Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterflyreturns as a sequelwhere players will resume their role as a barista in a secluded, but diverse and inclusive coffee shop in Seattle.Coffee Talk Episode 2is an interactive visual novelwith a variety of special drinks and music, used to bring out the relationship between the players and the characters.
Producer and composer AJ and lead artist and art director Dio worked closely withMohammad Fahmi, the creator and original writer ofCoffee Talk, to bring his ideas to life – even if that meant doing things they’ve never done before or haven’t done in a while. AJ and Dio told Game Rant in a recent interview where they and Fahmi drew inspiration from popular mediums forCoffee Talkand how that’s since expanded now inCoffee Talk Episode 2.
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Dragon Ball Z, Dungeons & Dragons, And YouTube Were Research Material
AlthoughCoffee TalkandCoffee Talk Episode 2takes place in Seattle, players won’t see customers that are only human. They’ll see mythical creatures like elves, succubuses, orcs, mermaids, and dwarves who have modernized jobs—like freelance workers or business executives—and real-world problems including family issues, discrimination, and more. These characters continue to coexist inCoffee Talk Episode 2, which Dio said was important to do to give more “diversity” to this world. He drew inspiration fromDungeons & Dragons, which is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game known for its mythological creatures, but also looked atreferences from 1990s animes, which he and Fahmi are huge fans of.
Because Fahmi and I are ’90s anime fans, we actually gathered a lot of references likePerfect Blue,Neon Genesis Evangelion, andCowboy Bebop. Those gave me the inspirations for the art styles, and I’m trying to recreate the vibes. I try to put my bit of style because it’s quite hard for me to get used to the anime style because I hadn’t, at that time, any anime style in years and [I was] like, “Okay, how to do this again?”
Some of the characters are also inspired by some characters inDragon Ball Z, not 100 percent inspired, but there’s a tiny bit here and there.
For the music, it was something that AJ had never done before. He was used to action music that implemented sounds from rock, pop, and orchestra. But whenFahmi pitched the idea ofCoffee Talk, he told AJ what kind of music he really wanted, chillhop music. Chillhop music has continuously grown in popularity over the last few years and is also known as lofi hip hop and jazz hip hop.
He just told me to get reference from a lot of chillhop music on YouTube, and that’s where I did a lot of experimentation and research. When I made the music, [I] just put a lot of jazzy tune elements and made relaxing vibes in the music.
I did a lot of research on how to make heartwarming music. I’m just surprised that there’s a lot of people that really love this kind of music. The music really helps how people just want to enjoy the game as it is.
How Their Success Helped Coffee Talk Episode 2
Dio’s illustrations won’t be the only art that players will see inCoffee Talk Episode 2,as there are also illustrations by local Indonesian artists. Dio said that Fahmi wanted to do this in the originalCoffee Talk, but they didn’t have the resources. However, thanks to its success, they have the money to spare, which simultaneously freed up time to work on other game assets.
InCoffee Talk Episode 2, players will see a lot of illustrations that are made by Indonesian artists, pixel artists that we commissioned as freelance artists. In the firstCoffee Talk, we were trying to collaborate with Indonesian artists as much as possible, not in game assets way, but this time, we actually commissioned them and we asked them to draw illustrations for the stories. As the game plays, you will see some like cutscenes.
In this episode, I want to bring the same spirit that late Fahmi had inCoffee Talk1, and then we are trying to show to other players that there are great Indonesian artists and pixel art.
Aside from the characters' stories, many reviews creditedCoffee Talk’s art style and music compositions as key components to the relaxing atmosphere that’s established in the coffee shop. AJ and Dio told Game Rant that they wanted to recreate these vibes inCoffee Talk Episode 2and recapture old fans while also attracting new fans, which they both said was one of the biggest challenges. Dio said there are 50 new special drinks with different images and more character expressions, which he wanted to implement inCoffee Talk, but couldn’t due to time constraints. AJ will said there is also 37 new music compositions for players to chill out to.
Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterflyis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
