Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s weekly catch-up news feature, the catch-up coffee. With each issue I will bring you the best news that you may have missed. Grab the biggest mug you’ve got, fill it with your favourite brew, and catch up with us (and our favourite news anchor, Dee Dee)!
Today I’m doing something a bit different: a themed catch-up! I love when I get to do this. Indie Live Expo 2024 streamed for more than five hours over the weekend, bringing news about dozens of upcoming games by indie developers. Four of those announcements are below. If you’d like to watch the stream, you can find the English version on YouTube here.
Hookah Haze launches in July, with a PC demo coming next month
Toru Sumiki has a fatal illness and doesn’t really care about being alive anymore. Instead of living life to its fullest during his remaining times, he signs on as a temporary manager at a new hookah lounge. It’s not long before he realizes that speaking with the clientele is changing him.
Toru’s tobacco flavour recommendations on social media affects who will visit the lounge, so the story is nudged in various directions while engaging in late-night conversations with the customers. He meets three girls, all cheerful on the surface but hiding problems or trauma. Each is looking for somewhere to belong. Will the girls fully open up?
Developed by Acquire and published by Aniplex, Hookah Haze will be released for PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch on July 11. A demo for PC will launch via Steam on June 11.
Kemono Teatime will be released “this fall”
I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit of a sucker for cute video game characters with animal ears. It just makes them seem so innocent! Kemomimi cafe ASMR adventure game Kemono Teatime is set in a world where this is a normal part of life. You work at Melodius, a cafe, whipping up delicious drinks while living your cutest life as much as possible. But all good things end…
The characters coming through the cafe need to come to terms with their fates and you can do that by helping them wind down with a good brew. Create drinks from a stock of nine black teas, 15 herbs, and six secret ingredients. The game is said to immerse you in the sounds of the tea-making process.
Developed and published by Studio Lalala, Kemono Teatime will be released for PC via Steam “this fall,” so presumably Q4 2024.
The Star Named EOS is delayed a bit, but also coming to more platforms
A narrative puzzle game with photography at its heart, The Star Named Eos is one of my more anticipated titles of the year. It was originally set to launch in the (Northern) spring, but now that window has been pushed back to summer. No big deal. And the bad actually comes with some good news too: the game will be launching for PlayStation and Xbox in addition to the previously-announced versions for PC and Nintendo Switch.
The Star Named EOS follows Dei, who has received letters from his travelling mother since he was young. Each letter came with a photograph and one day Dei notices something in one of them that changes everything he thought he know. He’ll set out to discover the truth about his family and confront his past.
Developed by Silver Lining Studio and published by Playism, The Star Named EOS will be released for PC via Steam/Epic/GOG/Humble, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series “this summer,” so Q3 2024.
Maid Cafe on Electric Street will be launching within a few months
Cafés are all the rage in games! Maid Cafe on Electric Street is a leisurely adventure set in an otaku haven. Our protagonist quits his job at a toxic workplace and has to take on a position at a run-down maid cafe. He ends up appointed as temporary manager. His first task? Bring in cuties to work with him at the cafe!
Meet four unique voiced main girls: Shiro, Miyu, Favna, and Honoka. The stories are lighthearted and cute. The protagonist can go on dates at Nipponbashi, things like visiting anime shops or playing at arcades or watching a film at the cinema.
Developed by Adventurer’s Tavern and published by Playism, Maid Cafe on Electric Street will be released for PC via Steam “this summer.” (You know the drill by now – Q3 2024.)
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