The premise of Spill the Beans is that the world has “cracked open” and there are two sides to it, the human and the more mystical. You, a regular human, are in the arcane side, but it’s a thankless existence where you seem to be constantly overlooked and taken advantage of.
For better or worse, you are the villain of this story. You decide to cobble together a plan to get back at this world and find the perfect opportunity when “The Familiar” — a local coffee shop that’s known only for their secret recipe — opens up applications for a new hire.
You apply with the intent to steal the recipe and frame someone else there for it before heading back to the human world. There is mention in the opening of a scroll that may be forcing you to do this, but it certainly doesn’t go into detail during the demo.
Spill the Beans is basically a visual novel, but you control a lot of the narrative. And, honestly, I feel like it’s giving me more options than I usually get. (Or I just need to get back into visual novels.)
I do like the fact that your options will tell you what they do, at least in the beginning. For instance, if you go for the more agreeable options, you increase that person’s mood and make them a more amenable ally to you. Other options could cast suspicion onto others later or create openings for that person to act suspiciously in front of others.
Later, after you’ve stolen the recipe, the game stops showing you what your choices will do. And, honestly, it’s a tiny bit savage. When asked how things should proceed, you’re given three options and no matter what you pick, someone is going to be upset. Instead of telling you who is negatively affected, the game simply goes for the throat and tells you that you can’t please everyone.
I’m sorry, I’m a chronic people pleaser. What do you mean?

As a self proclaimed cinnamon roll, this game tugs at the unexpected in me. I’m a thief, there’s no changing that. And, if I don’t set someone up for the fall, I’ll be taken to jail. Spill the Beans pulls at some uncomfy strings (personally speaking) and makes you really sit with your decisions.
Someone has to take the fall for your choices and you have to decide who deserves it.
The game makes you automatically lean toward Fred; a demon trapped in a cat body with an attitude problem and Grudge; a greaser skeleton with a bone (ha!) to pick with you from the onset.
You’ve, also, got Sloane; the exceptionally lovely golem who takes care of the bakery, Alexandra; the influencer Siren who clearly deals with a bit of anxiety, and Jessie; a vampire who is the youngest in their tycoon family with something to prove. There’s also a castoff delivery man, Dave, who pops up every so often that I’m a bit suspicious of, but he’s pretty chill so far.
All of these characters are lovely, even the ones rough around the edges. I’m, personally, going to find a hard time choosing someone.
Let’s talk design:
- The character design is amazing and fully fleshed out.
- The narrative design is top notch, which is so very important in visual novel games.
- The sound design is insanely good with this upbeat, jazzy style that really gets into your head.
- The graphic design… I didn’t see anything that said it was hand-drawn, but it has that feeling. The color palettes are great, and there’s something about the line art that’s just so good.
I’m gonna be real honest… I’m a marshmallow of a person and I’m having a really hard time choosing the options that cast aspersions onto others. Which is… the whole point of the game. So, while Spill the Beans is very cozy, if you’re a bean human like me, you may struggle with who to frame like I will.
The last thing I want to talk about is the character design, which I thought was pretty clever. The screen where you make your character is laid out like a resume. It’s ultimately the resume that you use to get your job.
In it, you get to pick random things like you’re a “possible sidekick” and a “surprisingly okay snack fetcher.” These things do come back around in the dialogue where they make mention of some things, but they don’t actually change anything within the game.
As always, I appreciate a game that is inclusive. So, being able to choose from various pronouns and have a hijab option in the character creation is always lovely. As far as making your character, it’s very, very simple. You choose your skin tone, your hair color, and your hair style. That’s it. You are faceless. And, in a game that tries to build this idea that you feel worthless and invisible, I thought it was a solid choice that echoed that feeling.
Spill the Beans looks amazing; check it out!

I’m pretty excited for the full release and highly suggest that you download the Spill the Beans demo when it releases. (The demo won’t be out until June 10th during Steam Next Fest.) While you’re there, pop the game onto your wishlist!
If you’re a fan of visual novels, you can try Universe for Sale while you wait for Spill the Beans to come around. I had a lot of fun with that one and feel like they’re on par with how good they are.
No Comment! Be the first one.