Visual novels are one of my favourite subgenres of games, purely because of their compelling storytelling, interesting and enjoyable characters, along with amazing soundtracks. I think I’m drawn to them a lot because of how simply made yet amazing they can truly be, it’s essentially a book in the form of a video game which I really like.
Whilst Sips and Sonnets isn’t a visual novel I’d usually choose to play, but it was a good one nonetheless. I say not choose to play because most of the visual novels I’ve played have been horror ones such as Doki Doki Literature Club and The Letter, so going from playing my usual types which consist of many horror themes to one about an old woman running a tea shop in the British countryside was a surprising, yet nice change.
You play as Miss Meadows, a retired journalist and tea enthusiast, who decided to open up and run a tea shop in the countryside. She is preparing for a visit from her oldest friend Esmee, who she hasn’t caught up with in a while. As she awaits her arrival she meets a few customers, one being a regular whilst the others having entered the tea shop for the first time. As she interacts with them more she uses their conversations as an inspiration for her latest poem.
The voice acting was simply amazing and made for an immersive experience
I’ve always acknowledged the importance of voice acting in video games. I believe that despite how insignificant it may be compared to the story or the gameplay, it actually matters more than a lot of people think. Good voice actors not only improve the game overall, but they can also make it more immersive which is exactly what this game did.
All voice actors did a great job, but I was especially drawn to Miss Meadows who was voiced by Bethan Dixon Bate, known for her many roles such as Vlaakith in Baldur’s Gates 3. I thought she did an excellent job at portraying her and really nailed the caring, kind and gentle tone, which probably describes most of our grandparents perfectly.
I’ve played visual novels both with and without voice actors, and honestly I’m not sure what I prefer. On one hand having voice actors brings a lot more weight and emotions to words which in turn makes for a more immersive and emotional experience, but on the other hand ones without voice actors makes you focus more on the text and feels more like a book. At the end of the day it comes down to individual preferences, though I thoroughly enjoy both.
The characters whilst not having fleshed-out backstories, were still interesting and had nice conclusions
There weren’t many characters in Sips and Sonnets but the four characters (excluding Miss Meadows) which we interacted with often each had their own simple yet impactful stories/problems, which I think a lot of us could relate to at a certain point in our lives. Despite how short the game was, the characters were interesting and had a big impact on the story, each of them touching on different topics and feelings.
Emotions such as nostalgia, regret and self-doubt were all present at some point in the game, something which a lot of us have felt or are still feeling to this day. When we first met the characters we learnt bits about who they are along with what they do, the more we interacted with them the more we learnt about their dilemmas. One of the characters didn’t know if their current job was the correct path despite loving it, wondering if they would look back years later and regret what they did, while another character suffered from self-doubt, questioning if all of their hard work was worth it.
One of the other main emotions shown throughout the game was nostalgia, coming from Miss Meadows most of the time. She would often think about the first poem she wrote when waiting for Esmee in the park, her journalism career and her whole life in general. There’s a specific part in the game when she looks into the mirror and is frightened at what she saw, even though it was just a reflection of her current old self. She didn’t recognize the person looking back at her, which I imagine is something that the elderly go through at some point, expecting to see a younger version of themselves but being met with a face full of wrinkles.
I actually related to that part not because I’m old, but because growing old is a fear of mine as I’m sure is the same case for others, the thought of looking in the mirror and not seeing my younger self is frightening to say the least, alas we can’t stay young forever. Nostalgia was just one of the many emotions depicted throughout the game, it made for a simple yet touching story.
After the characters interacted with Miss Meadows more she eventually gave them small yet life-changing advice which they applied to their current situation, giving them nice conclusions to their stories. They came in for tea but after talking with Miss Meadows they left as a different person in a sense, even if the change and advice given was small.
The Story was simple and short, yet sweet and impactful
A game about running a tea shop isn’t exactly the most compelling and exciting story there’s no denying that, but the thing is a game doesn’t need to have a complex and amazing story to be good, the same goes for movies and series. Sometimes other aspects of the game overshadow the story, which in Sips and Sonnets case it was the characters and the topics touched on, along with how much of a heartwarming game it was in general.
It also had a great way with words, the game was full of insightful quotes, my favourite being “We have legs not roots” which is a very important lesson. Those five words hold a lot of meaning behind them, reminding us that we can take control of our lives or stay stagnant, watching the world go by and not living in the present. Something we shouldn’t allow of course, otherwise soon enough we would look back and only feel a heavy sense of regret knowing what we could have been.
The ending whilst I didn’t expect it was sad to say the least. It turned out that Esmee was dead all along, but Miss Meadows tried her best to forget about losing a dear friend, expecting her to walk through the door any minute. She was mentioned a lot throughout the game so it was evident that she was excited to catch up with such an old friend, only to be revealed that the two would never have a conversation again. It was a sad yet simple reminder that people closest to us do die and we have to make the most out of the time left we have with them.
Those things I thought overshadowed the story and made for a touching experience.
