Cuisineer
Release Date: November 9, 2023
RPG, fantasy, roguelike, isometric view, cooking, indie games, action RPG, simulation elements, singleplayer
OpenCritic
An action RPG with roguelike and restaurant sim elements. In Cuisineer we play as Pom, her goal being to restore the former glory of the restaurant she inherited. To do so, she traverses the world and faces various threats, acquiring recipes and ingredients.
Cuisineer is a combination of an action RPG, a roguelike and a restaurant sim. It was developed by the independent studio BattleBrew Productions and published by XSEED Games.
Plot
Cuisineer takes place in a fantasy world. The game's protagonist, Pom, is asked by her parents to return to her hometown. Upon arriving in Paell, she discovers her parents disappeared without a trace and willed their restaurant to her. Unfortunately, this once reputable and profitable place is now ruined and debt-ridden.
Pom is left with no choice other than get to work, reopen the family restaurant and return it to its former glory.
Mechanics
The gameplay of Cuisineer is shown from the isometric perspective. The player gets to visit many different areas - other than Paell, Pom will brave dense forests, volcanic wastelands, frosty caves or deadly swamps. Each area is procedurally generated, offering different challenges and rewards with every visit.
Our main objective is to acquire ingredients. While searching for them we must face enemies and powerful bosses. Clombat is dynamic, with Pom making use of kitchen utensils (primarily her spatula) and various powers inspired by flavors - salty, sour, sweet, bitter or even frosty. Pom can recover lost health drinking boba tea.
Between our escapades we return to Paell, where our restaurant is. In order to serve our guests increasingly exquisite and varied meals we must stock up on different recipes, found in the game world or received from Paell's residents in exchange for completing quests. Other than recipes, these also reward us with gold and new items. Money can be used to expand and improve the restaurant, while additional gear may prove useful on future expeditions.
Technical aspects
The visuals of Cuisineer are simple, though colorful, clear, with a pleasant cartoonish artstyle.
Videos and Screens
[1:11] Cuisineer - Console Launch Trailer
[1:47] Cuisineer Cuisineer – Announcement Trailer – Nintendo Switch
LadiesGamers.com: by Paula Moore
When I started playing Cuisineer for this review, it took a while for the game to grow on me. I was going to score it lower, but after spending more time with the game, I have revised my score. Looking after the restaurant is fantastic, addictive, and enjoyable. The fighting in the dungeons is frantic, but I like that I can choose when to go dungeon crawling.
CGMagazine: 8 / 10 by Jordan Biordi
Like most of the cozy games I find, Cuisineer randomly appeared on my YouTube front page whereupon I immediately sent it to CGM's Dayna Eileen because it
Gamepur: 8 / 10 by Laura Gray
Cuisineer is just wonderful. It’s not as big as some shop-keeping titles, and it has limits as a dungeon-crawler, but the gameplay is enjoyable and addictive – and I kept wanting to go back for more. While it’s only available on PC, I know I’d grab it up in a heartbeat if it became available on the Nintendo Switch. I can’t recommend this game enough for fans of low-impact cozy games with simple, pleasant storylines. There are no big surprises, and in a way, it makes this game all the more enjoyable. You know exactly what you are going to get, and with that, it is easy to get sucked into the gameplay loop without a single worry to hold you back or leave you emotionally vulnerable. It’s just fun, and that makes it completely worth investing time and money into.
Cuisineer Summary
Platforms:
PC / Windows November 9, 2023
PlayStation 5 January 28, 2025
Xbox Series X/S January 28, 2025
Switch January 28, 2025
Developer: BattleBrew Productions
Publisher: XSEED Games
Age restrictions: none
Similar Games:
Cuisineer System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5 GHz / AMD Ryzen 5 2500U 2.0 GHz, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 4 GB GeForce GTX 960 / Radeon RX 560X or better, 7 GB HDD, Windows 10 64-bit