Cuisineer, the fresh take on roguelike dungeon crawling and cozy gaming from BattleBrew Productions and XSEED Games, has made its way to Xbox after originally releasing in 2023. The genre-blending mash-up of cozy gaming and roguelike dungeon crawling brings some new flavors to the game in the Fresh Features update, which also released alongside Cuisineer’s recent Xbox launch.
When it comes to cozy gaming, we don’t traditionally think of action roguelike gameplay, or even combat at all. However, 11 bit studios’ Moonlighter in 2019 was a proof of concept that cozy and combat could get along.
Cuisineer builds on this genre-mixed concept with isometric action-adventure gameplay and a restaurant-centered management simulator. It’s all wrapped up in a vibrant, artistically charming, and illustrative art style that we’ve come to associate with comfort gaming.
Players become Pom, a plucky catgirl protagonist who has recently received a letter from her parents that raises some alarms. Returning home, Pom discovers her parents are missing, having left behind their beloved restaurant and a mountain of debt.
The only thing a girl can do is pick up her trusty weapons and hit the dungeons in order to collect the rarest, fanciest ingredients before returning to the restaurant and cooking up the best dishes for the locals.
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Turn up the heat with foodie power
Pom’s adventures into the world of Paell can be adorably dangerous. Before heading out, Pom must equip her utensils to help her fight off what lurks within the world’s procedurally generated biomes. Mighty kitchen tools become valuable weapons while dungeon crawling through the Green Ruins, Frozen Fjord and Konpeito Swamps.
It’s in these biomes that Pom will find the ingredients and upgrades she needs to cook up a proper storm back home. But if she’s going to slay the Big Mama Hen she needs to harness the power of Salty, Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Umami, Frosty, and Toasty.
These foodborne powers provide the player with flame, poison, and chain lightning effects—to name a few—that can bolster attacks against enemies. Slaying giant chickens, artillery shrimp, and fire-breathing peppers is all just part of the job for Pom.
Due to Cuisineer’s roguelike nature, each adventure is unique, so the size of the dungeon, rewards, enemies, and ingredients that Pom can encounter change with each new run.
Revitalize the restaurant
When you need a break from slaying the beasts of Paell, Pom can turn her attention toward rebuilding Potato Palace—the restaurant that her parents loved dearly. No one catgirl can do it all alone, though, so Pom will need to complete quests for the local townsfolk. Helping out villagers like Naicha the Bubble Tea seller or Alder the carpenter can unlock new recipes, provide gold, and give the player a chance to improve the restaurant by expanding and customizing Potato Palace.
Running Potato Palace isn’t a piece of cake, though. Pom has to handle the restaurant on her own, and unlike a lot of other cozy games, there’s no option to hire outside help. The villagers are hungry, which means Pom will need to whip up something good and deliver it in a timely manner to satiate the crowd.
The Seasoning of Paell
Cuisineer first launched its cozy roguelike mashup to Steam in 2023. Since its initial launch, the team at BattleBrew Productions has been taking player feedback into consideration as it continues to build out Cuisineer into something special.
With Cuisineer’s launch to Xbox, the game has received a fresh new update that expands gameplay with new outfits for Pom, hot new weapons like the Salt ‘n’ Pepper Shakers, and brand new Seasonal content for the world of Paell.
Nothing says cozy gaming better than a good festival, and what’s better than one festival than two? Pom and the locals can enjoy festivals year-round, as two new celebrations take place during each season. Let’s look at what can be expected from just a couple of Cuisineer’s celebrations:
Spring Reunion
Kicking off on Spring 9, the folks of Paell will decorate the town and hide eggs during the Spring reunion. Pom’s customers have a taste for something a little yolk-y, and egg-based dishes are bound to be the star of the season.
There’s special spring-themed furniture available to purchase, and Pom the catgirl can don a Spring Bunny outfit for a hopping good time.
Fireflame Festival
Cuisineer’s Fireflame Festival is a celebration of spice that draws inspiration from Asian culture and draws on the development team’s Singaporean roots. Tasty Spice and Flaming Spice ingredients can be discovered in town hidden within Cheelee lanterns during Summer.
On Summer 19, players can hit the town at night to see the lanterns released into the night sky or watch the fireworks display add some sparkle to Paell. Local merchants are stocked with a Festive Dragon outfit and Fireflame-themed restaurant decor, but grab them quick before the season fizzles out.
Harvest Jubilee
Autumn is the superior season, and that remains nonnegotiable. Cuisineer celebrates the changing of leaves and the glory of jack-o-lanterns with the Harvest Festival on Autumn 7.
Suit up in the Farmer outfit and match Pom’s bestie, Biscotti, for the farm-to-table vibes while scouting out the town for candy baskets. Candy baskets contain Sweet Sap which can be used in recipes to soothe the villager’s sweet tooths with delicious sugary treats.
Solanum Gala
The Solanum Gala closes out the year on Winter 17 with all the blustery cold one would expect for the holidays. A Solanum tree adds some brightness to the long nights of winter, while red and green tomato dishes bring in some festive color to your restaurant’s menu. Of course, tomatoes can be found for free around town and a delightful Nyanta outfit for Pom features a charming hood that covers her ears and adds some Santa Cat flair.
Seasonal furniture is available only during the festival from merchants, but purchasing it lets you leave it up as long as you so desire. You know, just in case you’re one of those people who like to leave holiday decor out long past the actual event.
Cozy up with Cuisineer
What constitutes a cozy game is often up for debate, as the games that bring us comfort can be different for each person. There’s plenty of potential to argue that a game that includes combat can’t fit into the mold of a ‘cozy’ game, which is often seen as more relaxing and without the stress of enemies or risk of death.
Management games, for some players, can be just as stressful as roguelikes for others, however. And there’s always room to consider the benefits of a game that finds a way to break and evolve genres, much like Cuisineer and other titles like it do. The freedom to explore the limitations of genres is one of the things that makes indie games great, in the first place.
Cuisineer is available now on Xbox Series X|S, and takes advantage of Microsoft’s Play Anywhere initiative with cross-platform entitlement support for Windows PC.
