A cooking game with monsters? Run a restaurant and explore dungeons in Cuisineer, a tasty roguelite

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SHOULD I PLAY CUISINEER?

Play it if you’re a fan of dungeon crawlers and don’t mind some grinding. Cuisineer is a delicious little roguelite served with a side of restaurant management. When a young adventurer named Pom visits her parent’s restaurant, she discovers it’s on the verge of bankruptcy. She’s determined to do whatever it takes to save the family business, even if it means exploring dangerous dungeons in search of supplies. If you’re a fan of games like Moonlighter or Recettear, you’ll definitely want to give this title a try!

TIME PLAYED

I played a little over nine hours of Cuisineer. It takes some time for the game to get going, but once I’d made a few restaurant upgrades and unlocked a few recipe upgrades, I was totally hooked. It’s a simple game with a lighthearted story, but it’s absolutely packed with content. Whether I was taking on sidequests for the folks in town, preparing to open my restaurant, or fighting a massive shrimp, I was never short on things to do.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT CUISINEER?

• Adorable anime visuals. Cuisineer might not be a graphical powerhouse, but its visuals are a huge part of its charm. Pom’s village is cute, colorful, and extremely cozy. Nearly every NPC has a detailed character portrait, which really brings the town to life. The dungeons might be deadly, but the enemies inside them are delightful. I fought octopuses in boxing gloves, fire-breathing peppers, giant chickens, and even potatoes that shot me with projectile chips!

• Addictive gameplay loop. Cuisineer is a mix of dungeon crawling, restaurant management, and life sim mechanics, and that combination is incredibly satisfying. Dungeons gave me access to cooking ingredients and building supplies that I could use to upgrade my restaurant. Enemies got tougher the further I got, but they also dropped rarer items, which made me want to explore for as long as I could. There were times when I ventured a little too far, but thankfully, Cuisineer isn’t very punishing. I lost construction materials when I died, but I still held on to my cooking ingredients, so I never came back empty handed.

Once I had enough supplies, I could head back to town, open up my restaurant, and prepare some dishes for my hungry customers. By the time I closed, I had a register full of cash I could use to buy things like cooking supplies, weapons, and healing items. I always felt like I was on the brink of accomplishing something, and that made the game hard to put down.

• Lively cast of characters. I knew that I’d be battling monsters and preparing meals in Cuisineer, but I didn’t expect to make any friends. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the game has some light social sim mechanics. There’s no romance, but I could chat with the townsfolk, complete side quests, and even give them gifts! Thanks to the lovable cast and well-written dialogue, hanging out in town is always a ton of fun.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT CUISINEER?

• It has a slow start. Cuisineer is a blast to play once it hits its stride, but it takes a little too long to get to that point. The early hours of the game aren’t terrible, but they’re not that engaging either. Running the restaurant can be boring when you don’t have many recipes. Dungeons are less fun when you can’t play around with different weapons and power-ups. I’m concerned that some players will bounce off the game before it really gets going.

• Limited inventory space. Normally, I love inventory management, but the item slot limit in Cuisineer is really hard to deal with. The bag I started with could only held ten items, and it felt like it filled up instantly. I was eventually able to buy some bag upgrades, but dealing with my inventory before that point was a huge chore.

💬 Will you fight through dungeons to get ingredients in Cuisineer, or would you prefer to cook in a quieter kitchen? Share your thoughts in the comments!