12 people found this review helpful
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 5.0 hrs on record (5.0 hrs at review time)
Posted: Jul 23, 2024 @ 7:59pm
Product received for free

Midnight Ramen is a treat to experience. A story rich game with memorable characters, each with heartfelt stories. Flavourful and full of soul.

The Story

You play as an apprentice to the owner of a ramen stand that operates throughout the night. As customers come in you engage with them and listen to their troubles. As time progresses you get to know the customers more and more as their stories unfold. The stories of the characters are really quite heartfelt and the writing in this game is very, very well written.

In the background of talking to the customers the mystery of your own story starts to unfold.

I am not going to go into specifics about the story itself as there is a twist to the whole narrative that is best experienced. There is depth to this game. If you love the Coffee Talk series (like I do) I really believe you will love this game as well.

Gameplay & Features

The game is divided into 14 nights (chapters) with an ending chapter and a mysterious after-story chapter. After you complete each night the game will automatically save so no save files are needed. You just boot up the game and hit continue. Or you can choose to replay any chapter (any night) at any time. The game is mainly narrative, you listen to and talk to the customers but you do not make any choices that influence the story. You cook their food and serve them drinks while conversing.

In some cases alternate endings will be available and will appear in the timeline chart (where you go to select chapters to replay), that have a question mark.

Game settings include audio settings, dialogue speed, resolution settings, language selection and tweaking how to lift items in game (by holding or clicking them). The game does recommend keyboard and mouse to play (which I chose) but also does support controllers.

* Due to being able to replay any chapters you’ve previously played at any time makes getting the achievements much easier.

The Visuals & Audio

Visually the game art is beautiful. Each character has some pose variations and the anime style is colorful, unique and each character has personality. The key moments in the game (and there are a few) have nice computer graphics of the characters at pivotal moments. I chose not to share any of them as they will give away important parts in the story.

The music is lo-fi beats and very relaxing. There are no voice overs but some ambient sounds such as birds chirping and footsteps.

Trigger warnings

❗ This game does deal with some very sensitive issues like death, suicide and losing loved ones so a warning should be given to those sensitive to such issues or going through a rough time.

I myself was in tears (happy tears) the last hour of the game. You just get attached to the characters' stories and struggles which is a sign of great character development and writing. If a game can move you to experience strong emotions then it is a game worth experiencing.

Overall Experience

I loved this game, and I believe if you loved games like Coffee Talk (also a favorite of mine), then you will really enjoy Midnight Ramen. Great story-telling and memorable characters. Also the element of cooking up the orders while listening to lo-fi beats is relaxing and enjoyable. 🍜


Otome Lovers wishes to thank Cointinue Games for providing a free review copy for this game.

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2 Comments
Amjara Aug 28, 2024 @ 4:54am 
Thank you kindly @Sophnaza . I take a lot of pleasure in writing reviews. Sometimes I try to be comical depending on the subject matter :) I am happy you enjoyed my review. :aurapurpleheart:
76561199763973621 Aug 28, 2024 @ 4:43am 
Your review is lit! 🔥 It's like reading a mini novel, so much detail and passion. You're a pro at this, seriously!