This cozy Steam Next Fest sim looks like Animal Crossing, plays like Overcooked, and finally lets me live one of my biggest dreams: serving coffee to capybaras

If you're looking for a much more chilled-out version of Overcooked, with just a hint of Animal Crossing, I have the Steam Next Fest demo for you. 

Capybarista is the brilliantly named upcoming sim from developer YarnCat Games that lets you do exactly what you'd expect with a title like that. As a capybara barista, you'll inherit a rundown coffee shop and work your way up to becoming the best cafe in a town full of other capybaras. 

Right away as you start in Capybarista you're given a cafe masterclass by the old and wise Grampybara who teaches you everything you need to know about grinding coffee beans, brewing coffee, and cleaning up after customers. You're also able to decorate the place to your liking, and as you earn more money, you can upgrade your equipment and buy more tables, which will attract more capybara customers.

The gameplay for this cozy sim is pretty straightforward. Similar to Overcooked, it's a lot of jumping from different stations in the cafe and hitting a button to interact with the people and equipment around you. Unlike Overcooked, there's no timer, just the usual day cycle that will take us through Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, etc. That means you can take things slow and don't have to stress about preparing orders quickly.

As much as I love the intense experience of playing Overcooked with friends and family, it was nice to take my time chatting to the customers, serving them their coffee, and cleaning up after the day was done. One thing I would have loved to have experienced was the multiplayer options, which allow you to not only play online with others but also involve up to eight players via local co-op - although considering the size of my starter cafe, I have no idea how anyone would have fit. 

Similar to games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you can also visit other coffee shops and their owners to get inspiration for your own business. To make sure everyone stands out, Capybarista also lets you customize your character including its fur color, apron style, and outfit. Each rodent that visits your cafe also has a unique look which keeps things interesting and means you can recognize the regulars.

There's still so much for me to unlock and experience in this game, but the short time I spent with the demo was enough to convince me to add it to my wishlist. You can try Capybarista out for free now during Steam Next Fest - which takes place from February 5 - February 12, 2024.

Looking for more demos to play this week? Check out Rusty's Retirement, an idle Stardew Valley, that's not as distracting as it sounds.