PepperStones Unveils Cafe Sim and Roguelite Hybrid HIPS N NOSES at ChinaJoy 2026
The demo shows a day-night loop where cafe earnings fund dream battles and dream rewards fuel cafe operations, a structural link that sets the hybrid apart.
Reporting from 1 source: 4Gamer.net.
South Korean indie studio PepperStones is showing a playable demo of HIPS N NOSES at ChinaJoy 2026, held July 31 to August 3. The game combines cafe management with Vampire Survivors-style action roguelite. Players run a cafe by day and fight in dreams at night, with resources linking both halves.
The demo at ChinaJoy 2026 pairs a timed cafe service game with a Vampire Survivors-style combat loop. By day, Mera brews espresso, americano, and cafe latte for customers who sometimes give vague orders, forcing her to infer the right drink from clues like "light" and "cold." Coffee requires a flower that blooms on her head, which is consumed as fuel and replenished through nighttime battles.
At night, Mera fights in dreams using a pillow as an automatic weapon. Collecting experience items levels her up and lets her pick enhancements. Gathering flowers on the stage summons companion NPCs tied to characters she meets in the real world. Daytime combo counts earn Moon Tokens, spent on potions that work in dreams, while dream results bring back flowers for the next day's service.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.