The streets already smell like espresso beans by the time you clock in for work. You light up the “Open” sign, turn on your coffee machine, and begin to process beans on your dingy grinder that breaks every few seconds. The work is slow and the customers are full of personality, but with coffee shops at every corner, you’re going to have to pass “The Trials” first to have a permanent stay in Coffee City.
As somebody who has spent hours playing its savory predecessor, “Good Pizza, Great Pizza,” I was thrilled when TapBlaze announced their new game, “Good Coffee, Great Coffee” with a similar premise. Instead of becoming a pizza ovenist, players embark on their new life as a coffee brewist in this game, mixing up caffeinated drinks for customers before time runs out in the day. There have been several periods of my life where I became addicted to “Good Pizza, Great Pizza’s” (GPGP) wacky toppings and confusing customer orders, which led me to approach this game with a bit of bias. Would this game stack up against it?
Almost immediately, I realized that TapBlaze was really trying to step up the quality for this game, introducing a plethora of new features that make “Good Coffee, Great Coffee” (GCGC) almost vastly different from its older sibling. Suddenly, there’s leveling up (which unlocks more story progression, as long as you have the cash to pay for it), random “hard mode” days that
pile on more tasks, and the most controversial feature: stamina. Much like any other addictive game that wants to limit your play time in hopes that you’ll spend money to bypass said limit, GCGC limits you to roughly ten days before you run out of stamina. This isn’t a particular problem for me thanks to my own lack of physical stamina, but it was an unexpected addition that may draw some people away from the game.
However, when it comes to story development, GPGP and GCGC follow relatively the same format. The plots both flow through a series of chapters where new characters and conflicts are introduced. Chapter one (the only chapter so far) features the aforementioned Trials—which was an entertaining way to introduce players to new coffee techniques, such as latte art. Recurring characters with their own distinct personalities are also present, and which I was able to grow connections with as the days rolled over.
The charm in this game is further developed by its general atmosphere, both in sound and artwork. Much like how your cafe is another addition to the oversaturated coffee market of Coffee City, GCGC is another addition to the ever growing “cozy” video game catalogue. This is apparent through its soft color palette, smooth lineart, and bubbly, handwritten text font. And instead of the peppiness of GPGP’s music, GCGC has a mellow, Lo-Fi beat that would blend in perfectly with your typical cafe.
Despite its coziness, the game is still quite difficult to master. One challenge I wasn’t expecting was the amount of time it took for me to get used to making coffee in the first place. As somebody who despises the taste of coffee in real life (unless it’s packed with sugar), I barely knew how an espresso machine worked prior to day one of the game. This, combined with multitasking, weirdly-worded orders, and impatient customers honestly made me restart days multiple times out of rage, which isn’t exactly what you want from a wholesome game. However, the game provides you with a recipe book located in your cafe’s tablet that has a written tutorial for each drink—something I utilized quite a bit during my early playthroughs. And my critique isn’t to dismiss the gameplay elements that I d
id enjoy; learning how to do latte art, balancing the art of foaming milk, and pressurizing espresso beans made me feel accomplished by the time I closed up shop.
Along with brewing coffee, players are able to customize their own coffee shop. While you start out with a basic cafe template, you can spend in-game money to curate your interior space to your own personal aesthetic. But this doesn’t mean you won’t have a difficult time figuring out how to decorate your space; GCGC may have one of the most confusing decorating mechanics out of all the games I’ve played in my life. But the decorations currently available are cute enough to make me almost forgive the developers.
Additionally, the introduction of specific upgrade stats in the kitchen equipment was particularly interesting to me. Instead of just buying new equipment, players have the option to spend money on upgrading their current coffee grinder and espresso machine. The game outlines specific stats that would get boosted, such as accuracy, speed, and durability. When I saw this feature, I was worried that the game would get over complicated and thus ruin the “cozy” atmosphere it had worked so hard to build up, but it’s enough of a minor feature that it didn’t affect my play style.
“Good Pizza, Great Pizza” will still reign supreme in my heart, but there’s no denying that “Good Coffee, Great Coffee” is a standout game in the app stores. With the mobile game market filled with copycats and cash grabbers, it’s nice to know that gems like these are still being made with love and affection. Good game, great game, Tapblaze.
