izigame.me

Alright, I love the game. And I'm sure most other positive reviews will talk about why the game is great.
I'm instead going to highlight 2 points that I think people should know before buying this game:
1. There are failure achievements.
As of this writing, the game is on version 1.05 on steam. There are in-game achievements, but no steam achievements.
The first time I booted up the game and looked at the potential achievements, I said "Oh, no". because I like to go for all the achievements, especially for the games I love. And in a game focused on chill vibes, deliberately screwing up orders for customers while going for the "Not So Hot Business" achievement just felt bad. This definitely wasn't in the first game.
Now, the game actually surprised me with how good it is about screwing up. There are only normal and good endings: The customers might get in a bad mood, but screwing up their drink order doesn't ruin their lives. Life still goes on, and even in the normal endings, the customers still strive to do their best, and you even get to discover new things about them.
But Riona specifically... oh boy. To deliberately screw up and make them unwelcome, to someone who's a victim of cyber-bullying and racism, to drive away a person looking for a place of warmth and comfort... just made me feel like a bully and racist, and made me feel all gross and disgusted inside. That was rough.
It won't matter if you're not going for those achievements, but if you're a completionist like me, just know that there are in-game failure achievements, and those routes might be upsetting to certain people.
2. There are less new regulars.
If you're looking at this game because you've played Coffee Talk (and let's be honest, you really should play it before starting Episode 2), you might remember that only 3/11 customers were regulars at the start of the original game: Freya, Jorji & Gala. Everyone else was a newcomer.
In Ep2, that number is flipped: There are only 3 new regulars. Everyone else is a returning face, or a guest character. I loved the focus on expanding the stories from the first game, and the new stories we got are great. But I kinda wished there were more new folks who became regulars. The world is so interesting: I wish they explored more stories, especially since everyone's in a good place in the best ending.
That's the 2 things I feel people should know when buying this game.
1 last personal gripe: I did not really enjoy Silvers & Amanda's storyline.
Most of the storylines are fantastical beings in everyday situations: An elf and a succubus, but family issues interfere with their romance. A werewolf, who's a veteran recovering from PTSD and trying to be better. An alien, but he's just looking for love and finding out more about himself. Amanda's storyline is a lot more... dramatic and less grounded? Agent Saitama walks in, and tension just skyrockets. Their ending, too, is the least joyful and most mixed. In the normal route, even Baileys lampshades how his problems just pale in comparison to Amanda & Silvers' situation. I'm sure their storyline has an audience to whom it is relevant, but personally, the vibe clashed with the rest of the game for me. Just my personal experience.
I definitely recommend the game, especially if you liked the original. This is one of the few games I bought full price on day 1: I really loved the uniquely calm and mature atmosphere of the series. Sure the "Not So Hot" route was rough, but I was surprised at how much it revealed about the characters. The characters are all good-natured and have the best intentions, the music is great, learning more about old friends was wonderful, a couple of guest characters look a lot healthier than their gaunt, faceless original sprites. and there were moments of real emotion.
Oh, and if you're somehow reading this without playing the original game, GO PLAY IT! This series is truly a unique masterpiece of art, music and storytelling.