Boba Cafe Simulator Review (PC)

If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from my time with the twenty-something simulation games about restaurant and cafe culture, it’s that boba and milk formulate a winning combination. Though, it does beg the question, how much of a good thing can you truly afford to consume before the flavor begins to sour? Is boba still as universally beloved, or is it a cocktail of flavors that need to be shelved to make room for other products?

In Boba Cafe Simulator, specifically, it feels as if I have already been here, and that I’ve already swilled more than my fair share of pearls and milk in other stores. I know the clients, and I know the business. I also know that, if you have the flexibility to work with the seasons, a hot cocoa is far better served as a winter treat, and that a cold cup of watermelon juice is the perfect summer kiss. The point is, it all feels oh-so-familiar, as if Boba Cafe Simulator is an extension to a much, much bigger ingredient on the menu. Don’t get me wrong, I love the concept, as do I appreciate the simplicity in its design and its execution. Though, I can’t help but acknowledge the elephant in the room. How does Boba Cafe Simulator compete in a world that has evidently had more than its three courses?

To put it out there, Boba Cafe Simulator does have its winning ingredient, and that’s its multiplayer mode. Unlike your bog-standard restaurant management sim, the game does extend its arm out to eight users. To that end, you don’t have a cheap rehash of an older formula; you have a familiar formula that happens to include an extra ingredient. And that ingredient, in short, is the camaraderie that you share with friends. Of course, the general consensus among the target demographic is mostly the same. But, I can give credit where it’s due and say that, similarities cast aside, a game like Boba Cafe Simulator works best with an additional pair of hands…or eight.

It doesn’t come as too much of a surprise to see that a game as well-traveled as Boba Cafe Simulator is still in possession of all of the same generic tropes. You have a moldable business, hundreds of ingredients, a menu of seasonal recipes, and a kitchen that is quite literally frothing at the seams with opportunities for you to wreak havoc, batter sleazy customers with a baseball bat, and, on occasion, serve the perfect drink. It’s all good, mostly wholehearted stuff, and it works, despite being one of dozens that follow a similar path.

The whole point of Boba Cafe Simulator isn’t more complicated than your traditional restaurant sim. In the beginning, you have a dangling sign, a kitchen that is depressingly devoid of character, and a steady flow of customers, all of whom have one thing in common: a relentless desire for the ideal afternoon beverage. As the puppeteer with an infinite supply of boba pearls, it falls to you (and your friends, if you’re willing to trust them with the utensils) to manually squash and prep the ingredients, set the prices, and shift the seasonal menu to accommodate new recipes. As you earn make progress, you unlock more recipes, more customizable components, and, after so long, an opportunity to take full advantage of a mysterious cauldron during the eleventh hour.

Of course, you can approach a game like Boba Cafe in a number of ways. If you want a cozy experience, then you can quite simply run the gauntlet as a solo user. If you would rather have a stressful experience, then you can invite your friends to the kitchen, sabotage their undying efforts to create the perfect cup of coffee, and pummel unsuspecting customers with a bat for simply leaving you a bad review. The point is, you have a few options to mull over here. And that works. Sure, it’s all a little generic, but I’d also be lying if I said that it doesn’t go down as a real treat. You just need to have the right friends at your side.

As I said, the gameplay in Boba Cafe is simple, if not positively more-ish. As each request requires you to manually prepare ingredients and manipulate the seasonal schedule, the process can be a lot of fun. With each new season, for example, you have fresh products to prepare and serve, customers to satisfy, and pesky critics to convince, either with a menu that is more financially viable, or with the end of a bat. The fact that you have a choice makes the whole ordeal a lot easier to comb through, to be honest.

With all of the above said, there is a model here that is as instantly recognizable as it is universally accessible. Granted, it might not do much to reinvent the wheel or repurpose the usual business simulation tropes, but when all’s said and done, it shouldn’t matter if the gameplay is enjoyable. More to the point, if there’s a place for you and your friends to wipe your feet and cause a little mischief for an hour or two, then I would say that it makes for a good investment. And perhaps that’s all that Boba Cafe Simulator is: a good spot to call home for two or three hours.

Verdict

Boba Cafe Simulator adds its own two pearls and pint of condensed milk to a pot that is rather bloated with sugar-coated ingredients of a similar taste. That said, as it brings a multiplayer element to the cauldron, it does make for one of the better, more appealing games of its kind. Oh, it’s still a business simulation game with generic chore core gameplay, but it’s also a good alternative for your traditional solo endeavor. If not for its co-op mode, it would probably fall to the back of the line as yet another word-for-word sim. But, I can vouch for its entertainment value. You just need the right sous chefs to make your money’s worth.