[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carot_881.png]]
[[caption-width-right:226:Isis Black: [[NoMedicationForMe lovable anemic]], teacher's pet, and cannoli consultant.]]

->"Isis, your average American teenager, happens upon a part time job opening at Café Rouge. During the day, it is a normal, quaint café and bakery. But when night takes over, it is transformed into a five star restaurant-theater-café, with live stage performances and first class customers arriving in the middle of the night. As Isis delves deeper into this strange café, she becomes entangled in the mystery of its’ haunted world. Will she find friends, or enemies? Will she follow fate or make her own destiny? Will she find love?"
-->--''blurb from the game menu''


''Cafe Rouge'' is a 2012 [[UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash Flash]] game by the creators of [[http://joilly.com/ Joilly]] (formerly known as [[http://farwaystudio.deviantart.com/ Farway Studio]]): an otome visual novel also marketed as a [[VideoGame/CookingMama cooking game]] for reasons that cannot be explained.

You play the [[TheBGrade aspiring]] young student Isis Black, who has recently applied for her very first job at a quaint nearby joint called Cafe Rouge. Despite her limp resume and [[CuteClumsyGirl want for any actual skills]], she's hired immediately and put to work. Soon, however, Isis finds that the nightlife of the vibrant restaurant may not be what she bargained for.

The game was released over the summer of 2012 with seven episodes spanning every few weeks or so, from June 14th to September 30th. [[RomanceGame Like most works of the genre,]] the player can choose from a handful of handsome potential mates, namely the ambitious but [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childish best friend]], '''Valentino Michaels,''' the [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold empathetic]] and attractive [[TeacherStudentRomance new teacher]], '''Ron Davidson''', or the illustrious cafe owner with a DarkAndTroubledPast, '''[[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench Antoine Le Rouge]]'''.

You can play all seven installments online for free:

* [[http://www.mochimedia.com/games/play/cafe-rouge-1 Episode 1]]
* [[http://www.mochimedia.com/games/play/cafe-rouge-2 Episode 2]]
* [[http://www.mochimedia.com/games/play/cafe-rouge-3 Episode 3]]
* [[http://www.mochimedia.com/games/play/cafe-rouge-4 Episode 4]]
* [[http://www.mochimedia.com/games/play/cafe-rouge-5 Episode 5]]
* [[http://www.mochimedia.com/games/play/cafe-rouge-6 Episode 6]]
* [[http://www.mochimedia.com/games/play/cafe-rouge-7 Episode 7]]

A remake was successfully [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cloudnovel/cafe-rouge-otome-visual-novel Kickstarted]] and is currently in production.
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!!Okay, another day of work.
* AFriendInNeed: "Repeat after me, 'I'm awesome.'"
* AfraidOfBlood: Isis faints after seeing the smallest drop.
** Justified, as she's supposedly anemic.
* AlmostKiss: A few with Valen, lovingly interrupted by moms, cell phones, vampires, take your pick.
* AlternateUniverse: Could be; the Isis in each path has a nuanced personality, along with starkly different morals, destiny, and, of course, love interest.
** To the extent that the [[spoiler:Valen Isis could be seen as a villain to the other two.]]
** The mysterious assailant in Episode 5 may only be [[spoiler:Antoine on the Antoine path.]]
* AntiFrustrationFeature: Just cheat with the passwords, seriously.
** The skip function. [[GameBreakingBug Sometimes]].
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Four years younger? Fine. Doesn't speak English? Also fine. But a ''girl''!? Hold it, pal, I don't think so.
** Isis takes [[spoiler:Antoine being a wanted felon]] fairly well -- but [[spoiler:[[KissingCousins Demian's feelings for Izzy]]]] are UNACCEPTABLE.
* ArtShift: Between the [=CGs=], the mugshots, and the animations, the characters hardly look like the same people.
* [[ProperLady Bonne Belle]]: Izzy.
* BookEnds: "Everything's changed." "So who am I?... IDK, I'm not really good at introductions. Sixteen years old in highschool, I'm pretty much your average American teen... with a few exceptions."
* CapsLock: "YOU BROUGHT A GUN, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU OWN A GUN. YOU'RE CRAZY YOU'RE--"
** KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
** O-OKAY, YOU'RE RIGHT. GUNS S-SAVE L-LIVES-!"
* CastFullOfPrettyBoys: ''Hello.''
* [[spoiler:TheChessmaster]]: [[spoiler: Mrs. Michaels seems to have been planning her scheme since your character's birth.]]
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Isis and Valen, in the Valen path.
** [[spoiler:Antoine and Izzy.]]
* TheClan
* {{Cliffhanger}}: The story is cut into episodes. It's rather fond of these.
* ContrivedCoincidence: The random spot in Virginia selected as locale for the junior field trip happens to be [[spoiler:the Blanche Mansion -- the former residence of Izzy, now owned by Antoine.]]
** What's more is [[spoiler:he's there]] while you're having the field trip.
** And you [[spoiler:fall on him from a window.]]
* CryIntoChest: Might break a world record for the most instances of this.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:Antoine.]]
* DaywalkingVampire
* DefrostingIceQueen: Candice.
* DialogueTree
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler: Ron in the bad ending.]]
* [[DoNotCallMePaul Do Not Call Me Tino]]: Somewhat justified, seeing as only his mother calls him by his full name, and he wants to disassociate himself from that.
* DumbBlonde: "You know, I really didn't think it was true, but maybe ALL blondes are dumb blondes after all--"
* EarnYourHappyEnding
* EasilyForgiven: Ron's pretty chill about the whole [[spoiler:Aunt Candy slaughtering his family dilemma.]]
* EmergencyTransformation: [[spoiler:Isis turns Ron into a vampire to save him from bleeding to death on the streets.]]
* [[spoiler: EvilRedhead: It was Chris all along!]]
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:For a friend since childhood, Valen takes being JustFriends pretty badly.]]
* FairPlayWhodunnit
* {{Fauxshadowing}}: "You're my favorite flavor?" Sounds awfully like something a VAMPIRE MIGHT SAY!!
* FlatCharacter: Errol, Adeline, and Diane to some extent.
** Depending on the story you choose, love interests from the other plots tend to not factor into the equation at all. e.g. Ron, in any path that isn't, well, Ron's.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: The harp-shaped pendant from Valen [[spoiler: bears the same symbol as the emblem in the Cafe lobby.]]
** Arguably there's no real reason [[spoiler:for Chris to have a thing for you. The only conversations you've shared were about work and vampire logistics.]]
*** [[spoiler:Notice how he drops it so easily when you confess you like someone else?]]
** [[spoiler:Who gave Valen the pills?]]
** The passwords.
* FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire: Diane and Aldo, namely.
* FunetikAksent: Aldo'z dialogue is often typed like theez.
* GameBreakingBug: Use of the skip function at certain times (such as those when Isis has to question multiple characters before going on) will make the game impassable.
* GoldenEnding: [[spoiler:Antoine]]'s path ties up the most loose knots -- including [[spoiler:how Chris murdered Errol and Adeline]], [[spoiler:the origin of the harp pendant]], and [[spoiler:who the hell that green-haired chick is at the end of the intro]].
* GoryDiscretionShot: A few of the [=CGs=].
* GuideDangIt: Good luck navigating those identical streets for the first time! And the next... and the next...
** The [[spoiler:puppet870]] episode increases the fun with a chase scene from the offset. [[spoiler:Isis dies]] if you turn down the wrong street. Many players had trouble with this to the point of assuming this path was a dead end. (Hint: the route is right, down, right, down, left, down.)
** There are a lot of complaints about the [[FakeDifficulty cooking games]], to the point where the cake minigame was dumbed down in difficulty.
* HeldGaze
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice]]: [[spoiler: In the Valen end, Isis's general gameplan is for Valen to hide safely while she attempts to stave off Chris. Twice.]]
** If you choose to [[spoiler:beg for your life before that, Valen doesn't bat an eyelash before throwing himself in front of the gun.]]
*** Too bad you both [[spoiler:die anyway.]]
* HiddenDepths: Candice, of all people.
--> Isis: ''(holding Candice while she sobs uncontrollably)'' It was hard to imagine her as the blonde bitch I used to think she was.
** [[spoiler:Demian [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold stops being a douchebag]] in Antoine's path Episode 6 for a good [[ADayInTheLimelight 15 minutes of flashback.]]]]
* HorrorHunger: Blood is likened to food and water as one of the basic necessities.
** "I'm thirsty."
* HotTeacher: Most of Ron's classes consist of the students attempting to ask him out.
* IHateYouVampireDad: We can only hope all goes well with [[spoiler:Ronnie]].
* IdenticalStranger: [[spoiler:Isis and Izzy.]] Justified by the glossed-over fact that [[spoiler:the protagonist is Izzy, brought back from the dead by the Michaels.]]
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: When [[spoiler:Chris gets pushed out the window... onto the knife.]]
* InSeriesNickname: Blond bitch.
* InternalizedCategorism: Once [[spoiler:Candice]] confirms you're in love with [[spoiler:Ron, she's content to commit suicide on the spot.]]
* InTheBack: [[spoiler: trick13]] ending.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Totally subverted in the [[spoiler: Ron]] path. After rejecting [[spoiler: Valen's advances and achieving the bad ending, there's no indication of remorse for his family's direct involvement in killing the heroine's boyfriend and enslaving her forever. Because, yknow, they're childhood friends. That's what you do to your friends.]]
** [[spoiler:Demian happily ditches the arranged marriage to let Anthony [[RomanticRunnerUp get the girl]].]]
* LeftHanging: There's a whole conga line of loose ends, especially if you don't play all three paths. See FridgeHorror in YMMV.
* LiterallyFallingInLove: Isis falls on [[spoiler:Antoine]] from a high window.
* LivingForeverIsAwesome: Candice is at points pretty content to look after the [[spoiler:offspring of her human relatives]] for the rest of her days.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Antoine, of course.
* LongLived: Vampires live roughly ten times as long as humans.
* MasterRace: [[spoiler:Antoine's notoriously racist father]] believed the hierarchy was "vampires > whites > white trash > slaves."
** [[spoiler:Bluebloods]] exempt, of course.
* MoodWhiplash: Usually accompanied with abrupt starts and stops of the usual cheerful music.
** The casual rom-com air of the dialogue makes [[spoiler:Adeline, Errol, and Chris's deaths]] seem very out of place.
* [[spoiler:MuggleFosterParents]]: Though they really [[AbusiveParents suck at it]].
* MultipleEndings
* MurderByMistake: [[spoiler:Adeline]] unwittingly walked into the death trap in the [[spoiler:kitchen]] in lieu of [[spoiler:Isis]]. And [[spoiler:Errol's death was just an accident, ain't Chris a stinker.]]
* NeverHurtAnInnocent: Stated as vampire law.
** [[spoiler:Not followed very well.]]
* OurVampiresAreDifferent
* ThePowerOfLove: Many of the endings invoke this as a means to power through impending hardship.
* PuniPlush: [[http://i39.tinypic.com/35d0n4k.png Isis. D'awww.]]
** [[http://i43.tinypic.com/sglw2g.png *squish!* <3]]
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler:Antoine slaughters his father and unnamed others]] after they [[spoiler:do Izzy in.]]
* RecordNeedleScratch: WHY AM I DOING THE DISHES.
** When Izzy speaks English.
* RedHerring: [[spoiler:Demain.]]
** When Aldo [[spoiler:tries to hide his teacup pig]].
* RelationshipUpgrade
* ShootTheShaggyDog: [[spoiler:trick13]]
* SlidingScaleOfVampireFriendliness
* SpitTake: Demian after Isis comments on racism in the South.
* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: Cafe Rouge hires a jazz band that plays a very apt number called "Confess Swing," while [[spoiler:Chris is asking Isis out.]]
* TeacherStudentRomance // MayDecemberRomance: Ron is only in grad school, but still -- Isis isn't even legal!
* TokenHuman: Isis, working at the cafe.
** [[spoiler:''Or is she?'']]
* TragicKeepsake: The [[spoiler:harp necklace]].
** The harp on the stage as well.
* TrialAndErrorGameplay: The cooking mini-games. Dear god.
** If you don't know what you're doing, more likely than not you'll end up on the Valen path. A lot of the seemingly meaningless choices have random and contrived consequences while others have no effect at all.
*** Fortunately there are [[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E79tMo8_Bg6XeFqU7QxMvL0bOeoP2VLKyCNj3u11dlg/edit?pli=1 a number]] of [[http://oto-game-me.blogspot.com/2012/08/cafe-rouge-password.html walkthroughs]] and video playthroughs to help you get the ending you want.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Ron's mint and chocolate ice cream.
* UnexplainedAccent: The chef Aldo cherry-picks verbal tics from a variety of European accents. What nationality is he? ... We'll never know.
* VampireBitesSuck: On occasion.
* VampiresAreSexGods // KissOfTheVampire: [[spoiler:Most]] vampires secrete venom that induces sexual pleasure in the victim when they bite.
** [[spoiler:Valen does this to Isis]] in Episode V. Steamy!
** [[spoiler:Antoine takes a bite]] in Episode V as well. Isis [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone isn't too happy about it]] after a [[spoiler:WrongNameOutburst]]
* VampiresOwnNightClubs: Par for the course!
* YankTheDogsChain: [[spoiler:Candice]] has one of the worst histories.
** Especially after her [[spoiler:nephew's girlfriend turns out to be a vampire, turning him into one as well.]]
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!!Well, time to go home...