CAFE 0 ~The Sleeping Beast~ Demo

Death is a fascinating concept in all the cultures from the around the world, because everyone has some sort of myth or belief related to it. Some of these beliefs involve going to one place or the other after an individual departs this world, such is the case with Vikings and Valhalla, or christians and heaven or hell. In any case, it makes for some pretty interesting stories.

CAFE 0 ~The Sleeping Beast~ is an interactive visual novel in which you control the fate of a girl who finds herself in a pretty unusual situation. As such, she gets the opportunity to go back to the living world after her death and get another shot at it. The game follows the usual visual novel tropes when it comes to gameplay, but there are plenty of surprises in store for you as well.

The main character’s name is Corliss Green, although you have the option to change it at the beginning of the story. Corliss wakes up one day at the entrance of Cafe 0, the place where lost souls get when they cannot reach heaven. Here she meets Noir, a man who offers her the chance to turn back time one week and pick her life up like nothing happened. Many existential questions are addressed along the way, so there’s certainly a bit of food for thought.

Your interaction with the characters and the story is kept to a minimum, as it’s always the case with visual novels. However, the story is engaging enough for that not to matter too much, especially since the writing is decent and there’s always something to look at. On the other hand, it does feel like you’ve got very few choices at your disposal most of the time.

The artwork is quite impressive as well, although you shouldn’t expect an awful lot in this regard either. It appears to be more fluid, however, thanks to the nice transition animations and a few moving frames. On top of that, there’s full voice acting to inspire life into the characters, not to mention the soothing soundtrack playing in the background at all times.

All things considered, CAFE 0 ~The Sleeping Beast~ should be a treat for visual novel fans, especially since it hits all the right spots. Moreover, it also features a few extras, such as voice acting and a great soundtrack.