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Cuisineer

Credits

Release Date

ESRB Rating

Platforms

Publisher

Reviewer

Bob Hoose

Game Review

The cute, manga-colorful Cuisineer just released for Nintendo Switch. And it’s an odd game. It blends a couple of gaming genres together that you wouldn’t normally pair: dungeon-crawling and restaurant management.

Players take on the role of an adventurer cat-girl named Pom. As the game kicks off, she gets a letter from her mom and dad, who invite her to visit before they must leave this mortal plane. So, in a bit of a panic, she puts her monster-killing aside and hustles home to find … that mum and pops have actually set off on a world tour.

They’ve also left the family restaurant, the Potato Palace, in a state of disrepair. Oh, and they’ve left poor Pom with a pile of their debt.

Yay.

The only solution, then, is for Pom to use her disparate skillsets, cooking and monster slaying, in tandem. She’ll hit the nearby dungeons to kill beasties, find resources and building materials, and then serve up fricasseed monster meat to hungry customers back in town. Perfect, right?

Gameplay wise, balancing Pom’s two worlds becomes the challenge.

In town, gamers must repair the restaurant; interact with neighboring shopkeepers; find ways to expand the restaurant menus; get the eatery open; and cater to the varied customers and their needs. In the dungeons it’s all about gathering wood, stone, meats, spices, and various items; killing attacking beasties; taking on arena battles; and besting big bosses to make it home.

You also gain gear and upgrades—such as a powered-up meat tenderizer, HP-boosting bubble teas, and protective gear—in the midst of both areas. From there, the goal is to expand the Potato Palace with better workstations and appliances and, of course, to get that debt whittled down.

Cuisineer is a single-player game that does not require an online connection to play.

POSITIVE CONTENT

The game doesn’t, frankly, really lend itself to virtual relationship development, but Pom is looked upon as a dutiful daughter who’s doing her best to help her parents out.

As far as the game itself is concerned, gameplay is easy to slip into. The characters are colorful and cute, and the central idea behind the game is creative. There are plenty of goals and side quests here to keep players busy. And though the challenges in both areas of play become increasingly more difficult, the gameplay never feels overwhelming.

CONTENT CONCERNS

All of the above said, players should go in knowing that Cuisineer doesn’t necessarily feel like your typical “casual” game. Despite the escalating challenges, some of the activities can feel extremely repetitive with time. (And though that’s not actually a “content” concern, it’s at least worth noting.)  

The battles in the dungeons involve knives, hammers and thrown plates. The beasties blow fire and shoot destructive zaps. We see the impact of blows, but the creatures just disappear when beaten, leaving meat and other objects behind.

There are also a pair of buxom cow-girl sisters in town whose dresses are a bit revealing. And there are mentions of wine in the dialogue, but it’s in connection with certain recipes and cooking ingredients.

GAME SUMMARY

For those who love the idea of blending restaurant service, building management and dungeon-crawling in the same game, Cuisineer just might be the recipe you’ve been looking for.

Bob Hoose

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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