Greetings, Cafe Regulars.
Another scoop of with our crews featuring one of the artists behind the art of Coffee Talk.
So, tell me, when you first think of Coffee Talk, what thing came to mind first?
To me, it’s the pixelated grin of Freya asking for (yet another) three shot Espresso. Then all the details of the cafe unwrap; the bar table, which Freya and the rest of the customers lean upon, then beneath it, all the cups and equipment probably only seen by the barista, and finally, the brick wall of the cafe and its ornaments, including the iconic “drown your trouble in coffee” sign hanging by the big window (which, did you know, is available as a T shirt?!).
That memorable scene which we all adore is thanks to the art direction of Coffee Talk itself. Dio Mahesa–the lead artist for the first Coffee Talk–made sure that the game incites a certain warm, cozy feeling you’d get from hanging in a cafe, with a sprinkle of nostalgic feeling thanks to the modern yet retro pixel art style.
To know more about the art of Coffee Talk Ep. 2, what changes and the direction its taking, I’ve sat down with Dio and other artists responsible for making the sequel of our beloved game. So before we begin, prepare your warm cup of coffee, get comfortable, and please enjoy the interview!
1.) Is there differences in regard to art directions in the game, moving from Coffee Talk to Coffee Talk Ep. 2?
I think the biggest, and the most obvious change from the previous game is the colortone of the game, especially for the promotional art. We mainly use blue and yellow color tones for the art of Coffee Talk Ep. 2 to represent the new characters of the game itself, and to separate Coffee Talk Ep. 2 from its predecessor.
2.) So is it alright to assume that there will also be differences in the arts inside Coffee Talk Ep. 2 itself?
Of course! For starters, ]there will be more art collaboration with local talents from Indonesia, including Hendry Roesly, Kriswin Yuniar, Cairebell, Locoberi, and many more, as the late Fahmi–the creator of the first game–intended.
In Coffee Talk, we collaborated with local talents after the release of the game itself, as we put a dedicated section for collaborative arts in the game as the game updated. In Coffee Talk Ep. 2, we tried to put all those amazing arts made by the local talents in a more organic way that you will find out once you play the game.
Speaking of collaborative arts, while it’s amazing to have tons of different artstyle from various artists, we asked them to follow the main direction of the art of Coffee Talk, which is the retro, anime style. So hopefully, all that will provide a diverse, yet coherent visual that players are familiar with.
Other than that, there’s also changes here and there in the setting of the game; the cafe. It’s subtle, but I hope the players will have fun finding all the little differences in the cafe between the first game and this one.
3.) That is very exciting to hear! And what about the characters in the game? Are they also going through changes, like the cafe?
Definitely. The time setting of Coffee Talk Ep. 2 is a couple years after the first game, so it is natural for them to go through changes. Like Junki mentioned, the overarching theme of Coffee Talk Ep. 2 is growth, and we want to emphasize that through the visuals of the characters as well.
We’ve shown some of the changes in the trailer, like how Lua now wears glasses and a new blazer. Every single character of Coffee Talk has changed here and there to show how they’ve grown during the time skip between the first and the second game. Some are subtle, while others might change so much you might not recognize them!*wink wink*
And just like the changes in the cafe, every character of the game has key visuals that we kept even with the changes, to keep the familiarity to the characters intact.
For example, Baileys, true to his namesake, has a certain element of Baileys (the drink) in his character, like how his shirt design is actually inspired by the drink. In the new game, we changed the brand of the drink we drew inspiration from, but the core element of “Baileys design is based on said famous drink” is kept intact.
We applied the same principle to the rest of the characters, so despite all the changes, they are still the same characters you know from the first game.
And that, dear customer, was the interview with Dio Mahesa, the art director of Coffee Talk Ep. 2!
So, which casts of the first Coffee Talk are you most excited to see again in Coffee Talk Ep. 2? Are you ready to find all the little changes in our beloved little cafe? Fret not, my friend, for the release of Coffee Talk Ep. 2 is very close upon us now!!
As always, thank you for coming, and I’ll see you again in your next visit!
In the meantime, you can follow us on social media and join our community to get the latest information information about related events and announcements. It's just exactly a week before the release of Coffee Talk Episode 2, we're extremely excited to see your reaction and comments when the game goes live. Until then, see you next week when the game is released!
WIshlist and Follow Coffee Talk Episode 2 on Steam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1663220/Coffee_Talk_Episode_2_Hibiscus__Butterfly/
Please stay safe and healthy, friends!
Fully brewed with love,
Coffee Talk Team. ːctfreyaː