Boiling Over

Hazel is a part-time college student saving for a study abroad program by working as a barista. The job involves crafting beverages for customers who range from pleasant to actively hostile. Some customers are transphobic. As Hazel, the player must balance two simultaneous challenges: making coffee correctly and deciding how to respond to customers who misgender her — whether to absorb the abuse with a professional smile or to stand up for herself at the risk of her income and her job. The resource management is literal: stamina tracked against tips tracked against job performance.