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Midnight Ramen

Midnight Ramen Game Cover
99%Game Brain Score
story, emotional
graphics, atmosphere
99% User Score Based on 109 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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Midnight Ramen Game Cover

About

Midnight Ramen is a single player casual role playing game. It was developed by Cointinue Games and was released on July 23, 2024. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

"Midnight Ramen" is a narrative dialogue game where players operate a late-night ramen stand, cooking for a variety of customers and helping them cope with their problems. With intricate ramen-making mechanics and heavy themes such as death and loss, this game is reminiscent of titles like VA-11 Hall-A and Coffee Talk. Players must carefully combine broths, noodles, toppings, and seasonings to satisfy each customer's unique preferences.

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Midnight Ramen screenshot
Midnight Ramen screenshot
Midnight Ramen screenshot
Midnight Ramen screenshot
Midnight Ramen screenshot
Midnight Ramen screenshot
Midnight Ramen screenshot
Midnight Ramen screenshot
Midnight Ramen screenshot
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99%
Audience ScoreBased on 109 reviews
story49 positive mentions
atmosphere3 negative mentions
  • The game features a heartwarming and emotional narrative that deeply engages players, often leading to tears.
  • The cooking mechanics are simple and stress-free, allowing players to enjoy the experience of serving ramen while interacting with well-developed characters.
  • The art style and music create a cozy atmosphere that enhances the overall experience, making it a relaxing game to play.
  • The game is relatively short, with many players completing it in about 3 to 6 hours, leaving some wishing for more content.
  • Some players expressed disappointment over the use of AI-generated images, feeling it detracted from the overall experience.
  • The game deals with heavy themes such as death and grief, which may not be suitable for all players and requires a content warning.
  • story
    136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Midnight Ramen" is widely praised for its emotional depth and engaging character arcs, with players often finding themselves deeply invested in the narratives of the customers they serve. While the game is primarily story-driven and relatively short, lasting around 4-6 hours, it offers a rich tapestry of heartfelt moments and unexpected twists that resonate with players. The combination of cozy gameplay, beautiful art, and soothing music enhances the storytelling experience, making it a memorable journey for those who appreciate narrative-focused games.

    • “The characters are amazing, and you want to listen to and help them right from the beginning of the story.”
    • “The story is superb, with hidden little interactions and subtle hints on how to get the good ending to all the stories depending on the food you make.”
    • “The story itself is a roller coaster of emotions and takes you, quite seriously, through the lives of your customers and gives you many avenues to connect with them as the player.”
    • “The main storyline is pretty linear, but there are small branches you can get onto.”
    • “Compared to similar games, there isn’t a huge amount of content, and the story isn’t particularly long.”
    • “You want to see the story play out, but it's kind of short, so be ready for that.”
  • emotional
    40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of "Midnight Ramen" is widely praised for its heartfelt storytelling and the deep connections formed with characters, each bringing their own poignant life stories. Players report experiencing genuine emotional responses, including tears, as they navigate the game's narrative, which balances moments of sadness with comfort and warmth. The game is noted for its ability to evoke strong feelings through meaningful interactions, making it a unique and touching experience for players.

    • “Ultimately, midnight ramen is more than a cooking simulator—it’s a narrative-rich, heartfelt journey into the joys and challenges of small-business life.”
    • “Meaningful conversations with customers – each visitor brings their own story—sometimes heart-wrenching, sometimes hopeful—offering moments of genuine emotional connection.”
    • “I love being dropped into the world the author has created and being able to feel, connect, emotionally, etc. It's a difficult task to get right and I feel like they've done a good job here with the world building and the methods for delivering information to the players.”
  • gameplay
    40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in "Midnight Ramen" is characterized by a cozy and accessible cooking and management simulator that blends narrative elements with simple mechanics. Players engage in a satisfying loop of preparing ramen orders, with detailed yet easy-to-master cooking mechanics that allow for meaningful interactions and character growth. While the gameplay is not overly complex, it serves as a pleasant diversion from the story, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate narrative-driven experiences.

    • “Midnight Ramen, developed and published by Cointinue Games, is a cozy yet surprisingly deep cooking and management simulator that blends narrative elements with satisfying gameplay loops centered around running a late-night ramen shop.”
    • “The core gameplay loop revolves around preparing orders by selecting ingredients, following recipes, timing the cooking process, and combining toppings and broths to meet specific customer requests.”
    • “Accessible, stress-free cooking mechanics – orders are clearly summarized, recipes are always available, and mistakes can be easily corrected—making gameplay breezy and forgiving.”
    • “Although in Midnight Ramen there are many narrative and gameplay features that make way for the creation of a new story or sequel.”
    • “Also, unless I wanted to re-experience the story from scratch, the gameplay wasn't enticing enough that I'd want to replay chapters just to serve a few dishes.”
    • “The gameplay is also rather easy, so it's only there as an occasional diversion from what's otherwise a visual novel.”
  • music
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is predominantly chill and lo-fi, creating a relaxing atmosphere that complements the gameplay and story. While the soundtrack effectively shifts to match the emotional tone of various scenes, some players noted that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the soothing music enhances the cozy experience of cooking and storytelling, making it a key aspect of the game's appeal.

    • “Combined with a mellow soundtrack that shifts subtly between bustling service hours and quieter moments of reflection, the audiovisual design supports a relaxing play experience.”
    • “The musical atmosphere fluctuates, employing lo-fi chill ambient music, while at other times it morphs to evoke a pensive and introspective flavor with minimalist piano music.”
    • “The music fits the game very well and also adds to the emotions felt in certain scenes.”
    • “Repetitive audio elements – the music and character visuals can become a bit repetitive over time.”
    • “I would have liked to hear more variation; some of the tracks repeated too often for my liking, so after about 6 hours, I muted the soundtrack and listened to something else.”
    • “The music is pretty much all lo-fi beats, which also gives the game those comforting coffee talk vibes.”
  • graphics
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are characterized by a cozy, stylized aesthetic that enhances its warm atmosphere, featuring bright, cartoonish visuals and expressive character animations. While the overall art style is well-received, some players find the contrasting cutscene illustrations jarring. The visuals are complemented by a well-crafted user interface and beautiful artwork, although some elements may feel repetitive over time.

    • “Visually, the game embraces a cozy, stylized aesthetic that reinforces its warm, late-night atmosphere.”
    • “The art style is very cute and the characters are very expressive due to the animation style.”
    • “The artwork, animations, and user interface are all very nicely done.”
    • “However, every time a cutscene illustration appears—and it’s usually in a totally different art style—it always pulls me out of the experience a little.”
    • “Repetitive audio elements – the music and character visuals can become a bit repetitive over time.”
    • “Midnight Ramen features very bright, cartoonish visuals with anime-style characters.”
  • atmosphere
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by a cozy, stylized aesthetic that evokes warmth and nostalgia, enhanced by lo-fi chill ambient music and gentle sound effects. This immersive environment creates a calming experience, making it particularly appealing for players who appreciate depth and character in management games. Overall, the combination of visual and auditory elements fosters a peaceful ambiance that resonates with players long after gameplay.

    • “Visually, the game embraces a cozy, stylized aesthetic that reinforces its warm, late-night atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere feels nostalgic, like midnight neon drizzle.”
    • “The musical atmosphere fluctuates, employing lo-fi chill ambient music, while at other times it morphs to evoke a pensive and introspective flavor with minimalist piano music.”
    • “Warm and calming atmosphere – the lo-fi background music and gentle sound effects (like noodle slurps and order chimes) create a peaceful, immersive environment.”
  • replayability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is noted as a mixed aspect; while some players find value in exploring different story paths and character choices, others feel the game is relatively short and may not justify its price without additional replay incentives.

    • “Might be a bit on the short side, but there is some replayability.”
    • “Replayability value: to witness different story paths and for achievements.”
    • “I felt if it was really a 10-hour game, or had more replayability, then it would be worth what I paid.”
    • “It might be a bit on the short side, but there is some replayability.”
    • “Replayable – playing through again still feels rewarding thanks to the mix of choices and character stories.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is woven into its story-driven narrative, featuring well-developed characters and amusing achievements that elicit both laughter and emotional depth. Players can experience comedic moments through quirky gameplay mechanics, such as serving incorrect meals, which adds a lighthearted touch to the overall bittersweet experience. Overall, the game successfully balances humor with heartfelt storytelling, leaving players both entertained and emotionally engaged.

    • “It is a story-based game, with simple ramen stall mechanics, two endings, thought-out characters, some hilarious achievements, and a whole lot of bittersweet wanting to know more.”
    • “Compelling storylines for all characters had me laughing and crying multiple times.”
    • “You can (hilariously) serve a meal with wrong or missing ingredients without being warned, so it's a good idea to pay attention to what they ordered, how they ordered it, and the written recipes.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is highlighted as a strong point, with stylish and recognizable designs that enhance the rich, interconnected stories of the patrons. Players become emotionally invested in the characters' struggles, showcasing effective writing and depth in their development.

    • “The patrons' stories are rich and interesting and interconnected; the character designs are intriguing, and there's a compelling overarching story.”
    • “You just get attached to the characters' stories and struggles, which is a sign of great character development and writing.”
    • “The character designs are stylish and recognizable, and the ramen always looks delicious.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its smooth performance and efficient resource management, while others report issues such as frame rate drops and long loading times. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary significantly across different hardware configurations.

    • “The optimization in this game is outstanding, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end hardware.”
    • “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the performance, making it accessible for a wider range of players.”
    • “The game's optimization ensures that I can enjoy high frame rates without sacrificing visual quality.”
    • “The game runs poorly on even high-end systems, making it frustrating to play.”
    • “I experienced frequent frame drops and stuttering, which ruined the immersion.”
    • “The optimization is so bad that loading times are unacceptably long, even for simple tasks.”
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6h Median play time
6h Average play time
6-6h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Midnight Ramen is a casual role playing game.

Midnight Ramen is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 6 hours playing Midnight Ramen.

Midnight Ramen was released on July 23, 2024.

Midnight Ramen was developed by Cointinue Games.

Midnight Ramen has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its graphics.

Midnight Ramen is a single player game.

Similar games include Coffee Talk, Tavern Talk - A Cozy Visual Novel, Best Served Cold, Citizen Sleeper, Rainswept and others.