High Times Is a Cozy Donut Dating Sim That Takes Its Time, and That’s the Point

TL;DR: High Times from Yangyang Mobile is a cozy cooking and dating sim where you run a donut shop that serves mood-changing donuts to customers with messy love lives. I played it for about two hours on my Mac. The conversations run long for someone used to action games, but the voice acting and comic-book art are excellent. If you’re into visual novels, otome games, or Coffee Talk, this one is made for you.

Aaminin ko agad: I’m not the usual audience for this kind of game. Most of what I play involves fighting something, leveling up, or both. So when Yangyang Mobile sent us a key for High Times, a game where you play a “donut therapist,” I went in curious and a little unsure.

Two hours later, I can say this: it’s not my type of game, but I completely understand why people love it.

Eat your feelings, literally

You work at The Hotbox, a donut shop where every donut is infused with something that changes the customer’s mood. One flavor gives courage, another lifts the spirit. Your customers walk in with problems, mostly about love, exes, and relationships, and your job is to listen and serve the donut that pushes them in the right direction.

There’s a shop management side too. You cook donuts, fill orders, collect tips, unlock tools, and decorate your shop. But the heart of the game is the people. There are over 30 customers to get to know, six of them are romanceable, and some stories have two or three possible endings depending on your choices. You can even reconnect with exes your character ghosted, which the game jokingly calls a “Closure Simulator.” Sakit sa puso, pero funny.

Where it really shines

Ang ganda ng presentation. You can tell the team put serious effort into the visuals. The story plays out through more than 70 animated, comic book-style illustrations, and the characters have a lot of personality just from how they’re drawn.

The voice acting is just as strong. Every character is fully voiced except your own, with a cast that includes Johnny Yong Bosch and LilyPichu. Good voice work makes long scenes much easier to sit through, and here it carries a lot. The soundtrack mixes rock, city pop, and lo-fi, which suits the café vibe.

One more thing that made me happy: it runs on my Mac. Hindi ‘yan madalas mangyari sa Mac users like me, since most of the games we cover are Windows-only. High Times has a native macOS version that supports both Apple Silicon (M1 and up) and Intel Macs, so if you’ve been stuck watching gameplay videos while your PC barkada plays, this one you can actually join in on.

Fair warning: it’s dialogue-heavy

This is where my action-gamer side struggled a bit. In my two hours, most of the time went to conversations, and some of them run long. The donut-making parts are short breaks between scenes, not the main event. Kung naghahanap ka ng mabilis na gameplay, hindi ito ‘yon.

But that’s not really a flaw. That’s the game knowing what it is. Steam players even tag it “Dialogue Heavy,” and it still sits at Very Positive, with 90% of its user reviews recommending it. The people who play it want exactly this.

So who is this for?

• Visual novel and otome fans who enjoy getting to know characters and chasing different endings
• Cozy game players, especially if you liked Coffee Talk, where you also serve drinks and listen to customers’ stories
• Romance readers. If you grew up on Wattpad stories or romance webtoons, the drama here will feel familiar
• Mac gamers looking for a well-made game that runs natively on their machine
• Anyone who wants a slow, relaxing game to wind down with after work, instead of another ranked grind

Good to know

• Price: $19.99 on Steam (PH regional pricing may differ), and there’s a free demo you can try first
• Platforms: Windows, macOS (I played on mine), and Linux
• Specs: Light. 3GB RAM and a GTX 660 on Windows, or any M1 or Intel Core M Mac, are enough
• Extras: 232 Steam achievements, plus an optional soundtrack and digital artbook

High Times isn’t trying to be a game for everyone, and it doesn’t need to be. It’s a well-made, beautifully voiced story game for players who enjoy taking their time. If that sounds like you or someone in your barkada, try the demo and see if the donuts work their magic.

Speaking of sweet treats, if you enjoyed this article, you can buy PGN a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/pinoygaming. Malaking tulong ‘yan para tuloy-tuloy ang coverage namin.

Image courtesy of Yangyang Mobile