Video Game Review: Café Enchanté

Café Enchanté

Studio: Askys, Idea Factory

Genre: Visual Novel, Fantasy, Romance

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Café Enchanté follows Kotone Awaki, after she inherits her grandfather’s charming cafe and upon entering it she discovers the cafe is frequented by rather unusual customers. In fact, as it turns out the regulars of Café Enchanté are powerful beings from various worlds – a Demon Lord, a Fallen Angel, a Fire Wolf, and a Headless Fairy Knight to name just a few. Throw in a secret agent who’s been tasked with keeping an eye on these ‘non-humans’ and Kotone’s new business has turned into a much crazier venture than initially expected.

Despite the fantastical premise, Café Enchanté is at heart a very cozy, charming game. The cast of characters is incredibly likable, and whilst this game does eventually split into different romance routes, the long common route is very enjoyable and helps develop the characters into a little family. The story is nothing groundbreaking but it fits the relaxed vibe of the cafe setting, whilst also surprisingly delving into some emotional story beats. Kotone herself is a great protagonist compared to many other otome heroines I’ve seen before – she talks things through with the characters, asks them for help when she’s troubled, and is fully believable as a normal girl thrown into a crazy bunch of people.  It’s easy to see why the cafe regulars warm to her, and she shows herself to be smart and resourceful enough to not fall into typical plot device holes I often see in otome games.

The Demon Lord, Misyr, is perhaps the most interesting and charismatic of the little group but as his route is locked until you complete the other four I chose to go down the Canus route – the dullahan fairy and most soft-spoken of the cast. Each of the characters falls somewhat into typical archetypes but the voice actors and writing really makes them shine in their own way and they all have odd little idiosyncrasies that set them out as individual characters in their own right. What’s nice as well, is that the group itself all get along well and support one another like a team – the demon and angel for example often rely on each other’s powers to solve situations and work together. That’s not to say the game’s story is without conflict but generally, this conflict is based around the world itself – for many of the cast, the Cafe is a place of refuge, a place away from their own life’s troubles and so the individual routes explore this further.

The art is gorgeous, particularly with the designs of the more fantastical creatures and the music fits the cafe theme nicely. The voice acting is very strong too, the actor for Misyr being a special highlight. There are a couple of typos throughout the story but overall the presentation is very nicely done. Compared to some other otome games there’s no real sense of progression within the romantic routes and it’s hard to tell if you’re on the right track or not with regards to achieving a good ending without this. Normally I’d be frustrated with a very long common route but in this game, I enjoyed the interactions between the cast so much I honestly really liked how lengthy the story was before it split into individual character arcs. Café Enchanté is quite a long game even by otome standards and this is to the game’s benefit allowing for a less rushed, more leisurely introduction to the characters and the worlds they inhabit.

Overall this game was an excellent otome game, with a complex story and a very likable cast – ideal for both those new to the genre and veterans alike.