While I can’t say I recall the cozy work sim genre existing before the last generation, it feels like the better games within it have more than hit their stride. Matching up character building and storytelling with what are typically pretty light work tasks may not be for everyone, but for the right audience there’s something satisfying and relaxing to discover within them. Consistent with this edition’s predecessors, the new Tokyo location brews together the sometimes mundane with the fanciful, all while delivering surprisingly rich stories throughout.

For those who are unfamiliar with the series, you’ll be working as a barista at a small shop, responsible for providing your customers with an understanding ear and what will hopefully be just the drink to perk them up and loosen their tongue. While getting used to concocting just the right beverage can feel more complicated at first, once you get into the groove of things, taking what people are saying they want to then put together the proper 3 ingredients, does get easier. Just for a little added flair you can also then make your own foam art or use a stencil for a far cleaner look, but in general your goal on the sim side will be to simply satisfy everyone the best you can.

The real bread and butter of the game is the characters though, and the interactions you’ll have with them. For the most part though, outside of giving them a periodic jolt of brew, you’ll simply be along for the ride, politely prompting and poking them to lay it all out, and then give them support as necessary. That’s where the visual novel component shows up, but cleverly concealed within this cozy sim and character dialogue. It’s absolutely a means of telling different stories, and despite the fanciful nature of many of these characters, their stories tend to feel deeply human and real, revealing the true allure of this franchise.