It feels odd to want to play a game that purposefully tries to bring us back to the height of the pandemic. While it’s beginning to feel more and more distant now, close to half a decade since the first outbreak of COVID-19, I couldn’t help but want to know more about Tokyo Coffee: Grinding in the Pandemic.
Heaviside Creations, a Japanese development studio, has created a game that’s so niche it only made it onto my radar after one of my late-night coffee game searches on Steam. Set in the present time–the 2024 Paris Olympics present time–this coffee shop/customer interaction simulator forces us to revisit the pandemic through the lens of a coffee shop owner.
Coffee games are pretty rare to find in general, most being of the “tycoon” type, but the those that stick out are the ones that are narrative-focused. As the local barista, you are at the center of the many different narratives we discover throughout the three-ish hours of gameplay in Tokyo Coffee: Grinding in the Pandemic. If you played Coffee Talk, the mechanics and focus on customer relationships and their stories will feel very familiar.
There are, of course, games about the pandemic (albeit not of this caliber), but Tokyo Coffee is the first coffee simulation, visual novel game to be set during the pandemic and focused on the craft of coffee. I found the notion of reliving COVID times while extracting coffee both cathartic and oddly nostalgic.
Covering coffee video games and coffee-adjacent games here at Sprudge has been my bread and butter, but that wasn’t until the pandemic restrictions began in the US. Cafes were closed and my newly begun freelance career was looking rocky. So, I found respite in Animal Crossing: New Horizons cafe building capabilities and took a shot in the dark to pitch my first video game feature. Thus far, all the games were cute and fun to play, although labeling Necrobarista as cute would feel wrong, but Tokyo Coffee: Grinding in the Pandemic is the first to create a game solely focused on the experiences of staff and guests of a local coffee shop in Tokyo during the pandemic.
The whole thing feels quite meta.
The concept is so uniquely intriguing that I recommend playing it solely to immortalize the odd times the pandemic was. Gameplay is repetitive, but in a satisfying way both in terms of mechanics and narrative.
As any caring barista would do, you make coffee to uplift people’s moods and you listen. Listening is a huge part of the day-to-day in this visual novel. The game opens with you and a former employee, Chica, reminiscing about all the old customers you served during the lockdown. Chica is a manga artist who wants to create a story based on these experiences in the cafe during COVID-19, so she asks you to help her recall the timeline and various narratives as idea fuel.
Starting back in March 2023, you replay the encounters you’ve had with regular guests and Chica. Many conversations about guest’s concerns and change of pace come about as various stages of the pandemic unfold such as the state of emergency restrictions, remote work boom, and cancelation of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. As you learn of news and personal stories, you are tasked with making a pour-over to each guest’s liking. Each conversation is a stage that you can pass if you score a certain star rating or higher. The early stages start low at 1.8 stars and then progressively go higher to 4 stars.
Evaluation stars are earned by timing your grinding and water pouring just right to get the best-extracted flavors and qualities listed in the corner of your screen. Some guests love acidic Ethiopian pours, while others live for rich Colombian coffee. There are only three coffees to select from, Guatemalan, Colombian, and Ethiopian. The best method is comparing the evaluation and flavor output versus what’s required per stage. Although you can mess with the quantity of coffee from normal, large, and small servings, I find that you will stick to the same coffee and amount per customer.
What changes are the ratings based on your extraction methods, which is a simple learning curve, as all that is required is to tap or press and hold the spacebar to gain a better score. There is a grind meter and an extraction meter. Based on the desired outcomes, tap the spacebar slower or faster to produce a balanced cup of coffee with the right acidity or bitterness, then after blooming the grinds, hold the spacebar to pour less or more to gain higher ratings. You know you are doing it right when a bonus score is applied when you time the grinds perfectly or a rainbow aura and colored line flash across the screen. The more the colors flash on the screen, the more bonuses and higher scores. Passing the evaluation threshold is extremely simple. The only time you need to pay attention is when a new customer comes in, but thereafter their order will always remain the same.
There’s no real challenge in the pour-over system, but it’s the conversations that count. Repetitive mechanics may lead to boredom, but occasional diversions, such as playing a card game, break up the monotony for a brief time.
After completing all stages, the game wraps up in the present, summarizing the characters’ lives post-pandemic. While the ending may feel abrupt or unsatisfying to some, overall it serves its purpose in providing a snapshot of a unique time in history. I was more surprised at the space the game provided for me to reflect on my own life during the pandemic, offering a nostalgic yet bittersweet look back at a time of global uncertainty.
Tokyo Coffee: Grinding in the Pandemic is a niche game for a niche audience, offering a reflective and emotional experience rather than action-packed gameplay. Its value lies in its ability to evoke memories and personal growth, making it worth exploring for those who appreciate this approach and coffee, of course.
Brianna Fox-Priest is a freelance journalist in Japan covering coffee, video games, and Japanese pop culture. Read more Brianna Fox-Priest on Sprudge.
