I feel like there’s some confusion about what this game is about.

What this game is NOT:
A slowburn story with gradual realization of feelings building up to a final endgame confession. Nor is the female love interest some annoying obstacle to get to the godsent male love interest.

What this game IS:
A story structured like episodes in a slice-of-life anime. The characters are working adults who express mutual attraction, and spend the story exploring if they want to go further. The female and male love interests are equal in importance, and both are given tastefully written smut scenes.

I really enjoy the game so far. I have been absolutely dying for a butch love interest, especially one who’s viciously flirty and loves to tease. The dynamic between all three of the characters is great as well. Take some of Zero’s playful nature mixed with Kingsley’s seriousness, add in Milly’s obvious attraction to them both, and you get a hilarious explosion of heat and comedy. I recommend trying out the free demo to see if you like the writing and vibes. I certainly do.

Honestly? I really wanted to love this game- I supported it on Kickstarter because I liked the proposed storyline. But the storyline, on its own, is a mess. And I dont want to completely diss it- because I have enjoyed playing the game. But this should be purchased just by people who enjoy some smut with VN choices- not for people who are looking for a cohesive or interesting storyline overall. Again, I do not regret buying or playing this game. But just be aware you are not purchasing a masterpiece.

In terms of formatting, the game mechanics could use some popular features. The one thing I found most difficult was that there were four save files, but if you were already playing on one save file game, you couldn't save on a second file. Thus, if you tried to save before choices, it didn't really matter because it was all going to devolve onto one main save file anyway. In addition to that, when you load from a save file and go to continue the story, you have to manually scroll with your mouse to whatever chapter you are on towards the right. As the game goes on, this takes longer and longer.

Yes, I would recommend this game, but know what you are paying for before you buy. You are paying for some soft smut with some nice art and some tedious/confusing/sometimes boring filler storyline. And thats okay

it's a cute and aesthetically pleasing otome game. i am particularly fond of the art style, and i really enjoyed the mature scenes/dialogue. did i mention that i LOVE how you can customize the background screen that's ALSO voiced!?

however, i really wished there was a feature which could zoom in on the CGs, and listen to the voiced lines separately rather it be in text. i also did notice some of the achievements are bugged-- or rather keep resetting. despite this, it did take me a few tries on the mini-games to achieve one of the achievements.

regardless, i definitely recommend this game! (especially because of kingsley hehe)

EDIT: i would like to retract my statement about kingsley. zero has me down bad for her that it's no longer a joke anymore.

Disclaimer: I was a Kickstarter backer for this game.

Sweetcore Brews is a fantasy romcom otome/yuri VN hybrid about a young witch, Milly, who works brewing magical teas for the shop she's employed at.

The story is split up into episodes, with all of them (except the final episode) being split up into three chapters. At the end of each chapter, it might give you one of three minigames: a match-3 minigame, a mad libs minigame where you type in several nouns to put in a recipe, and a mad libs minigame where you input names and words to create advice for customers' problems. While I enjoyed the match-3 game (which is simple but still fun), both of the mad libs variants wore out their welcome very quickly. Eventually I just started putting spaces into the blanks just to get past them.

The game...doesn't really have much of a plot. It mostly relies on a "situation of the week" type structure, where Milly and the LI(s) get into a problem that was caused and/or is solved by Milly's tea brewing. A lot of the humor comes from the bizarre things that Milly mixes into her teas, and the wacky effects the teas can have. At the end of each route, there's a longer-than-usual episode that brings in aspects from previous episodes as Chekhov's guns to increase stakes, which ends up being kind of mood whiplash considering how lighthearted most of the game is.

Because the game has very little plot until the end, I would highly recommend only buying the game if you like both of the love interests. (Zero is a flirtatious type who starts getting touchy-feely with Milly almost immediately after they meet; Kingsley is the classic "cold-ish uber-rich guy with a heart of gold" trope.) If you only like one, you're missing out on nearly half of the game's content, and there's no story to make sitting through the LI you dislike worth it. Trying out the browser-based demo on itchio or the F2P mobile version might be a good idea if you're on the fence about it.

The game has optional softcore text-only sex scenes, which according to the store page are marked so that they can be easily avoided. This is...sort of true. When you pick the "spicy" option, a confirmation screen pops up asking if you want to proceed. But there's no visual indicator on the choice menu itself. The game also doesn't tell you that the spicy option is always the last option, so from the perspective of a player who hasn't figured it out for themself yet, if you specifically want that option, you have to randomly guess and hope you get it right the first time (it's not always obvious from the choice text).

Unlike most romance VNs, Sweetcore Brews allows you to go on both routes at the same time in the same playthrough. However, while you can do this and the routes sometimes merge into each other to allow Milly to flirt and be flirted with both LIs at the same time, there's no proper polyamory route; the endings for each route are pretty clear about being monogamous, even if you've pursued both LIs. The game doesn't advertise a polyam route, so I'm not disappointed, but it's kind of a strange structure decision to make.

While this game was released simultaneously on both PC and mobile, it's very clear that the UX was designed primarily for mobile with PC being an afterthought. It's not unusable by any means, but it's a bit counterintuitive on PC. The biggest examples are the game expecting you to navigate through menus by clicking and dragging them instead of just using the scroll wheel (you can use the scroll wheel, but a full scroll only moves the scroll a few pixels, so it's easier to just click-and-drag) and not having keyboard shortcuts for most things. There's also no auto function and no ability to skip only read text (and the skip function takes you to the next choice or to the last sentence before the end of the chapter rather than being a fast-forward).

Also IDK why the page says it's a simulation, there are literally zero sim aspects to the game. It's a pure VN with occasional match-3 and mad libs segments. You don't actually run Milly's shop, do any stat-raising, etc.

And this is a really small nitpick, but it's kind of disappointing that you never get to see the MC outside of CGs (of which there are only two per route). Her design is so cute! I know a lot of otome game readers don't like to see the MC, but something like a toggle for a side image would be nice. It just feels like a waste to have such a cute design for her and then basically never show her, lol.

I know that seems like a lot of negatives, but I really did enjoy this game, and I don't regret backing it on KS. But the combination of the structure and technical issues makes it really hard to give it an unqualified recommendation. That said, I'm looking forward to seeing what the developers do in the future, especially if they can work out the snags in their PC porting.

For more recommendations and reviews, check out my curator, Games for Hopeless Romantics.

So far so good. I find the game fun and relaxing, art is super cute and there are actual (lighthearted) mature themes which is really refreshing to see! Story isn't groundbreaking but the writing is relaxed and easily consumable, perfect if you just want to kick back and relax. Additionally, the shorter episode style helps if you play between other stuff or your attention span isn't that good and makes it easy to jump in and out.
Both LI are likable and playful in their own ways. (for the first time I find myself not knowing which one to romance first :D) The mini games are okay, the matching one is my favorite one for sure and I am looking forward to playing it every time it pops up.
I really hope to see more routes and characters added in the future!

I've been a longtime fan and backer of Nochi Studios! This is their first title that they're releasing on PC and, aside from such a stable product, they've really knocked it out of the park with this one! With each game, Nochi Studios continues to improve and bring heart-thumping romance to players everywhere. I've only played about four hours and focused on Kingsley's route, but I love how cute everything is, from the art, music, to the puzzle mini-games. I can't wait to start Zero's route right after this one!

P.S. I received the Steam key for this game as a Kickstarter backer.

I like how you can decide to go to a more mature scene or just a light one. Also the mini games where I have to fill in some blanks are kinda funny I end up creating weird sentences and it really made me laugh.
I'm usually not a fan of story with mini games included just to get to another chapter but I actually enjoyed the games more than the story here. Idk if I just read too many otome with great and deep story lines so this kinda story bored me already. I almost drop this if only Kingsley didn't show up the moment I click next... Yes! Kingsley's chest saved this game from being drop by me. Lol
Also the music is kinda distracting, the scene and interaction doesn't match the bgm I think I only heard the same bgm the whole chapter. And it's pretty obvious from the cover but I was kinda hoping that it has more routes and LI to choose from but yeah, it's only the 2 of them so far.
Edit:
So I'm here to edit my review and after a few more chapters the story gets interesting specially on their individual route. Definitely recommended if you want a lighthearted story.

Sweetcore brews is a super fun and cute game. Kingsley is my favorite character. He is such a spicy boy that is a total 3 piece suit of a personality. I highly suggest you pick up this game if you want some spice.

Sweetcore Brews is a cup of tea that’s both deliciously sweet and piping hot.

You play as the head employee of a magical tea shop. You add a little magic to your drinks to help customers solve everyday problems. But you’ll also find yourself dealing with situations which require more powerful brews. You will frequently encounter Zero and Kingsley, the gorgeous love interests who have taken an interest in your tea…and you.

The game has a continuous storyline, structured into smaller episodes that can be played at your own pace. Sprinkled throughout are common route chapters, full of hilarious and heartwarming shenanigans involving both love interests.
The character-specific chapters focus solely on Zero or Kingsley. These chapters are where the heat and passion takes place~!

I really enjoy the intimate scenes. Dating sims in general are lacking in spicy content (especially sapphic content!!!) so I’m very happy to see it here. It’s written like a romance novel, where it forgoes explicit terms to instead captivate you with beautiful prose and delicious descriptions. Sometimes I need to take a break because my face gets too warm lol.
And if that’s not your cup of tea, you can pick a different option and get a less intense scene instead! There’s no wrong choices here, you get to decide what you’re comfortable with :)

Finally, I want to gush about my absolute favorite part of the entire game: ZERO!!!!!!! I seriously love Zero SO much!!!
She’s flirty and playful, and knows how to press the right buttons to get the reaction she wants. It makes me melt every time!! She’s also caring, sweet, and never pushes MC to do anything she doesn’t want to. Zero can be a little dramatic at times, but she has a good heart and does whatever it takes to help others, even when it’s difficult. I admire that a lot! Also her design is BEAUTIFUL!!! I love her fluffy hair and stylish clothing!! And her radiant smile and those cute little fangs when she grins!! And hearing her voice always makes me swoon!! I am so weak for that confident teasing tone!!! Zeroooo my wonderful prince of the stars!!!! 💚💚💚

Playing this game makes my heart feel full. I highly recommend Sweetcore Brews to who anyone who wants an otome/amare game that’s cozy, fulfilling, and delightfully spicy.

I really like how relaxing this game is to play. There are so many games you can't step away from without things getting confusing but the episodic nature of Sweetcore Brews makes it so easy to play. Like a relaxing treat of tea!