Love this game for the relaxing music, aesthetics and overall ambiance. I definitely recommend this.
Though I can't help but feel that there are UI things that can be improved.

1. Having to keep shop window open is a must to move around items. Why not holding items for a second will allow you to drag them instead?
2. When I was new in the game, maroon overlay doesn't really prompt clearly that you're putting an item when there's not enough space. So it's easy to think that it's glitched instead of user error. Sometimes it also gets trickier if there are items that doesn't make it obvious on the spacing like smaller items or just the fact that the view is always in isometric. It might be better to add a tooltip on top of that there's not enough space.
3. Please add a feature to hold and drag while selling items. It saves a lot of time having to sell items one by one.
4. The 2x speed should only speed up the kitchen and services on customers, doing so on the screen scrolling and hover behavior kind of feels disorienting.
5. Good to have features: Having a wallpaper mode for this game would be great! Same goes with adding some widgets like clock, temperature, to do list and a timer. Why? I can actually see this game good to have while tabbing through work. It's not too distracting yet provides something to take a short break on.

This game is all nostalgia for me.

One of my favourite pastimes is cozying up at an izakaya with a book in hand over a steaming bowl of noodles. Throw in some lightly salted edamame and I am there for hours just relaxing.

But now you are telling me I get to completely customize my OWN izakaya?! No way!!

You get to control it all in this game. You can control the music (which is so zen like and sets the tone perfectly), what hue you want your backdrop to be and everything in your shop...from how it looks to the menu.

You can choose if you want to play normal mode, where you have to make money to expand your shop or you can play an unlimited mode, where you have infinite resources.

There is a level up system for you to unlock more items as you improve your star rating.

All whilst serving up delicious bowls to cute little froggies ^_^

I think it is worth noting that this is a slower paced game. There is an option in the tool setting to speed things up if it is too slow for you. It is a repetitive loophole style of gameplay which doesn't bother me. I would recommend trying out the demo first to see if it is your vibe.

I would like to see the addition of a pause button to stop incoming orders and an option to rotate your screen, so I can admire my izakaya from different angles. I am enjoying normal mode for the challenge and the grind, but I find the items very expensive and the money making to be slow. I think the addition of tasks or other forms of income would add some variety. Even a passive income option would be helpful.

It is still in EA, but I am so excited to load this up whenever I crave the warmth of an izakaya.

It is indeed that little oasis of peace that we all need sometimes <3

I want to start this review by saying that I, for some reason, get stressed out when playing games. Even the most popular, the coziest games ever (i.e. Stardew Valley, Dave the Diver), I still get stressed out. The main reason why is that I frequently find myself "grinding" or "hustling" to finish tasks and earn money to purchase items that I need in the game. My real life is filled with chasing deadlines, working on tasks, trying to earn a living, and finishing assignments, so I don't really want to experience that in my games.

I first encountered "Midori no Kaori" on Threads when the game didn't have a demo yet. I immediately wishlisted the game, but was very skeptical if it would be a suitable game for me. To my surprise, I immediately fell in love with "Midori no Kaori" and got addicted to it very quickly. I love that the game doesn't force you to buy things as you level up, so you can enjoy building your restaurant at your own pace. Like the description says, there is no right or wrong. So, you can either focus on serving your customers and earning money, or decorating your space to your liking. There are star ratings (rated out of 5 stars), but I barely notice them and don't feel obligated to reach 5 stars. The customers don't scream at you to hurry up, be better, and make them happy, so I never feel stressed out to serve them as quickly as possible. I also find that you can earn money very quickly in this game. When you sell items (i.e. decorations, tables, food, etc.), you get the full value you spent back, not even partial! So, if you made a mistake purchasing something, you can sell it and get your money back right away. If, in the future, this may change for some reason, you can still quickly get your money back by serving a few customers and you're good to go!

I read a review pointing out the repetition in the game and how it could get boring very quickly. I agree that it could get repetitive: placing customers to their table, gather up their orders, serve them their meals, and clean up their table, and the cycle continues. In my opinion, I love this repetition because I don't need to use my brain at all while playing the game. It's the best way for me to de-stress from my day (I code a lot, so I tend to use my brain a lot every day). If you don't like repetitive games, this might not be a suitable game for you. But, if you're looking for a game that doesn't need to use too much of your brain, this game is perfect!

At the time I'm writing this review, this game is still in early access, so it's reasonable that you will find bugs. But, I really admire the dedication of the developer and I love that they really go out of their way to listen to feedback. They respond to most of the discussion posts, and have already starting to implement updates to the game. So, please help them out by reporting bugs or recommend new features, if you can :3

TL;DR: I love this game so much! "Midori no Kaori" is probably the first game I played that I consider very cozy. You can play however you want, and at your own pace without the game constantly screaming at you to buy new things as you level up. This game is developed by a solo developer, so please be patient with them as they work on the game. You can tell that they're really dedicated in making "Midori no Kaori" as perfect as possible. I highly recommend this game if you're looking for something to de-stress yourself from a long, stressful day!

Unleash your creativity in Midori no Kaori as you create your own Japanese inspired restaurant in a tranquil and relaxed space.


“When life comes to an end souls embark on a long and arduous journey to the afterlife. A path shrouded in mystery, illuminated only by the faint light of floating lanterns. Along this endless journey there exists a magical place: an izakaya hidden among the trees. A refuge where wandering souls find rest and serenity. An oasis of peace before continuing on to eternity”. - opening text from the game

Game with a unique name

Midori is the color of green but also nature. In this context it is more of a concept than a specific meaning. Kaori is a girl’s Japanese name meaning “smell or scent” and occasionally perfume, but also a type of fabric or weave. No (の) in the way it is used here is to link the two concepts or ideas together.

⭐ This was my takeaway from trying to Google search the meaning of the game name as I find it intriguing but anyone wanting to chime in with a more accurate description is more than welcome to share their knowledge in the comments.


Settings & features include; Quality settings, audio controls, reflection settings, depth of field settings, fullscreen or windowed and resolution.

You can play either story mode (building your restaurant from the ground up) or in free mode (sandbox). I chose to experience both modes starting with the story mode. Upon start up you will get a short intro and then a tutorial explaining the movements and shop.


Visually the game is beautiful. There are tools that allow you to change the time of day, colored filters for the negative space around your restaurant, temperature setting (cool or warm) and a photo mode where it basically takes a screenshot and saves it to your system as opposed to taking one through Steam directly.

The lighting is so well done, from the floor and wall lamps to the fireplace. Here is my space so far in story mode (about level 20).

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3395197658

The music is a lo-fi relaxing soundtrack that is calming and tranquil. There is a selection of music you can choose from as you play (just go to the music option to switch tracks at any time).


This is my final review of 2024 and what a beautiful game to end on. I wished to end on a high note and a tranquil one after a hectic last couple of months. Happily I found the perfect game to end the year playing. It is relaxing to play with enough content at the moment in early access to create some beautiful designs.

I highly look forward to new updates coming and more content to engage with. 💚

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I found this little gem from a review by MadScientist.
My Dad died on 15-12 last Sunday and I didn't know this was a restaurant for the spirits passing through.
So, I started to cry reading the intro.
Still this is so relaxing and I tried both modes out... the one which lets you free build and the one which lets you build with the money you earned.
I love the cozy atmosphere but I find the rating really harsh.
But for 10 EUR this is worth its price and more.
Thank you dear dev for helping me through a difficult time.
I will make sure to get it up to 5 stars again... and I hope my Dad stops by.

Very nice game, but text is too small and I can't read it

Burned through the content rather fast, but still loved every minute. Its so cute and cozy, no stress, lowers my blood pressure. For one developer, this game is incredible - what a talent.

This game feels like a warm hug: picture yourself in a tiny, cafe with serene music, rain tapping on the windows, as you serve bowls of steaming ramen to the cutest little frogs 🐸🍜
As you level up, you unlock new furniture, food, and even more delightful frogs. Even in Early Access, the game runs smoothly with no major issues.

Everything about it—the music, ambiance, sounds, and of course, the frogs—makes it impossible not to fall in love

WARNING : Don’t play this on an empty stomach—it will leave you seriously craving ramen!

This game is delightful. Would it be possible to upgrade the menu so you can offer more than 5 items? I love the relaxed design but being able to progress a little i feel makes the game more engaging.

🔲 Just press a bunch of buttons
✅ Easy
🔲 Significant brain usage
🔲 Easy to learn / Hard to master
🔲 Difficult
🔲 Dark Souls

GRAPHICS

🔲 MS-DOS
🔲 Awful
🔲 Bad
🔲 Will do
🔲 Good (Nothing special)
✅ Beautiful
🔲 Masterpiece

AUDIO

🔲 Bad
🔲 Not too bad
🔲 Decent
🔲 Good
✅ Beautiful
🔲 Masterpiece

GAMEPLAY

🔲 Bad
🔲 Okay
🔲Nothing special
✅Good
🔲 Very good
🔲 Try not to get addicted

Purpose is to let you enjoy the slow moving pace of owning a small restaurant for frogs, no stress needed

AUDIENCE

🔲 Kids
🔲 Teens
🔲 Adults
✅ Everyone

STORY
✅ None/Not important in this game
🔲 Bad
🔲 Average
🔲 Good
🔲 Lovely
🔲 One of the best i've had the pleasure of playing

PRICE

🔲 Free
🔲 Cheap
✅Acceptable price
🔲Bit too much price
🔲 Overpriced
🔲 Waste of money

As of now not much features, but in future, you can say is 100% worth the price, for now maybe 80% to me

GRIND

🔲 Nothing
🔲 Only if you care about leaderboards/ranks
✅Average grinding
🔲 Too much grind
🔲 Insanity

u can speed up and auto serve the frogs in game. just need to AFK

LENGTH

🔲 Too short (0 - 4 hours)
🔲 Short (4 - 10 hours)
🔲 Average (10-30 hours)
🔲 Long (30-50 hours) (if you go for everything in the game)
🔲 Extremely long (50-100+ hours)
✅ No ending

REPLAYABILITY

🔲 It's a one-time experience
🔲 Only for achievements
🔲 If you wait a few months/years
✅ Definitely

PC REQUIREMENTS-
🔲 Check if you can run paint
🔲 Potato
✅ Decent
🔲 Fast
🔲 Rich boi
🔲 Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

BUGS -

🔲 Never heard of
✅ Minor bugs
🔲 Can get annoying
🔲Tons of bugs

So far only 1 bug where multiple customers can seat at the same spot but u can just log out and back in the game.

WORTH BUYING -

🔲 No
✅ Wait for sale
🔲 Yes.
--------------------------
Game is pretty good and relaxing not too much micro managing. Music is very pleasing to ears. I believe there will be potential as there are updates and roadmaps done by a solo dev. (24/12/24)