High Times

Developer: Yangyang Mobile
Publisher: Yangyang Mobile
Platforms: PC (Previewed), Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Release Date: July 23, 2026
Price: $20.00 USD – Wishlist Here

There have been many different types of games that see players taking on the role of a shop keeper, be it more focused on simulation or in style, but few, if any actually, offer a combination of what High Times from Yangyang Mobile, an indie developer from the Phillipines, has to offer. Rather than placing players into the shoes of some generic simulator or trying to replicate the experience of running a futuristic bar or coffee shop, we find ourselves instead placed in the shoes of a completely customizable character, or at least partially customizable in the press demo, that serves as the sole “Mood Confectioner” at The Hotbox, a donut joint that also appears to have a music stage to draw in the crowd and some potential friends and lovers.

This is because unlike your usual simulator, High Times is also a romance game and it has quite a few interesting elements that we were able to experiment with throughout the eight days the press demo had to offer. Each day saw a new and usually colorful customer come in, generally seeming to have some connection to the player character in some way, either as an ex lover, friend, classmate, or a complete stranger, and each of these characters also have their own small issues they generally want to talk about as well as a sweet tooth that needs satisfying. Some customers order something directly from the recipe menu, making it easy for players to figure out exactly what to craft, while others provide only vague instructions or even leave things entirely up to the player to make on their own.

Making a donut is both surprisingly simple and complex at the same time depending on what is requested and how far players want to experiment. Every ingredient costs money so wasting resources might be troublesome down the line though money was never an object in the demo. Either way, players will lay roll out the dough, cut the shape of their choice, fry it until it is done, then begin decorating it with icing, filling, drizzle, and various toppings to either follow a recipe or free-style it if they feel like it, especially since some customer requests fall entirely out of the many recipes on offer. The truly interesting part of High Times though comes from the actual ingredients of the icing and everything else going into the donut.

Sometime before the demo begins, “Mood Enhancers” have been developed and legalized making them completely available for use in making your customers feel either how they requested or potentially alter their mental state in other ways. Chocolate will improve a character’s focus if they need to have a clear head, vanilla will make them happy, red velvet will fill them with courage, matcha can relax them, and much more. Players can even blend different icings and fillings together to create mood combinations if need be. The demo offered every topping, icing, and filling choice with a slew of over fifty different recipes to go off of and then whatever players may feel like making on their own.

As for the mood altering, most customers had specific requests as mentioned earlier but a few also had dialogue choices that improved the player’s relationship with that character, such as a blood-loving cheerleader or streamer in desperate need of a sincere talking to to wind down from an active stream. Similarly, there were a few choices that involved making a donut that would alter a character’s mood that would change whether they would make a story decision one way or another and while it is interesting to see how these effects play out, especially when the twin sister thanks the player for helping sooth her sister after, it also portrays the danger that these mood enhancers could potentially pose.

Then again, other than some haunting text messages that appear from a past acquaintance, that doesn’t appear to be the vibe that High Times is going for with its writing and extremely colorful designs. Every character players are introduced to are extremely colorful and vibrant looking and have a unique voice actor, including a few very recognizable talents and even online streamers that have lent their voices to the game and nearly every interaction was hilarious in one way or another. Without going into too much detail one night saw a chicken costume wearing girl obsessed with the local chicken farm to another with a jock too embarrassed to say he wanted a donut for himself, constantly saying it was for his girlfriend instead. 

There are still some issues here and there such as the game’s backend social media features not appearing to work as intended and drawing drizzle onto a donut can be incredibly inaccurate, or not registered correctly, but these will likely be fixed going forward. With such vibrant characters to interact with and many that,, as mentioned before, seem to know the player from their past and a few that are more than eager to flirt right back with them, a certain rocker being incredibly forthright at that, and this colorful blend of mood changing and dating game all wrapped up in a donut shop is looking to set some high marks as High Times is set to be released on July 23rd for PC on Steam, Epic, Itch, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch for $20 USD.