Recipe for Disaster
The game has been in E.A. for 10 days at the time of writing this review. After completing the campaign, I am sorry to say it’s a thumbs down.
It’s not because of some bugs (like the WASD keys not responding), some weird pathfinding (like your employees using the back door and running all around the building to sweep the front steps) or some data base missmatch (like the patrons who both love pork loin and hate pork loin) but because the core game mechanics are shallow.
In short:
- The recipe/culinary creation part and the expectation/feedback from patrons is a joke.
– Real player with 49.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Building Simulation Games.
I feel like this game is a good precedent of a very shallow Early Access game. I literally played all 5 scenarios and tutorials 3 times including the bonuses. There are many things wrong with the game:
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Constant UI glitches (like so many)
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There is only 1 disaster that happens 2-4 times a day (fire)
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AI is too basic
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UI/UX overall is terrible (when viewing menu there is always a window that you cannot close on the right hand side and gets in the way of seeing your full menu/prices). Constant spam of messages in game you cannot turn off to0. I don’t want to know if Osama is making bad food every single time.
– Real player with 31.8 hrs in game
Cat Cafe Simulator
Featuring a Sims-inspired building system, randomized cats to take care of, an in-game camera & Instacat feature, and lots of yummy treats to cook & serve to your customers. Your duty as manager of the cat café is to find new forever-homes for the stray cats you take in. But you don’t have to let all of your cats go; if you bond with some of them you can choose to let them stay at the café forever!
The game is still in early development, with a playable demo version expected to be available in fall 2021.
Join the Discord to receive regular updates and chat during the development process! https://discord.gg/qjpHHayxYt
More GIFS and images coming soon!
Build your café!
Populate your café with unique cats!
Take photos of your cats with the in-game camera!
Read More: Best Building Simulation Games.
Hipster Cafe
Ever wanted to design, build and manage a café on your very own home computer? Really? OK then… welcome to HIPSTER CAFÉ.
Use your trust fund to buy up some old warehouse building in the run down part of town then market it to the nouveau riche in a cynical attempt to drive up property prices. Can you successfully navigate the shifting waters of pop culture in order to market your eatery to the wealthiest demographic?
-Optimise your food menu to cater to the palates of the great and the good.
Read More: Best Building Simulation Games.
Espresso Tycoon
Espresso Tycoon is a brand-new approach to the old classic tycoon games you remember from your childhood. You will deal with a hardcore management and an economy full of variable structures, connections and solutions. The best of the best will be able to build a successful coffee business and possibly a whole coffee empire.
Just imagine… you can build your own coffee shop! Everything is in your hands. Build the whole strategy, which includes:
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picking the best spot for your café
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decorating
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hiring and managing employees
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optimizing the ingredients supply
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analyzing the budget
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advertising your coffee shop
What do you expect from a visit to a coffee shop? A great experience! That’s why, when you’re building your own, you have to consider a lot of details – location, decoration, employees, music, the atmosphere… and the main product - the coffee itself.
You have your favorite coffee, right? So do your customers. Do the market research to find out their preferences. Use a 3D coffee editor to make different recipes to delight them. You can combine multiple ingredients in a very creative way.
Start, build and develop your coffee shop. Check your budget - do you have enough money to invest, or will you have to make some cuts? Decide where and when you want to start your new coffee business.
Farming Engine
Game glitches and destroys all your hard work by day 8. I highly do not recommend at all.
– Real player with 4.2 hrs in game
I played for a couple of hours and the game could use more content or quests. The length of how items expire is way to short.
Also, I’d like to request an option to change the controls.
– Real player with 3.3 hrs in game
Restaurant Empire II
I’ve played Restaurant Empire II off and on over many years (counting that the first game is included in II). When buying REII you get the full original RE game included.
The graphics are basic, the AI of customers and staff very limited, and the interface clunky in that you have to do a lot manually and one by one - for example you have to add recipes individually to the restaurant menu. But. I find it strangely compelling to try to get my chef up to 100% skill levels in as many recipes as possible, moving him between cuisines to round off his skills.
– Real player with 238.5 hrs in game
As a fan of the first Restaurant Empire game, at first I was disappointed with this one. A lot of the animations are the same, and this game adds coffee and dessert shops, so you have customers eating sandwiches and cookeis with forks and knives. Also, all the customers are talking on cell phones and using laptops now, which is annoying when you’re waiting for a chance to click on them. I actually quit the game for a long time because of these irritations.
However, I recently came back to it and I’m glad I did. It’s a lot of fun as a strategy game, and still fun just to tinker around with the restaurants and watch the chefs cook. The first game lacked female chefs, aside from Delia, but this time there are plenty of them, and that’s a welcome change too. The game isn’t very difficult, but it has some challenge to it, and it’s hard to find challenging strategy games these days.
– Real player with 107.9 hrs in game
PlateUp!
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Classic co-op cooking action, with a wide selection of mains, sides, sauces, toppings, desserts, and starters.
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Choose your equipment, lay out your kitchen, curate your menu and plate up your dishes.
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From bubbling soups to sublime salads, tender steaks to hearty pies, there’s something for everyone.
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Look after front-of-house: seating customers, delivering orders, and managing patience.
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Equip your restaurant to handle the most fickle of customers and deliver them what they need, right when they need it.
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Co-operate with the rest of your team like a well-olive-oiled machine, or bite off more than you can chew with crying children and dirty dishes.
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Upgrade and rearrange your restaurant to your personal taste: when the restaurant closes for the day, the planning begins!
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Decide what new equipment to purchase, and place it wherever you want.
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Want to go high-tech? Install the turbo-ovens, crank up the conveyors, and make way for the robo-kitchen of the future.
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Fancy something a little more… fancy? Curate your art collection, fix up that wallpaper, enlist a friend as a maître d' and get ready to provide the culinary experience of a lifetime.
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Exceed your goals and start over at your next location, bringing with you new unlocks and upgrades.
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Tailor your brand towards gourmet dining, or fine-tune your fast food franchise.
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Every restaurant is procedurally-generated with its own climate, customers and conditions.
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Return to your franchise HQ to view your achievements, customise your characters and upgrade your kit, ready for your next adventure!
Survival Engine
Well to start with this is a very well made little demonstration for a mere advertisement.
It really is too bad that it’s creator does not seem to have any intent to turn this into a full survival game as it is actually very fun and has incredible potential, it has it’s flaws to be sure but with some polish and care it could be one of the best indie survival games on steam and with it’s low system requirements it would end up in most survival gamers libraries as long as it was priced reasonably as a full game.
– Real player with 2.2 hrs in game
This is a really cute game. When I downloaded it I had no idea it was just a demo so I completed everything really quickly but i love the mechanics of the game and overall play style! I personally would like the ability to move my camera angles and select a space for my character to move to without them getting stuck but other than that I had fun playing!
– Real player with 1.9 hrs in game
Arboreal
Welcome into the life of a tree. It’s time for you to grow a little seed into the most magnificent plant of the forest.
Growth
In Arboreal you need patience and tact to raise your fruit tree. Select between 36 fruit species to cultivate and graft. With your roots reach the soil sources needed to improve the growth. But balance your branches and the flow of resources with caution to avoid breakage.
Nature Spirits
Spirits are the native of Arboreal. Nourish them with delicious meals to get their help. And be careful, the more you grow, the more demanding they become… if you fail them, be prepared to endure the consequences!
Insects
Host inhabitants in your tree and let them take care of the harvesting, the food cooking, to speed up machine construction or tend to the plant’s needs. In no time you’ll transform your tree into a place full of life.
Machines
Build tracks, engines and conveyors to automatize production. Combine various cooking machines to transform and stock your meals. And let’s not forget the mushrooms with special perks!
Three game mode available in Arboreal
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Time Limit: Nourish as many Spirits as possible before time runs out in various scenarios
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The Grand Tree Hostel: Spirits arrive endlessly faster and faster. Keep up the pace!
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Zen Garden: Flourish simply in peace
Neon Noodles - Cyberpunk Kitchen Automation
So much that I like about this game. I liked the idea of Overcooked, but it was always too frantic for me and in Neon Noodles I like taking time to plan and be an efficient chef. Designing the layout and instructions is intuitive and works well even with a controller. The UI is clean and clearly communicates, while still looking really good. Building something that works first, and then optimizing it based on the 3 categories (roughly space, time, and complexity) adds additional challenges. It makes me want to cook all of these delicious recipes.
– Real player with 13.3 hrs in game
Selecting to play a new game from the main menu screen will take you to the level screen. Choosing to continue a previous game from the main menu will take you to the game level you’re currently on. On the first level Sliced Avocado, you’ll be welcomed to Neon Noodles! From here you’ll continue an existing program and be instructed on what to do. You will also get more information as you progress through the levels.
– Real player with 10.9 hrs in game