Midnight Ramen is a narrative-heavy game that is most similar to Coffee Talk, except you make ramen, not coffee. I was pleasantly surprised by the decent writing and intriguing characters, with the ramen making minigame being very simple, but lots of fun. Note that there are many sensitive topics discussed and the game can be quite emotionally evocative.
Pros - Decent writing & fantastic characters
- Covers sensitive topics
- Inspired by Coffee Talk & VA-11 Hall-A
- Cooking ramen was fun & simple
- Easy to replay chapters from a branching path & unlock new endings and routes
Cons - Soundtrack can be repetitive
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Story (no spoilers)
You run a late-night ramen stand and listen to your customers stories and struggles, trying to help them in their journeys. Each character is very unique, but doesn’t fall precisely within specific stereotypical boxes and feels as if they are their own person. As the story progresses, cracks begin to surface in the protagonist’s own life as well, as she begins to truly understand her purpose, and what lies ahead.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3296451376
Clearly inspired by the likes of Coffee Talk / VA-11 Hall A, Midnight Ramen will make you feel attached to each of its characters. Although there aren’t many, and the game only lasted just over 4 hours (including 100% achievements), the stories were captivating. I was completely engaged reading every piece of dialogue to better understand their perspectives. I specifically loved how after finishing the game, you can go back into the branching chapter paths and replay specific levels and even find different endings for some of the characters. The attention to detail in Midnight Ramen surpassed my expectations and it left many options available to players to explore.
I was sad when the game was coming to an end, because of the story but also because I wanted it to continue. I wanted to hear from new characters… I just didn’t want it to end. This is very rare for me and demonstrates the games excellent storytelling abilities.
Gameplay
If you have played Coffee Talk, you know how this game will play. Lots of conversations between customers and also between the stall owner, which you are an apprentice to. And of course… cooking ramen! I absolutely adored this minigame and the layout was very easy to use. With bright, large buttons and easy, uncluttered ingredients to choose from. However, I do wish that more ingredients and options were added as the game continued, as the ramen making minigame does not change from start to finish.
Choose your level of noodle softness, abide by the ramen recipe book…or don’t, it’s up to you! Add sides of chashu (or others), mix your broths and don’t forget the seasoning! After finishing the story once, going back to play specific chapters to slightly change their orders and witnessing different dialogue was satisfying and displayed further depth to characters that I thought were not as developed as they could be… but it was just under a hidden storyline for keen players to find.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3297113136
Dialogue can be automatically skipped by holding S, and the dialogue boxes were clean and easy to click through. Saving occurs frequently at the end of each chapter which was very handy as well.
Visuals & Sound
Midnight Ramen features very bright, cartoonish visuals with anime-style characters. The simple style helps to focus on the dialogue and felt fitting for the setting. The ramen made me hungry and I appreciated the small details such as seeing the ramen slowly disappearing infront of characters as time passes, the cursor is in the format of two chopsticks that pinch together when you click and so much more.
Sound is ok, it has low-fi beats, similar to Coffee Talk once again, but it did feel slightly repetitive at times and lacked some variation. However, this is only a small gripe and is just something I noticed towards the end of the game.
Technical & Stats
This game was played using a keyboard & mouse, and with the following PC specs.:
AMD Ryzen R5 7600x 5.4 GHz
32GB DDR5 5200 CL36 RAM
Radeon RX 6800 XT
2560x1440 resolution
NVMe 3.0 SSD
Windows 10
Playtime: The game took me approximately 4.5 hours to achieve 100% achievements and finish the game.
Controller Recommended? No, but it is supported if you wish.
Replayability value: To witness different story paths and for achievements only.
Conclusion
Midnight Ramen completely surprised me with its quality story-telling and engaging characters. I knew it was heavily inspired by the classics of the genre such as Coffee Talk, but I did not expect the emotional depth and polished ramen minigame that it provided. I barely have any qualms about the game, mainly that I just wish it was longer. I would love to play a sequel or hope to see new content added in the future. I highly recommend this game for fans of conversational, relaxing games...just prepare for some emotional scenes ahead!
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