Affogato

An intriguing blend of Persona, coffee brewing and reverse tower defence dungeons that doesn't quite cohere into a tasty whole.

In summary, Affogato manages to offer an experience that does not overstay its welcome, clocking in around 14 or so hours including many battle restarts.

For the most part, Affogato melds the multiple genres it includes well, delivering an enjoyable and unique experience. Unique does come at a cost for appealing to a mass market, however, with some potentially struggling with its concepts and aims. Much like coffee itself, it's not for everyone, but those who do try it will rave about what the rest are missing.

Like a fresh sip of caffe latte on a cool morning, it’s been a good pick-me-up for the rest of the season.

Affogato has a lot of great mechanics for exploration tied into its own coffee brew. There may be some difficulty spikes and a game that ties itself down after opening up, but overall it's a great time.

Affogato subverts the tower defense genre and combines it with elements of management and social interaction to create a unique adventure. Despite some mechanics being underused, the game is a tough, strategic, and fun adventure that is sure to please fans of the genre. Maybe it's not the best option for beginners, but it's worth recommending to anyone looking for a good strategy game.

Affogato mixes two ideas that don’t normally belong together. The puzzle-style, card-driven reverse tower defense is pretty unique as an idea but suffers from a lack of variety and some difficulty spikes. The developers need to consider a sequel that focuses on this side of the game to explore its potential.

Affogato takes the much-loved Persona formula and runs with it, adding its own twists to the story and gameplay to be unique. The time management and character relationships are familiar gameplay elements, but the story and combat truly stand out. The story is relatable and not afraid to touch on serious topics, while combat hits the right balance of challenge and strategy. While there are some minor flaws, they don't pop up frequently and don't have a large impact on the experience overall. Just as cafes can turn familiar cups of coffee into unique creations, Affogato takes standard JRPG elements to make an amazing game you won't soon forget.

There are definitely some rough edges in Affogato, like poor sprite work and the odd technical issue. But while those issues are noteworthy, they are far from being a significant drain on the game. Indeed, I found myself consistently enjoying the game, and while the issues do drag it down they don’t really hurt the game. This is a fun, inventive title with a lot of heart to it.

Affogato manages to create a rich and flavorful blend of visual novel, tower defense, and social RPG. It may be lacking in side-activities, but what's there is special, and definitely worth digging into if you're looking for something new.