 .
8. Web site: M . Lindsay . 2023-04-28 . Review: Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly (PC) – Digitally Downloaded . 2024-04-22 . en-US.
9. Web site: SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'Coffee Talk Episode 2' . Musgrave . Shaun . 21 April 2023 . TouchArcade . 23 April 2024 .