izigame.me

The game was overall an enjoyable, relaxing game. The first game was better, though, in my opinion. I do appreciate how a majority of the game play has upgraded since then, such as the inclusion of items throughout the story, as well as more characters, more drink combinations/ingredients, and more endings. But, they didn't do anything new to the base system of making beverages, or latte art (still the exact same system). Yet, the game wasn't full polished, story-wise, anyways.
(there may be some spoilers, as I have 100% the game):
I found Lucas annoying, feeling like he was a replacement for Freya from the first game (albeit a bad one). I understand the "influencer" thing, but it felt like it was too much the focus of the story (minus Jorji's story) and then that affected Riona, who was a bit underwhelming. I felt like her story didn't feel rewarding, even in the good path. She kind of gives up her dream and independence to help a dude who is usually a bit rude. Sure, he means well, but the issue is she's now putting off her dream to help him in two endings, and the other ending is her literally ghosting everyone and not changing. She is literally the face of this game on the promotional pictures, and yet doesn't have the same level of story as Freya from the first game, who was the face of that one. And her content is not even really written as good. She's tied to Lucas completely, and I think that's unnecessary. It's not like Hyde and Gala from the first game, or even Bailey and Lua. And I am not saying the story needs to repeat the duo that is going on, but first of all, it doesn't have to, and second of all, it disappointing that it does in the way that it did. Also, always calling her "Lady" was aggravating and disrespectful. (More on Riona and Lucas later).
Speaking of Hyde and Gala: What's up with Gala? He got the Riona treatment. He is only tied to Hyde in this game, but in a different, arguably worse way, in which he has no story? Hyde has a short arc in which it is noticeable that he becomes better at communicating since the first game, as well as has a crisis of life, in which he does not know what he wants to do with it anymore. Gala is only there to complain that he is, as well as be there when he decides on what to do. Gala has a short thing with struggling with children at the hospital, being scared of him and his size, but there is little to no resolution to the matter. The first game he struggled with his own fury, while also helping those with Fury, and it was tied closely to the world events, told in the daily news paper), and in this game he mentions that caffeine is hard on him, and he is also getting more sore...but nothing else is really brought to attention.

Jorji's character line was the on most interesting but still lacked, as it focused on an ongoing mystery in the city that teamed into the supernatural, as well as a conversation on mortality and the memory of mortality... but that conversation was left largely unexplored, or didn't really make me think at all. I have a degree in philosophy, so I perked up at the mentions of this, however, was left disappointed at how shallow it was. I much prefer the more direct political conversations in conjunction with people from everyday life from the first game. But generally, it was the coolest, despite being shallow. It felt patchy, trying to connect the mortality theme with a history less, as well as as crime, his own fears, and his family life (which got forgotten?). Pinning those all in one story caused depth in any of them to be lost, despite feeling like there could be all these plausible conversations occurring with appropriate depth. Also, his two coworkers appearing felt so random and unnecessary.

Silver/Amanda's story was not particularly fleshed out either. I thought it would be more fleshed out, considering the big reveal of your barista at the end of the first game, but I guess not?? Literally tell me why my character is doing what they do?? Also please tell me how Hyde figured things about my character or give me a reason for him saying what he said about it to be relevant at all?? Thank you. I feel like their story was written to be a set up for the next game, and that's it...which bothers me. I didn't feel that way at the end of the first game about the barista and their connection. Which, wholly, was better. The stakes felt higher this game, which was a highlight of the game!
Rachel was in the game to maybe help Lucas and Riona's story, and to add 4(?) more achievements, but that was it. That's annoying. Hendry didn't need to be in the game, but he was. They could have built off the first game to have issues beyond Hendry saying he was struggling and worried about Rachel but they didn't. It was pointless.
Aqua and Myrtle's story was underwhelming. I don't even know what to say. The two outcomes to the very short, underdeveloped conflict, didn't matter either way. it could have. It would have been interesting if they actually "broke up," so to speak, if you consider them to be in a relationship, but they don't actually. They are said to make up, if they don't talk about their fight. Where's the consequences in this game for anyone besides Riona? On that very specific note, Baileys and Lua can call off the wedding because of their constant fighting, but they don't actually call of the wedding. I think it would have been a similar level of consequential, given there is none in the game. Hell, in the first game, problems felt like they mattered. I would love to know why a visual novel like this has such shallow writing?
Freya returning at the end of the game was wonderful, as it reminded me of the first game and why I loved it. She was that character that they tried to recreate with Lucas-- a brash, seemingly irresponsible, nosy, career driven person, who means well. But with Lucas, he didn't have the charisma, his story felt shallow, his ideas felt like a super forced life lesson to make him look well-intended. The most interesting thing I learned about him was from the bad ending of the game, where he explained why he left the HYPE HOUSE (whatever the equivalent was called), and even then, it didn't explain racism/xenophobia in a new or even impact way. Just reiterated "I was treated different and that sucked!" Which, is fine, but there's so much you can do with this, and yet it lacked the realism it needed to portray. There was a realism to Baileys and Lua's story in the first game, as well as Gala. Even Riona's story had more, but it really didn't expand upon her experience at all. I liked learning about the Banshee's history and culture....and yet it just showed Riona to abandon it almost completely.
Finally, I felt like the characters had less defined personalities than the first one, which directly seemed to lend to my problem with the lack of consequences in the game. The tone and mood of the game remained largely the same throughout, and I resent that about it. I also want to reiterate that removing the mystery of the character in the first game, and doing nothing with it in the second, cause me to dislike/not care about my character. I wished there was better dialogue, or dialogue at all, if you kept handing out wrong drinks to customers. I feel like they would all notice, sitting like ducks in a row, if you gave them all three espresso and none of them ordered that.
This game franchise also scratches the itch of the long missing public, community brick-and-mortar place that has plenty of lively conversation and a friendly atmosphere. That's what I miss about the first one, and what I hoped this one would do even better. It still *does* it, but not as well.