Espresso Tycoon
- June 7, 2023
- DreamWay Games
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"Espresso Tycoon" is a business simulation game where you build and manage your own coffee shop franchise. You'll need to choose the right locations, select and upgrade equipment, and create popular coffee blends to satisfy customer demands. The ultimate goal is to become the dominant player in the coffee market and expand your business globally.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a relaxing and enjoyable management experience, perfect for fans of tycoon games.
- Customization options for coffee recipes and shop decor are extensive, allowing for creative freedom.
- The campaign mode gradually introduces gameplay mechanics, making it easy to learn and engage with the game.
- The AI pathfinding and collision detection are problematic, often leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The campaign is relatively short and can feel repetitive, with limited replay value once completed.
- Some aspects of the game, such as the use of AI voices and certain design choices, feel unpolished and detract from the overall experience.
- story67 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is primarily delivered through a campaign mode consisting of ten missions that serve as tutorials, gradually introducing players to various mechanics of running a café. While the missions are enjoyable and well-designed, many players feel they lack depth and narrative, often describing them as simplistic and too short, with a desire for more challenging content and additional missions. Overall, the game is seen as fun and engaging, but it could benefit from a more developed storyline and greater complexity in its mission structure.
“The story is entertaining, and I found myself bummed when I had to shut it down to go to sleep.”
“I am about halfway through the campaign missions, and what I like about these missions is that they are basically just a very long tutorial—each mission has a progressively higher difficulty and exposes you to greater in-game features being unlocked and explored on an in-depth level.”
“The campaign feels like a tutorial, would be nice if there were proper missions (increasing difficulty with thieves, items breaking, coffee preference change not just the trend aspect) possibly managing multiple cafes building up into a coffee empire with an end goal.”
“The campaign feels like a tutorial; it would be nice if there were proper missions with increasing difficulty, such as dealing with thieves, items breaking, and changing coffee preferences, rather than just focusing on trends.”
“The missions are essentially tutorials that teach you the mechanics of the game and don't go much further beyond that.”
“I waited a long time for the release of this game; unfortunately, I did not like it and asked for a refund after two hours of play. I found the missions too simple and short, with objectives like selling 5 coffees and moving on to the next town. Besides decorating your café, there's not much else to do.”
- gameplay64 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the reviewed games features a mix of engaging mechanics and repetitive elements, with some titles offering a structured campaign that gradually introduces new features, while others suffer from a lack of variety and depth. Players appreciate the nostalgic elements and customization options, but many express frustration over limited mission counts and monotonous gameplay loops. Overall, while the core mechanics can be enjoyable, the games often fall short in providing sustained engagement and replay value.
“There are 10 missions that work also as a tutorial, introducing different mechanics (like buying a bathroom or air conditioning, research, or even cute pets).”
“Espresso Tycoon is a mega positive experience, offering super gameplay with the vibrant heart of a cafe.”
“Love the game, concept, stunning visuals, fun gameplay, everything spot on for a management sim game.”
“The core gameplay mechanics of Espresso Simulator tend to loop in a monotonous pattern, lacking the variety needed to sustain engagement.”
“With a concise completion time and a lack of varied gameplay, Espresso Simulator may lack the replay value that keeps players coming back for another round.”
“The missions are essentially tutorials that teach you the mechanics of the game and don't go much further beyond that.”
- graphics45 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful visuals and charming atmosphere that enhance the gameplay experience. However, some users express disappointment with graphical bugs and inconsistencies, suggesting that while the art style is appealing, the execution lacks polish. Overall, the graphics are considered good but could benefit from further refinement to match the standards of other tycoon games.
“The game's graphics and animations create a charming coffee shop atmosphere, while the soothing background music enhances the immersion.”
“The maps and graphics are actually beautiful; I didn't expect this and was positively surprised; it really adds some feeling of being part of the city's life.”
“Espresso Tycoon offers stunning graphics and great gameplay - every moment is very enjoyable from the beginning to the end.”
“As a fan of tycoon games, I was a bit skeptical when I saw the images/videos of the graphics as they looked a bit odd.”
“The graphics need some work and the customizing/shopping for your shop is a little clunky still, but it seems so far to be a really good game.”
“Let's be honest, this is a lemonade stand with uncanny valley graphics.”
- music23 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its soothing and immersive qualities that enhance the overall atmosphere, particularly in creating a charming coffee shop vibe. However, some users criticize the repetitive and limited selection of tracks, expressing a desire for more variety and culturally relevant music. Overall, while the background music is appreciated for its calming effect, there are calls for an expanded soundtrack and improved diversity in musical themes.
“I'm in love with this as soon as I heard the main menu music.”
“The game's graphics and animations create a charming coffee shop atmosphere, while the soothing background music enhances the immersion.”
“But the music is so good, always buy the jukebox as early as you can :)”
“I cannot overstate how important background music is for games like this.”
“[*] the redundant, repetitive, non-immersive sounds and music that is in the game, bad bad bad.”
“This takes the cake... New York has only one sound, just like Paris... elevator music with a f**king ambulance siren in the distance... and that is sadly not coming to save you or the game.”
- grinding11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 82 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring excessive effort to achieve goals or complete tasks. While some enjoy the challenge of grinding for achievements, many feel it can detract from the overall enjoyment, especially in later stages where repetitive actions become frustrating. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a double-edged sword, offering both satisfaction and annoyance.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“After a while, you earn a lot of money, and then it gets very tedious to wait for research to get the rest of the items.”
“Once you reach the later stages of growth, it's painfully tedious to continually have to order only 10 boxes at a time of your ingredients.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the sandbox mode and its variety of challenges, others find the core gameplay lacking in depth and variety, leading to minimal replay value. There are hopes for future updates to enhance replayability, but currently, it may only appeal to casual players looking for a brief distraction.
“This also gives great replay value.”
“I have high hopes that the devs will listen to suggestions from players and will add features to this game to help increase the replayability.”
“The sandbox mode gives it a lot of replayability with its 10 level designs and endless challenges and quests to keep you busy.”
“Basically little replay value for that money.”
“Minimal replay value.”
“With a concise completion time and a lack of varied gameplay, Espresso Simulator may lack the replay value that keeps players coming back for another round.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users experiencing significant performance issues, including lag and pathing problems, while others report smooth gameplay without any bugs. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game feels unoptimized for some players, particularly those with lower-end PCs, though a few have found the optimization to be satisfactory.
“I have not encountered any bugs and the game runs smoothly.”
“Alright optimization”
“Performance is really bad.”
“I had some occasional pathing and performance issues, along with some lags, but it may be due to my old PC.”
“Feels unoptimized and laggy; all the voices sound so monotone and AI-generated.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is marked by several bugs and glitches, particularly with NPC behavior and animations, which can detract from the experience. While the quality is generally praised, issues related to first-person gameplay further contribute to the instability.
“NPCs get stuck, have animation glitches, and are generally just very dumb.”
“For this genre, being in first person can get a little tricky, and most other games have glitches or gameplay issues that revolve around the first-person gameplay.”
“There are glitches.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a charming coffee shop setting, enhanced by soothing background music that promotes relaxation. While some users note a gritty realism in certain environments, the overall experience is described as immersive and tranquil, evoking a sense of fulfillment in managing a dream coffee shop amidst picturesque surroundings.
“The game's graphics and animations create a charming coffee shop atmosphere, while the soothing background music enhances the immersion.”
“Indonesia - underrated, the cafe atmosphere in Indonesia is literally among mountains and monkeys.”
“The cafe atmosphere is absolutely dirty but it won't kill you.”
“This game is like having a job you'll never have in real life that consists of chill tunes, a relaxing atmosphere, and having this overwhelming feeling of being relaxed while making the coffee shop of your dreams and dealing with the responsibilities that come with it.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a blend of humor that is described as funny with a touch of randomness, enhancing the overall experience. Players appreciate the comedic elements woven into the story, complemented by the beautiful scenery that adds to the charm of the gameplay.
“It was funny and had a little spark.”
“The story is funny.”
“It’s got a bit of random humor sprinkled throughout the campaign, along with beautiful scenery to build coffee shops in.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that initial gameplay requires careful resource management, but once they reach a balanced customer base, they can invest in upgrades and marketing. However, there are concerns about misleading advertising related to the game's monetization strategies.
“But like most game advertising... lies.”
“At the start, you have to be a bit frugal, but once you've hit the sweet spot of all customer types, you'll be able to upgrade the interior, and invest in market research and advertising.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express a sense of disappointment and sadness when exceptional artwork is overshadowed by poor development and lack of attention to detail, highlighting a frustrating emotional disconnect in the overall experience.
“It is sad and heartbreaking really... when some great artwork is upstaged by horrible development and a lack of attention to detail.”
