VN - Ren'Py - Cosy Cafe [v0.12.1] [Cosy Creator]

I played through the .6 version of the game, and found it genuinely...cozy. The dev has deftly avoided the usual pitfalls of the genre: that of allowing the number of potential love interests, characters, and story arcs to explode exponentially, dragging the story’s progression to a standstill. Instead he has maintained a tight focus on a few characters, and spends his time telling their fairly limited story.

I found the MC to be more relatable than the typical White Knight sort. He is trying to run a business, and has things other than pussy on his mind. He treats the girls more as potentially valuable assets to be acquired and spanked into shape than as idols to put on a pedestal: which makes for a more believable harem story.

The graphics and animations are very much on the simple end of the spectrum, but I enjoyed this VN more than many that look far better.

TLDR; the only reason I'm not giving this 1 star is because I couldn't manage to finish the current content and I don't feel fair giving it lower than a 2 on the off chance that it miraculously improves. But the art is mediocre and the writing is really awful. I genuinely do not see why this game has such a high review score

Now for the long version:

• Visuals: The renders are pretty rough. The models are pretty bland and the colors are too vibrant, makes the locations look pretty ugly. The characters are attractive enough, but they're all just... bland. They all look like pretty stock, typical Honey Select models. Nothing about them is noteworthy or stands out in any way.
• Audio: Also meh. The music and sound effects are all pretty basic. It's the same sort of license free music you hear in 90% of the games on this site
• Writing: Alright so this one's a doozy. I saw many reviews praising the writing of this game, particularly the character writing, and I'm starting to wonder if I somehow downloaded the wrong game or something. The character writing in this game is truly awful. Pretty early on, Dev with their ridiculous caricature of the "feminist" character, Rachel. She’s just immediately super hostile, rude, and doesn’t talk about anything except “triggers” and “privilege”. Then literally the next day the dev can’t help themselves but to try clown on this strawman of a feminist they wrote with embarrassing shit like “Math is a patriarchal construct”. Like come on man, anyone laughing at this shit in 2023 needs to grow the fuck up. These are the kinds of jokes that 13 year-old boys make when they think being edgy makes them funny. It’s incredibly cringy and you're embarrassing yourself.
  
  But it's not just her. Every character is basically just a basic stereotype. Shy girl with sob story, bitchy girl who's actually just misunderstood, male rival who's a complete moron, etc... Maybe they get more depth later in the story, but fuck if I can make it that far when nothing even remotely positive happens in the first week or so of the game.
  
  Even the MC is written poorly. I was at the point in the game where you give Lucy a key and really started to think that we really need to understand this dude’s thought process as he unconditionally trusts a complete stranger like this. Maybe later we learn why he acts like this, but we see the MC's inner thoughts for basically everything else (down to mundane stuff like cleaning and sleeping), so why are we not getting any of his thoughts about this? It feels like the dev is burying the lede so they can have some reveal later, but it’s at the expense of the MC behaving in an understandable way at the outset of the game.
  
  I could really go on and on. The character writing is abysmal, and the plot/world of the game are nowhere good enough to carry that weight.

Overall, I really do not have any idea why this game seems to be as loved as it is. It's a game with mediocre visuals, bad writing, and nothing unique to bring to the table. It's not worth your time. I'm genuinely wondering if these glowing reviews are bots because of how shit the writing is and yet it's so universally praised.

If your standards go above mediocre archetypes and "hurrr feminism bad" jokes, then please don't waste your time.

Interesting premise with the Cafe and a guy trying to turn his life around after essentially being a thug. Game has most the most important aspect for me, which is harem (without the I'm the only guy in existence) & both small & big titties. Really I think the only thing missing is the pregnancy, which can come later. Aside from that heaven forbid, but for once we actually got a plot that moves forward. I had almost forgotten what that looked that on this site. However, it loses a point for really not being able to choose between slice of life or the seriousness of the big Families (think Illuminati shit on a sadder and local scale). To make matters worse despite the repeated mentions of the violent tendencies we see few glimpses of this where it matters (sometimes I wanna see some skulls break). I get that he's trying to move away from that, but when the die is already cast it's better to strike.

Absolutely outstanding! This story is exactly what I've been looking for on this site for years. It's cute maledom BDSM, full of appealing characters, with girls who are both submissive and happy.

The story is engaging, mixing in humor and inspiring empathy for the characters. Every girl is unique and full of life. So far, there's the right amount of conflict to keep things interesting while keeping the focus on building relationships with these adorable subs.

The renders are amazing. The further I got, the more astounded I became at the detail and intimacy the author has achieved with this software. The character designs are unbelievably sexy and the outfit choices are great. Fun sex scenes appear again and again, and they make you feel like you're there.

The writing is well-done throughout. No confusion, few grammar errors, consistent characterization. The setting is built up well. I wish I lived somewhere with such a well-functioning transit network. The music choices are better than most; they make the cafe shifts feel particularly satisfying.

The MC is a good character himself, with history, talents, and motivation. He's assertive, maintains control over his girls, and his most important consideration is their happiness. He cares for them, he listens, and it's easy to feel that he deserves them. Inhabiting such a character makes this a joy to read.

Here's hoping we'll get to dominate, use, and love these wonderful girls ever more completely. I especially hope this engine can render properly fitted ballgags. Above all, I wish the author well in pursuing his vision.

Every beat was well-done, arousing, and made me smile. Cosy Cafe has instantly jumped into my top 3 VNs. If you like loving relationships with girls who want nothing more than to belong to you, this is the right story.

I've played a lot of games on this site, and this is one of the best. Girls are all well written and likable. Story is interesting. The relationship between the mc and the girls is very cute and wholesome. Overall, fantastic game.

This was the very first high quality game I played that really blew me away with its beautiful characters, amazing storytelling, and smooth animation. All the girls are super likable and I would recommend this in a heartbeat to anyone on this site looking for a 5/5 game. I will Patiently wait for Future updates.

Cosy Cafe lives up to its name. I've rarely come across an adult game that gives me such warm-and-fuzzy feelings. The MC's relationships with the girls are absolutely adorable, which is an odd thing to say for a BDSM-tinged game, but it's executed very well.

It's a great game. I highly recommend it.
LI's are interesting and unique.
Maledom is done well (finally neither a whimp nor a complete asshole).
The story is quite wholesome and chill, which is a breath of fresh air in a site filled with extremely dramatic games.
Graphics and animations are fine. Idk why people complain about honey select, you can tell from the preview images, if it's not your thing, then don't play it lol.
Girls are loyal and there is no horny lesbian LI that fucks all your girls and turns them all bi (which sadly, it's a pretty common thing nowadays it seems).
Game doesn't blue ball you for years, which again, it's far too common nowadays. This means it does develop quite fast, but bruh, look at the site we are browsing, not everything needs to be super realistic.

My only complain is that i found it early in development, so i finished it too soon but i still want more ^^

[This is for v0.5]

Simple male power fantasy at it's core, but overall cute, slice-of-life haram as the premise. Two main points that I want to touch on:

- First, talking a bit about the power-fantasy at play. I say simple because that's what it is. You can even consider it a "introductory chapter to power play", simple and doesn't push boundaries, seems afraid to explore the idea or hurt feelings. Could be a good thing or a bad thing, depends how you want your kinks.

- Second, I thought the MC was fine -- just fine. He wasn't a generic goody-two-shoes that we see everywhere nowadays, and at the same time he wasn't too much of an asshat. You may not have too much problem relating to this one as long as you can differentiate between fantasy and reality. Personally, I would have liked him with a little more backbone, but it is what it is.

Yes, he does have the magic-MC dick characteristic and every girl just falls for him instantly, something that I'm increasingly getting irritated by in other games, but I guess I don't mind it as much here. It's a power play fantasy, what do you expect. It's always the case wherever you look. Playboy billionaire, or a king, or a sparkly vampire emo -- something that sets it apart from your everyday Joel.

I will also say this: Not everything needs to be relatable and "real". Sometimes I like to feel like a super hero who gets all the girls at the snap of the fingers.

With that said, his dick does look like a tree trunk, seriously dev.

- As for renders, well it uses Honey Select 2, if that's not your cup of tea, you won't see anything spectacular here. It does have all the downsides related to Honey Select. As some examples: Mature bodies with the head of a teenager -- doesn't look right (body too big, head too small) aggravated by the fact mostly all of the girls have unnatural huge, floaty tits, because of course they do. Hands also never look right, which is also an issue with Honey Select. I also thought Lucy, main li (love interest), looked like a lizard, but may not be the case for you. I've seen much worse though and Victoria on the other hand (second li) looks fine, so it can be done, just needs some tweaking.

Writing and story are... serviceable. Story is generic enough to be understood and the writing is -- proper English, how about that.

I liked it, it's a cozy little harem story. I will be keeping an eye out on this one as I'm curious where the author takes it.

We have a gem here! I am no fanboy, I won't say tehre is anything never seen before on this game, but MAN! The dev know what he does and do it very well. A good balance between story and lewed stuffs, I couldn't stop playing until the reaching the feared screen of wait for next update...

And cherry on the cake the dev participate quite a lot on the thread and you can feel his will to do well everywhere.

[Reviewed v0.5]

A well-done harem / school-themed game with a unique story despite some well-known tropes. It is very good but not quite among the best in active development. Lots of potential and excited to see where the story develops.

The Good ()

• Charming love interests (LIs) that each have different personalities and well-developed backgrounds
• Lots of story content
• Well-rendered graphics and animations
• Nice H-scenes that pay off the story beats
• Love / loyalty-driven story (all the LIs are extremely devoted to the MC, if that's your thing)
• Great harem dynamics between multiple LIs

The Not-So-Good ()

• MC quickly develops into an all-everything superhero / savior for all characters and doesn't exhibit any flaws -- not super relatable
• Story is a bit trope-heavy -- if you played any other games like this, many scenes will have familiar beats
• All the LIs start as untouched virgins but within "days" in the story develop into kink-driven nymphos -- the "pace" of sexual development is super fast

Likeable, sexy love interests with an overall heartwarming story -- if you can ignore the tropes and the more unrealistic elements, you'll love this game.

You know, when you read a game title like: "Cosy Cafe" you'd expect a nice harem game with wholesome elements, but oof, does some of this writing rub me the wrong way.

There is a persistent tone issue with the protagonist. He is being played off as a nice guy by everyone who wants to bone him, but he consistently exudes gross character traits. He is extremely possessive, refuses to do kind things without self-gain, and when he rejects people, he does it in the most blunt, least empathic way possible.
Now, someone being a hardass or having negative traits isn't a bad thing, but it's clear by the writing that we're supposed to think him right, or relatable when he is a constant dick.
He refuses to believe the good in anyone, and is cynical to a fault. Even the heart of the whole thing, Lucy, he refuses to tell that he loves her for badly explained reasons, even far after they become an official couple. All of the girls are treated submissively, which they do seem to be into, but it's rare that the MC expresses any interest in them beyond them being sexual playthings.
Again, this would be fine in a villianous character, or one with a character arc, but the writing suggests that we should agree with this view of the world or this view of women.
All of the women in the game start out with personalities and interests, and over time they just get replaced with the MC and his cafe being the only thing they care, talk, or think about. Unless they have some plot-related problem the MC needs to fix.
And this together with the character Rachel who has been written as the most stock derogatory: "Woke SJW Lib" stereotype, it gives the story a very... for a lack of a better word, Andrew-Tate-vibe.
Again, not something I'd suspect from a game called "Cozy Cafe".

I also dislike the "secret elite society" narrative that permeates like locust throughout the story. I'm not saying that a slice-of-life story can't have obstacles or antagonists, but it seems disproportionate and quite silly when put into context of the rest of the story.

And it's frustrating, because most of the time the writing is actually really good. The penmanship is exceptional, the storytelling is what's lacking. That and there are definitely some world views that I disagree with here that I can't compromise on.

The renders are nice, the women are nicely designed and are posed very expressively. The game is close to a kinetic novel with mostly just scene variations, but I don't mind that at all.

I'm probably not gonna be back, but I do commend the effort and the talent shown here.

Interesting storyline for a kinetic novel with a decent variety of girls. I like the characterisation going on and though the MC sometimes gives off a bit too much "hero" vibes with being able to everything, it's nice to play a character with good intentions. It does feel like the game progresses to sexual interaction with a couple of the characters a bit too quickly but I'm willing to overlook it given that it is an adult game.

• Story: 3/5
• Animations: 3/5
• Girls: 4/5
• Music 4/5

One of the most importen things to me is the story and this one is well writen, but feels a bit slow and only has a single sex scene so far, but the LIs has some very nice personalities, also i like that they look diffrent while so many other game re-use faces over and over.
Also animations are good as well and the music is decent, but virgin/deflower scenes well scene needs a bit more work to make it anywhere near beliveable.

I am really not a fan of kinetic novels since you have 0 choices, and cant pick who you want to have sex with but still tried this game out, and enjoyed most parts still.

Also annoying to listen to an MC talking down about girls with smaller tits, saying stuff like "but shes small and flat" and treating big tits as its the best thing ever, just feels worng and temted me to lower ratings to 2 stars, it feels like 90% of devolpers has a big tit fetish, and think everyone is like that.

I dont really like big tits its pretty much a turn-off for me, after meeting the first to mains Lis plus the headmaster and teacher, i was close to giving up on this game thinking "yet another big breast game" it takes a long time before a normal/small Li gets to be part of the game, but atleast they are there.

And goes without saying Akatsuki is by far my favorit of them all.

Dont think its a game i will follow up on with updates and such though, only because its a kenitic story and i really hate not having any choice in who i want to have sex with, and being forced to go through scenes with girls with E cups is just not my idea of fun.

Also think the updates are a bit to small, for a 2-3 months wait.

Game is still good and i rated as such. without looking at the kinetic part, that i dislike.

This game really surprised me, normally I do not like games that are very linear, and this one doesn't have many choices, however it is a really well done game.

The story is good and makes sense, it is quite realistic and believable. The characters are well written and all have their personality and their strengths and weaknesses.

The pacing of the game is very well done (within what is still an AVN, so yeah, maybe the girls fall for the MC a bit too fast, but that is ok) , the days felt believable and realistic again, and the passing of time made the story feel grounded in reality.

The relationships between the characters, their doubts, conflicts ...etc are well explained and made me really care about them all. There wasn't a single character that I couldn't stand, so even if the relationships with the girls are forced on you, I did not dislike it.

Finally, the writing is great, good grammar, no weird phrases, the characters speak like proper people.... all in all I loved the game and I only regretted that it ended, I can hardly wait to read more of the story and see where it goes.

There is decent stuff to talk about, i really do hope the text is comprehensible and easy to read, so let's begin:

The good things:
Story - 4.6/ 5 - The story gives you a good premise and a reason to actually look forward to this game. It is decently written with a nice twist:


Characters - 4.6 / 5 - A great variety of characters to interact and be interested in. You will find some of them even perfect to your tastes. (Honestly i love most of them.)

World feel - 4.6 /5 - Nothing less to say here, the developer and author did his best to make a beautiful world with the limitation he was given , the world feels genuine and somewhat even exciting with the premise the story works on. There is a lot of things that make this AVN a good read, i really do look forward to see how this plays out

Dialogue - 4.8/5 - The dialogue feels at most times genuine and not one-dimensional, it felt like the Author had a lot of thoughts behind each choice and or dialogue option, even the basic conversation feels not repetitive but just endearing and great. ( There is not a lot and the AVN's is mostly kinetic but that's fine imo.)

Animations - 4.5/5 - The animation choice and "adult" positions were really good, i had a lot of fun watching these, as of right now there is few but that's alright

My critiques:
Sadly there are some critiques but thats okay, nothing is perfect after all:

-> I do feel like this is a good start to a AVN, though it feels sometimes lacking in some departments, i honestly miss maybe a more decent introduction to the story and if possible a summarization to the story if you are a recurring player.

-> There were some plotholes. though as it's the beginning i will for know not point them out and see how it plays out, maybe the author will jump on these in the future updates ( i really do hope so, i really like this avn)

-> There were some as of now one-dimensional characters (even a main like Rachel, please make sure she gets a redemption or she will be shit stalked and hated just because you created her to be hateable.
Final Thoughts:

This game deserves more attention, it feels genuine and well crafted. I sincerely hope for decent updates that are not far between so the development doesn't choke at some point, it would really hiccup the great flow of this game. The world building is as of now really great. i am looking forward to the story and to the possible character developement.It is a great game and a great story to not only play but also to read.

At last: Thank you for whoever you are that is ready to read this through and thank you a lot Cosy for creating this really good game with a bright future. I sincerely wish you great health.

This game deserves to be played, just try it,

Cheers.

A nice little gem right there.

The story's nice, and seem to have some upcoming secrets as well.
The characters are all lovable, despite their huge jugs, but fear not petite lovers, there are some as well (well, soon anyway, and well on their way.)

It's a kinetic novel, but there are a couple of choices (which only seem to impact the next scene.) But don't ignore it because of that, it is one of the rare nice ones out there.

A small word of warning for those of us with sensitive eyes though, it is quite frequently, extremely bright. You WILL NEED to either lower your screens' brightness, or wear some light sunglasses. The classroom and some rooms in the house are extremely white and bright, and it will at the very least tire your eyes out very quickly.

The brightness is however, not enough to remove a star from this little gem, I'll suffer to see more of it! It is worth it.

If this keeps up how it is as of V0.4.1, it has the potential of climbing ranks and have a pretty high score in the ranking.

Be warned though, there's already nearly 5hours of content as of 0.4.1, BUT, only one sex scene, and very few blow/handjobs.
So, while there is come sexual content, the majority of the content, is story, with quite a few spankings (not brutal ones, just... enough to leave a small red mark .)

For now, the game is very much about a nice and playful Dom man, with sub females.

The game is also taking the piss of the ultra feminists, which would deserve a sixth star if I could add it!

The game's text is absolutely fine as well. If there are any mistakes, they're so small and so rare that I never even noticed them.

The only "bad" thing, is the lack of dialogues from catgirl, but, it does fit her personality and the story. I'd still like if she spoke a bit more.

Brilliant game. Simple enough story which is a very good thing in this setting, and the characters are all charming and interesting with really well written dynamics between them. They feel alive which is a huge plus. All in all, I really like the game. Good luck to you, Cosy Creator.

Pretty good overall, nice character models and decent storytelling.

Moving from just meeting to sexual activity felt a little fast, but that's just how things go I suppose.

A little towards the dominant side of things, although perhaps in a less aggressive way than usual, and with consent from the other characters.

i'm giving it a 5 stars even if the game is not yet done since I really like all of it so far (0.4.1 as of this moment). For once an MC that is not all about doing pervy things but has something of a genuine hobby. He messes around with the girls but also thinks about how they feel. MC has character that can't be just summed up as horny. The same goes for all the female on the story. Them falling for MC didn't just happen after his dick, they actually have reasons to fall for MC (or at least most of them does). Anyways, looking forward to more update!