Pekoe
Review

Pekoe (2023) is a simulation game about making tea for fussy cats. You play by blending tea and making friends with the felines. Unlike other brewing games, here you literally pour and stir with your mouse. Getting the perfect brew is important, but more important is building relationships with the cats so you can upgrade your teahouse and discover new recipes.

You are the newest resident (and teahouse owner) in town. As you play you learn how to harvest, prepare, and serve tea. This is a combination of exploration and careful pouring-and-combining challenges. It's a town that runs on tea so you'll be doing more than just brewing tea bags. Learn when, where, and which leaves to pluck and how to make the most of your precious crop.

As you progress you slowly visit different teahouses (an integral part of cat social life) and learn new tea combinations, styles, rituals and even tea-ware. Do this well and you can upgrade your teahouse with new decor and items from the townsfolk. To do well you not only need to get the recipe right, but to match it to the different visitors.

The result is a game that seems to be about making tea but actually is mostly about learning what tea means to the residents. Through various rituals, ceremonies, and one-on-one conversations you build a picture of what they love and what they lack.

Our examiner, Jo Robertson, first checked Pekoe 15 months ago. It was re-examined by Andy Robertson and updated 5 weeks ago.