Being the coffee lover that I am, you can easily spark my interest with a caffeinated-themed game!
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Developer Befun Studio has ground these components together, hoping for the perfect blend; but what they ultimately brewed was a sweet and bitter concoction.
Now that I have reeled you in with my coffee puns, let’s get to the review!
Characters and Story
Meet Affogato, the game’s namesake, a witch who has arrived in the bustling city of Arorua. Along with her arch-demon familiar Mephista, she opens her coffee shop ‘Witchery’.
You awaken with some temporary memory loss and Mephista explains your purpose as a witch, and the dangers of collaborating with powerful demons.
Mephista becomes not only your companion but also your demon-loving guide throughout the game.
As a business owner and barista, Affogato has her work cut out for her; however this all changes when an old friend comes to visit, Sera, the “Boss” Witch of Arorua.
Sera funds and assigns you tasks via smartphone, helping to save the possessed citizens of Arorua by releasing their demons; though for every person you help. a bite is taken from your soul.
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After being given your first task it comes to realisation that something dark and sinister is at work here and the risk to people’s lives becomes more significant.
The game touches on mental health issues, possessed victims can be subject to depression and anxiety, thus creating a juxtaposition of “inner demons”.
Whilst you coordinate that work-life balance of being a barista by day and demon hunter by night, you meet charming customers who aren’t shy to tell you their story.
With each conversation you are introduced to numerous side plots that, while optional, eventually weave into the main story.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Affogato is set out by a calendar. On each new day, you can work through tasks via Affogato’s smartphone or spend your day making coffee. The game features minimal movement and dialogue choices, so basically, you can relax and take things at your own pace.
Not to say that it’s a slow burn, the days do go by quickly with 3 set times of day to play – Morning, Evening and Late Night.
During these times you can run the café to earn cash, shop around multiple stores, increase your stats or go on the hunt to combat the demons possessing the locals.
You need to manage your time appropriately as there are tasks with time restraints, and like any business, you need to make sure you have enough money to pay rent on time.
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As a barista, the coffee simulation mini-game is a simple and somewhat fun way to spend your time, if you do not want to partake in combat. Taking orders from customers and creating their beverages just scratches the surface of therapeutic.
The mechanics are simple, drag and drop the right ingredient into the right machine. Creativity is limited and comes down to the seasoning of the coffee, where you could add honey, cinnamon, or even chilli oil (tempted by that one!). It is no Cooking Mama and I do wish this element had more depth as this part of the game originally drew me in.
Whilst running your café you are introduced to notable NPCs and partake in lengthy and interesting conversations. The stories not only serve a purpose to the main plot but also to help boost your stats, and can also result in a tarot card that can be used in combat.
If you aren’t a fan of visual novels or reading walls of text then this could be a downfall, as it is a weighty part of the game. Thankfully though, each character is unique and can keep you engaged.
Combat
Now wholesome coffee-making and memorable conversations aren’t the only factors of Affogato, there is also puzzling and strategic combat.
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The combat system uses a reverse-tower defence mechanism, using a deck of tarot cards to take down enemies and demons. The battlefield is called a labyrinth, where you deploy cards to go into battle, fighting your way to the boss. It’s up to the player to determine the route and strategy by switching up your card orientation and using the directional tiles on the field. Strategy is key as some enemies are stronger than others and have different offensive tactics.
While you battle your way through the labyrinth, you can find memories linked to the possessed citizen, shards that are used to upgrade your cards, and also items that come in handy with NPC relationship building.
Defeating enemies can give you Penta which is used to deploy your cards, this is a big factor to take into consideration with your strategy as once you wipe out cards and use up your Penta storage the battle is over.
Overall the combat was fun and challenging. I’m the type of player who needs to collect everything before moving forward, and found it easy to collect shards to upgrade my cards to max. Once I maxed out my cars however, I felt a bit overpowered and strategy took more of a backseat. I also found some maps to be repetitive or too quick and easy to fully enjoy.
Graphics and Sound
Affogato is vibrant, and just like the witches’ hair (which you will be constantly reminded that it is not red it is magenta!) the game displays many hues of pink and purple. The character art is your traditional anime style, very detailed and unique to their personalities. In comparison, you see a Chibi version of Affogato and her friends when in free play.
The soundtrack suits the vibe of the game going from cozy tunes in the cafe to a fast-paced beat when entering combat. Affogato also has a music app on her phone that can be used to choose songs, however, the songs only play when using the smartphone it doesn’t change the ambient music of the game.
Affogato was a fun game to play and was completed in about 20 hours. It takes a fresh and unique approach to multiple genres, though they don’t always hit and some components felt a little lacklustre.
The game would really benefit from a mental health warning at the start, as I found some parts to be quite unsettling and it could be triggering to certain players.
Affogato is available to play now on Steam.
Quest Daily scores Affogato:
7/10
Quest Daily was supplied a copy of Affogato by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
