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 Cooking Automation 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
Chef: A Restaurant Tycoon Game
This game is quite entertaining if your into the idea of managing a restaurant. Keep in mind, when I mention the negatives, that this game is still being worked on and not even at version 1 yet. I find that the game has a bit of charm and every update addresses something that I feel the game is missing. At first the game seems to progress quickly, giving you lots of skill points and new missions rather quickly, this really helps get you into the game, as there are some tedious issues when your just starting out. At first, you’ve got a lot to do before you can open your restaurant and, as mentioned, that can make the start seem a little slow going and dull. Also, the flow of the game might take some getting used to in order to start making a profit, but it shouldn’t take too long to get the hang of it.
– Real player with 379.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Cooking Singleplayer Games.
No, not yet. I wouldn’t recommend this to a friend until it delivered more on the depth of creating a successful Menu. For me that’s really the attractive and interesting part of playing this game which separates it from any other kind of similar simulator. That turned out to be a much shallower pool than what I had hoped to find in the game as I progressed.
The system in place for the way that you create a menu item I don’t like at all. You essentially have a talent tree system with points you spend on from XP gained during your shift. each tier such as Starter, Main, Dessert, etc has its own branch in the talent tree to spend your points in. to unlock new recipes to customise you spend your points here to unlock templates that you can customise. The game gives you a lose definition of the dish; it must contain X percent of your Protein, it must meet X criteria of fat, this many vegetables, this much seasoning. The problem for me is that kills the concept entirely.
– Real player with 105.4 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
Read More: Best Cooking Strategy Games.
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
Cook-Out
Awesome game, its Overcooked VR.
I’m about a third of the way through the game, and it has gotten really complicated. I’m now chopping, saucing, grilling, cleaning, and plating all at the same time with my friends, and its delightful yet difficult.
Technical:
The multiplayer lobby system is REALLY easy, its just a room code. The Netcode is also really great, the polish is high, I’ve honestly had zero technical issues with the game.
This is a multiplayer-forward game, if you want a more single-player oriented experience, I would direct you to Rags To Dishes.
– Real player with 18.2 hrs in game
This is probably the one of the best VR Cooperative games to play with friends when you want something chaotic ala Overcooked. Missions become harder and harder as one progresses, and even with 3 friends requires quite bit of coordination to get past some of the challenges with full 3 stars.
There is also a puzzle mode which is fun to do while waiting for everyone to be ready trying to figure out various recipes. Some feel a bit obtuse tho and dont provide enough hints on solving them.
There are occasionally some bugs as well, but these are relatively minor: Had desync issues (between people playing across europe and us) but this gets solved by reconnecting on the next round and are relatively rare. The mission difficulty also is a bit all over the place with the later where very hard missions (to get full stars on) get followed up with something that is a breeze to 3 stars, but not sure if thats intentional or not.
– Real player with 11.5 hrs in game
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.
Diner Mania
Diner Mania is what it sounds like, a combination of Diner Dash and Cake Mania. As far as content goes, Diner Mania is bare bones, offering only the most minimal of content a game of this genre can present. The storyline is fairly straightforward: A string of family friendly restaurants are driven out of business by rowdy bikers who vandalize, terrorize, and refuse to pay their bill, leaving only the owners of the Italian restaurant in charge of helping rid their town of the biker plague and put their neighbouring restaurants back in business. Despite this endearing storyline, this game itself is anything but endearing,
– Real player with 8.3 hrs in game
Diner Mania is a game where you are given the task to run a restaurant, serve customers and try to get gangsters to leave the business. With the money you earn you can upgrade your restaurant and get new dishes to serve. Eventually you save enough money to buy three more restaurants and you should try to earn the full three stars in each restaurant to finish the game.
The game has a good pace, and can get quite difficult at times when you are swarmed with customers. Thankfully you are able to switch restaurants in the game, so it never really gets boring (until the end, when I was trying to get the three stars in the last restaurant, and no upgrades left, that was a bit tedious).
– Real player with 5.8 hrs in game
Fast Food Manager
Absolutely awesome so far, enough to keep you busy to start with. love the way you need to go buy your product/equipment and set up first before you open. Funny characters, easy to use controls, highly recommended for those who like to roam the streets but also work a business at the same time. Looking forward to the first updates :-)
– Real player with 108.5 hrs in game
Simple but very fun. I’ve missed these type of games. I’m looking forward to future updates, like furnishing your apartment, more challenging food combos, wider assortment of goods you can buy and use in your businesses, like higher prices, better quality etc… or even maybe more managerial approach with businesses where you’ve hired workers. Great little game overall!
– Real player with 13.8 hrs in game
Good Pizza, Great Pizza - Cooking Simulator Game
Look, this is a good game; I love this game, I’ve played this since it was released on 2018 as a mobile game. So, why the bad review? Because that’s the problem that came since they released Chapter 4, the developers completely forgot about PC players and it’s just a mobile game you can play on PC.
Let me dive a little into the issues I’ve found since the 4th chapter release:
- It takes you 12 hrs of real life time to grow the two/three new ingredients they’ve introduce; the major problem of this is they don’t give you a nice free plant like the eggplant you have on the counter. You have to grow them plant by plant on the garden and customers keep demaning those ingredients on their pizza EVEN IF YOU’RE OUT OF STOCK. I don’t know if it’s a bug because, if you don’t have stock of it but you’re growing it back in the garden they will ask you for it.
– Real player with 99.7 hrs in game
This game is absurdly addictive and has a surprising amount of heart for something that I was expecting to be a new take on Papa’s Pizzeria or similar games. There are several cute, weird storylines happening in the background that make starting each day refreshing and interesting. There are enough different customers with different orders to keep you on your toes, and puzzling out just what in the world some of them mean is a trick all of its own.
This game has its own kind of buffyspeak that you WILL find your self compulsively quoting in your waking hours and in your dreams. I work in food service and this is probably the game closest to the real experience, and somehow it still manages to be a great way to destress after a long day at my actual food service management job.
– Real player with 38.9 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!
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