A new proposal for the RPG genre

Affogato, developed by Befun Studio in its debut and published by Spiral Up Games, was released on August 17, 2023, and is available for Microsoft Windows. 

Featuring an integration of anime and magic as well as a very unusual "reverse tower defense" system, Affogato is a unique RPG with an engaging story. In addition to magic and history, the game also mixes the management of a coffee shop with the art of making coffee to add to the overall experience, making for a very innovative and, dare I say it, unusual game. 



Bringing together demons, coffee shops, and labyrinths 

Initially, our first contact with the mechanics offered in Affogato is the reverse tower defense-style battles, where we control our "army" on a board and the characters to be summoned are made up of cards, like in Hearthstone, for example. 

Right from the start, we're introduced to this style of game, and I got the impression that the game is all about getting to the end of the board and killing the final boss, with some intermediate mechanics such as collecting Penta (the currency needed to summon cards) and combat strategies, mainly using the flanks of specific enemies. 

In addition, the story is introduced, and we are given some details about the characters. In this introduction, we learn that Affogato, a sorceress, has lost her memory, and she, along with Mephista, an Archdemon, is in the Mind Labyrinth, a place that exists to visualize the magic of humans. 

Mephista tells us that they are very close friends and that our goal at the moment is to reach the end of the labyrinth and save the demon hostage at the end, the boss I mentioned earlier. 

A highlight is the game's story, which is very interesting and causes curiosity at various times. As it's a light story, its development is very easy to follow, and the transition between environments contributes greatly to this, along with the side quests available.

There is a lot of dialogue, and the Japanese dubbing is very good, very characteristic of anime, and the characters are charismatic and very funny at times. 



Does this proposal work? 

Affogato's mechanics are quite different from the standard; there are mixed universes that I wouldn't expect to see in a game, even more so in this way. The labyrinths are fun, but the number of tactics available is somewhat limited, making it very repetitive after a while; the management of the café and the production of the coffees are considerably more fluid and dynamic, in my opinion, as they bring an additional immersion to the game, making it not just about combat situations. 

What struck me most was the quality of the game's artwork. As I said earlier, there are several playable environments, so the labyrinths have a different graphic style from the rest of the game. 

That said, the intention to individualize the mechanics on offer is clear: while the labyrinths are very reminiscent of arcade games with their characteristic pixelated style, the rest of the game offers a 2D perspective with very colorful graphics and distinctive animations. 

Which I don't consider to be a negative point at all, as it's much more fun to have this transition of styles, scenarios, and even dialogues to make the game feel varied. 

So, in this way, the dynamics work surprisingly well, and a great connecting factor between the sectors of the game is the character Mephista, since she often serves as comic relief but also has an extensive story load, telling how things work or addressing individual situations experienced by her. 

As a demon, she doesn't have much familiarity with human customs and characteristics, despite having a human appearance, so during our venture into the cafeteria, she becomes a "court jester", a characteristic of comic relief that I mentioned earlier. 

During our journey in the human world, when we serve in the coffee shop, we talk to customers and make the drink they would like to consume at the moment, so the mechanics of preparing the coffee are very fun and reminiscent of browser games from the 2000s. We have to do the whole process, from grinding the coffee, adding water, using the machine, and even adding the condiments and making all the necessary preparations.

Still, about the clients, we have an action button where we see the aura of the humans, and according to this aura and the subsequent dialogues, our combat system will appear inside the labyrinth.

Inside the Labyrinths of Minds, the gameplay is completely transformed; it's as if we were entering a board game. As I said earlier, a reverse tower defense system is adopted, in which we take on the role of the attackers to reach the end, defeat the boss, and generally save the hostage. 

Some paths lead to fragments of memories, which are used to discover the past of the victims of the demons present in these labyrinths, and all the combats and paths explored grant Penta, the currency I mentioned earlier, used to summon character cards. 

In my experience, the combat was the only point that bothered me; although it was very simple and straightforward, it didn't deliver enough elements to be addictive or entertaining for long sessions. 

Affogato's optimization is excellent; as it's a very light game, it runs very well on old computers and constantly maintains high frame rates. 

The controls are well programmed; I didn't feel the need to change any of the commands, as they leave nothing to be desired. 

The audio is also great; the dubbing is certainly its highlight. It has good music, an interface, and ambient sounds. For a game that debuts the arrival of a new developer, it's quite surprising. 



An unusual project with excellent features 

My experience with Affogato was good and made a good impression on me, especially as it's a game from a new company with such a bold proposal. I managed to have a lot of fun despite believing it to be a very niche game, even with all its RPG characteristics. 

Affogato was a great surprise; the game has excellent qualities and some details to be improved, such as reducing the repetitiveness of combat, but overall it delivers everything it sets out to, which is very relevant since it brings together several different universes and mechanics. 



For this review, the game was played on a PC using the Steam platform. Thanks to Befun Studio and Spiral Up Games for providing the access key.