Espresso Tycoon

About

Espresso Tycoon is a single player casual strategy game. It was developed by DreamWay Games and was released on June 7, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+24

Skip User Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 551 reviews

story17 positive mentions

grinding21 negative mentions

Engaging and relaxing gameplay with a charming coffee shop atmosphere.
Extensive customization options for drinks and shop decor, allowing for creative expression.
The campaign mode serves as a well-structured tutorial that gradually introduces game mechanics.

Repetitive gameplay that can become monotonous after completing the campaign.
Technical issues such as AI pathfinding problems and occasional crashes detract from the experience.
Limited depth in economic mechanics and a lack of meaningful challenges in sandbox mode.

story
127 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
85%
2%
The game's story is primarily delivered through a series of ten mission-based scenarios that serve as tutorials, guiding players through the mechanics of running a coffee shop. While the missions introduce various gameplay elements and challenges, many players feel that the narrative lacks depth and becomes repetitive, with the campaign often feeling more like a tutorial than a cohesive story. Additionally, the sandbox mode offers freedom for customization but lacks engaging objectives once the campaign is completed, leading to a sense of boredom for some players.
- “The campaign features 10 different missions, which work as a tutorial, introducing different mechanics like buying a bathroom or air conditioning, research, or even cute pets.”
- “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 missions are enjoyable, if not a little too easy, and they provide a nice feeling of completion after beating them.”
- “The campaign feels like a tutorial; it would be nice if there were proper missions with increasing difficulty, such as dealing with thieves or items breaking, 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, and besides decorating your café, there's not much else to do.”
gameplay
104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
73%
8%
The gameplay of "Espresso Tycoon" is characterized by solid mechanics and a mix of mission-based and sandbox modes, allowing for customization and strategic exploration. While players appreciate the engaging management systems and depth, some find the gameplay repetitive and lacking in variety, particularly as it progresses. Overall, the game offers a cozy and enjoyable experience, though it may not revolutionize the simulation genre.
- “In addition to the mission-based gameplay, Espresso Tycoon features a sandbox mode, providing players with the freedom to customize gameplay parameters and explore different strategies without the constraints of predefined objectives.”
- “The gameplay mostly revolves around micromanaging multiple aspects: first, you need to have a coffee shop that is decently decorated and free of garbage, and second, you need a menu that satisfies every group’s preference.”
- “Espresso Tycoon offers an enjoyable experience with interesting and rewarding mechanics, along with a fair share of depth that can be appealing to both casual and experienced players.”
- “It kind of feels like a very long tutorial; the gameplay itself is mediocre and the challenges are nonsensical.”
- “The core gameplay mechanics of Espresso Simulator tend to loop in a monotonous pattern, lacking the variety needed to sustain engagement.”
- “The gameplay can be a bit slow and repetitive at times; expect to spend a bunch of time at the start of a level to slowly earn money from sales to afford more decorations.”
graphics
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
40%
13%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the charming art style and solid visuals that enhance the coffee shop atmosphere, while others criticize the low-quality textures, AI-generated assets, and performance issues. Many appreciate the aesthetic appeal and customization options, but there are notable complaints about graphical bugs and a lack of optimization. Overall, while the graphics have potential and contribute to the game's charm, they are often seen as inconsistent and in need of improvement.
- “The game's art style is both charming and functional, with each element contributing to the overall ambiance of the coffee shop environment.”
- “The graphics are amazing and the fact that you actually have to think of a strategy to progress in each campaign makes it even better.”
- “The game's graphics and animations create a charming coffee shop atmosphere, while the soothing background music enhances the immersion.”
- “The graphics are not good, but the gameplay makes up for it.”
- “Graphics are garbage.”
- “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.”
music
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
71%
10%
The game's music has received mixed reviews, with players appreciating its soothing and charming qualities but criticizing its limited variety, leading to repetitiveness during extended play. While some enjoy the cozy atmosphere it creates, others find the use of AI-generated sounds and the frequent switching of tracks—especially during decoration menus—annoying. Overall, many players express a desire for a more diverse soundtrack and additional chill music options to enhance the gaming experience.
- “The music and sounds are lovely and cozy, and I love decorating the cafes so far.”
- “Its so charming, love the art style and the music running in the background as you are serving coffee to many customers.”
- “The game's graphics and animations create a charming coffee shop atmosphere, while the soothing background music enhances the immersion.”
- “The audio could use some improvement—the soundtrack is quite limited, and as others have noted, AI-generated voices and sound clips are obviously used. I don't mind, but others don't like this, hence the mixed reviews recently.”
- “Decoration music is played every time the decoration menu is opened, which is annoying; it should just keep playing the coffee shop music.”
- “The visuals are semi-realistic, leaning more toward the usual 'simulator-style', accompanied by a catchy soundtrack, which can be a bit repetitive.”
grinding
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
12%
84%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game can be excessively tedious, with players feeling overwhelmed by the need to repeatedly complete achievements and adapt to frequently changing trends. While some enjoy the hardcore grinding for achievements, many find it detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to frustration with repetitive tasks and a lack of depth in gameplay. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a double-edged sword, offering both engagement and tedium.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Staff just are boring and expensive and by the 4th scenario I didn't bother changing my brand and everything played by a very strict set of rules to win, which was just grinding after a while.”
- “I'm not grinding coffee beans, I'm grinding my time to complete the achievements.”
- “What fun you do have will be short-lived by the tedious ordering and lack of depth in the features.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing severe performance issues, lag, and unresponsive controls, while others report smooth gameplay with minimal technical problems. Users with high-end setups have noted unexpected performance drops, particularly in freeplay modes, while a few players found the optimization satisfactory overall. The inconsistency in performance suggests that optimization may vary significantly depending on individual hardware configurations.
- “Visually, the game looks good and runs smoothly, with no noticeable technical issues, lag, or stuttering.”
- “Throughout my playthrough, I haven’t encountered a single bug in the game; also, the performance is really good, with some mild frame drops here and there.”
- “I have not encountered any bugs and the game runs smoothly.”
- “It also suffers from severe performance issues on my setup.”
- “It also has a lot of performance issues in freeplay, where my PC should not have any with a R9 5900X and a 7900 GRE.”
- “Feels unoptimized and laggy; all the voices sound so monotone and AI-generated.”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
92%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting a smooth experience free of bugs, while others have encountered various glitches and AI issues. Overall, while there are notable bugs, many users feel that these do not significantly detract from their enjoyment of the game.
- “I've seen no glitches or crashes at all.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any interruptions.”
- “I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it never lags or freezes.”
- “It is buggy.”
- “However, I've encountered a few glitches along the way.”
- “NPCs get stuck, have animation glitches, and are generally just very dumb.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
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.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
43%
The humor in the game is hit or miss, with some players finding it charming and amusing, particularly in the context of naming drinks and the AI interactions. However, others feel that the attempts at humor often fall flat or become annoying, leading to mixed reactions overall. While there are moments of random humor and a funny story, the effectiveness varies significantly among players.
- “Found it charming, fun, and the AI hilarious.”
- “It was funny and a little spark.”
- “The story is funny.”
- “It's not funny, it's just annoying.”
- “The jokes fall flat and feel forced.”
- “I expected humor, but it was more cringeworthy than comedic.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a charming coffee shop setting, enhanced by soothing background music and engaging graphics. Players can create their own unique shop environment, mixing ingredients to craft drinks while enjoying a relaxing and immersive experience. Despite some descriptions of a "dirty" cafe atmosphere, the overall vibe is one of tranquility and creativity, reminiscent of an idealized coffee shop job.
- “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.”
- “Indonesia - underrated, the cafe atmosphere in Indonesia is literally among mountains & monkeys.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game is criticized for feeling like a cash grab, lacking genuine passion in its design. While players initially need to manage resources carefully, they can eventually invest in upgrades and marketing, though many feel that the promises made through advertising are misleading.
- “Clearly no love or passion whatsoever is being put into making this game; this is just a cash grab.”
- “But like most game advertising... lies.”
- “It’s more refined than a lot of the quick cash grab simulators out there.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game has been criticized for its poor design and lack of depth, with users noting that the character models and AI voices are subpar. Additionally, the overall optimization issues detract from the immersive experience expected in a simulator.
- “The game seems like a nice simulator, but it's not optimized. I have a GTX 1660 and I play open world games with better graphics at 60+ fps, not 50 like this game. It also has poor character design and AI voices at the beginning for some reason.”
- “Character development feels shallow and uninspired, making it hard to connect with the characters on any meaningful level.”
- “The lack of meaningful choices in character progression leaves the experience feeling flat and unengaging.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have expressed disappointment with the AI voice acting, particularly the in-game narrator, describing it as robotic and lacking emotional depth, which undermines the game's immersive experience. This sentiment is compounded by the feeling that the game's artistic elements are overshadowed by poor development and attention to detail, leading to a frustrating emotional disconnect.
- “It is sad and heartbreaking really... when some great artwork is upstaged by horrible development and attention to detail that is nonexistent, what a slap in the face.”