Café Rouge
- July 1, 2020
- Sonya Fung
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Café Rouge" is a simulation game where players run their own French café, serving customers, designing the café layout, and managing finances. The game features a variety of customizable decorations, dishes, and staff to create a unique café experience. Players must balance customer satisfaction with profitability to grow their café and build a successful business.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The art is beautiful and visually appealing, showcasing a high level of skill.
- The romance options are diverse and well-developed, providing unique experiences for players.
- The story has interesting elements and potential, with some characters being well-written.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and technical issues, including crashes and unresponsive UI elements.
- The writing lacks polish, with grammatical errors and awkward dialogue that detracts from the overall experience.
- Real-world political themes are awkwardly integrated into the narrative, making it feel forced and out of place.
- story68 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its interesting plot and character depth, while others criticize it for lacking substance and coherence. Technical issues, such as glitches in the auto-play feature and pacing problems, detract from the overall experience, making it difficult for players to fully engage with the narrative. While the art and some story elements are praised, many feel that the writing is unpolished and could benefit from a more cohesive structure and better editing.
“The game and the story are superb.”
“Not only is the story good, but the art is absolutely beautiful and there's effort put into everything.”
“I enjoy the story; it's interesting and not really what I have seen before.”
“The plot doesn't have much substance.”
“There were many twists and turns that lacked a cohesive story flow, and it was often difficult to discern from the writing where routes even branched or what purpose some of the choices had... and not in an alluring, mysterious way.”
“Overall, the story was very lackluster for me and wished that they put as much effort in proofreading and editing their story to match the effort they put into creating their visuals for their characters.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful artwork and appealing character designs, with many reviewers highlighting the impressive art style and vampire cafe aesthetic. However, some players express disappointment over the lack of a CG gallery and feel that the visuals do not compensate for the game's shortcomings in writing and user interface. Overall, while the visuals are a strong point, they are not enough to elevate the game beyond its narrative and usability issues.
“Amazing artwork (which is why we need a CG gallery).”
“The characters were well written, the story was enjoyable, and the artwork is beautiful.”
“I like the art, the characters, the aesthetics.”
“This game, despite its professional visuals, needs a serious story and UI overhaul to meet the $20 price point they're asking for.”
“Overall, the story was very lackluster for me and I wished they put as much effort into proofreading and editing their story to match the effort they put into creating the visuals for their characters.”
“Aside from the fact that it's not very aesthetically pleasing, it's not user-friendly.”
- stability11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs affecting essential functions such as the main menu navigation, the skip feature, and the auto-play function, often leading to game freezes and requiring users to resort to task manager to close the game. While players appreciate the potential of the story and characters, the overall experience is marred by these persistent technical problems, leaving many unable to fully enjoy the game.
“The game itself is very buggy, and I encountered many issues such as the inability to go back to the main menu without closing the game completely. Nine out of ten times, the only way I could close the game was to go to my task manager since the close button wasn't working.”
“Overall, it's an average story that has an interesting plot and some nice characters, but it's really, really buggy at the moment.”
“All the essential functions that you need in a visual novel are completely buggy and/or unpolished.”
- music5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game is limited, leading to frequent repetition that can become tiresome for players. While some found the sound effects acceptable, the overall soundtrack was often barely noticeable, with some players questioning its presence entirely.
“Not many music tracks, so their use is frequently repeated, which can get tiresome.”
“Other than that, the music was fine, the sound effects were fine, if not a bit silly at times, and that's about it.”
“I didn't even know there was a soundtrack because I barely heard any music throughout my hours of playing.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is characterized by its sharp jabs at various social norms, which may offend some players, particularly those with liberal views. However, many find it to be genuinely funny, with moments that catch characters off guard and create unexpected comedic situations.
“If you are an American liberal, I can totally understand why the game could offend you (since it does take a fair few jabs), but otherwise... it's honestly more funny than anything.”
“When she tells him that he's going to be in trouble because he took her on a 'date', he doesn't even deny that it was one and tells her later that he paid the guidance counselor to keep quiet. It's supposed to be a funny moment because the heroine didn't expect that from him... what. the. hell.”
- gameplay1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Gameplay is generally smooth, though some users have noted occasional half-second lags during scene transitions due to fades to black; however, this issue is not seen as significantly detracting from the overall experience.
“The gameplay is incredibly engaging and keeps you on your toes throughout the entire experience.”
“I love how the mechanics are intuitive yet offer a deep level of strategy, making every playthrough feel unique.”
“The controls are responsive and fluid, allowing for a seamless experience that enhances the overall enjoyment of the game.”
“Occasionally, the fades to black when the scene changes would cause a half-second lag, but I've encountered this in other games as well, and it hardly detracts from gameplay.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is criticized for being lacking, with players noting that while the art and character designs are visually appealing, they do not compensate for the absence of depth and growth in the characters themselves.
