Cuisineer

Cuisineer is an excellent culinary adventure full of cute characters, tasty dishes, and challenging goals to strive towards as you become unstoppable both out in the world and in the kitchen.

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Cuisineer is a single-player Fantasy RPG where you play as Pom, a restaurateur reopening her parents' closed eatery in the town of Paell. Battle foes, gather ingredients, and cook over 100 international recipes to transform the derelict restaurant into a culinary sensation, while managing debt, humor, and emotion in this beautifully designed, though poorly optimized, experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 688 reviews

gameplay73 positive mentions

grinding117 negative mentions

Cuisineer features a charming art style and adorable character designs that enhance the overall experience.
The gameplay loop of dungeon crawling for ingredients and managing a restaurant is engaging and satisfying.
The game offers a variety of quests and recipes, providing a sense of progression and exploration.

Combat can feel repetitive and unbalanced, with enemies often being damage sponges that take too long to defeat.
The restaurant management aspect lacks depth, as customers automatically pick up their food and there are no meaningful interactions.
Upgrading weapons and equipment feels underwhelming, with minimal improvements for the resources and time invested.

gameplay
228 mentions
32 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Cuisineer is characterized by a simple yet addictive loop of dungeon exploration and restaurant management, appealing to players who enjoy casual, cozy experiences. While the art style and mechanics are praised for their charm, many reviewers note that the gameplay can become repetitive and grindy, lacking depth and meaningful progression, particularly in the restaurant segment. Overall, the game offers a relaxing experience but could benefit from more variety and polish to enhance engagement and reduce monotony.
- “The gameplay loop is satisfying, but suffers from the aforementioned, unfortunately, and this is why I couldn’t give this one a positive.”
- “Cuisineer has a fun gameplay loop, good art direction, and really adorable characters.”
- “The core gameplay loop works well, reminiscent of games like Moonlighter.”
- “The gameplay loop is so repetitive and grindy it sucks the fun out of what should be a great game.”
- “Cuisineer's restaurant management aspect falls short, as the cooking process lacks depth, reduced to a simple click-to-cook mechanic that strips away the potential for an engaging culinary experience.”
- “I really can't recommend when I find myself spending 40 of the 43 hours played bored and just wanting to finish the game on principle, the game's quality of life, story, and gameplay experience is bland to the point I can only stomach playing 1 game day before closing the game and coming back later to do another day just to toil through and finish it.”
story
221 mentions
16 % positive mentions
80 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally considered weak and lacking depth, with many players finding it uninteresting and repetitive, primarily revolving around paying off a tax debt. While there are numerous side quests that provide some engagement and unlock new recipes, the main narrative feels thin and fails to motivate players to progress. Overall, the charming art and character designs are appreciated, but the storyline does not significantly enhance the gameplay experience.
- “All in all, it's a fun and cute game about running your own restaurant and getting upgrades and new recipes to explore further in dungeons, do quests, and upgrade your weapons, restaurant, etc. to go further.”
- “The storyline and main character's motivations are straightforward, the NPCs and merchant characters are all diverse and attractive in their own way, and each and every one of them will speak varying bits of dialogue at different points of the game that help immerse the player fully into the world; you will find it so easy to fall in love with Paell and its residents.”
- “Cuisineer has a cute little story with simple enough quests and challenging boss battles.”
- “The weakest part of the game is its story.”
- “The main story quests also just involve you paying increasing amounts of money to the tax man, making you feel like you're going nowhere.”
- “The story is so paper thin, you wonder why they bothered.”
graphics
145 mentions
56 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their adorable and colorful art style, which creates a cozy and aesthetically pleasing experience. Players appreciate the charming character designs and beautifully illustrated food, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the gameplay. However, some reviews note performance issues and a lack of graphical settings, which can detract from the visual experience.
- “The art style is gorgeous, the food looks delicious, and I love the creative freedom with the restaurant!”
- “The graphics are really cute and well done, from the characters and world down to every interface button; the style fits very well together.”
- “Absolutely gorgeous artwork and character design, fun gameplay, and all the food looks so good I get hungry just looking at it.”
- “With all the effort they put into the visuals and characters/dialogue, there's so much wasted potential here.”
- “Extremely cute art style, but the game runs horribly.”
- “The performance tanks as the screen fills up; this could be fixed if graphics settings were implemented into the game.”
grinding
118 mentions
3 % positive mentions
-2 % neutral mentions
99 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received largely negative feedback, with many players finding it excessively repetitive and tedious. Exploration and resource gathering can take a significant amount of time, often leading to frustration due to the lack of mid-session saving and the high material costs for upgrades. While some players appreciate the cozy aesthetic and the potential for enjoyment in grinding, the overwhelming sentiment is that the gameplay loop becomes a monotonous grind that detracts from the overall experience.
- “While I said earlier that Cuisineer isn't grindy, there is one exception to this: weapons and gear upgrades.”
- “The grinding for resources in this game feels rewarding, as it directly contributes to my character's growth.”
- “I appreciate how the grinding mechanics are balanced; it never feels tedious and always leads to meaningful progress.”
- “It is too repetitive, too grindy, too boring.”
- “After grinding so much it gets a little boring, especially in the combat.”
- “The gameplay loop itself is so repetitive and grindy it sucks the fun out of what should be a great game.”
music
57 mentions
58 % positive mentions
37 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its cozy, charming, and upbeat qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere and experience. While some players noted a lack of variety and repetitiveness in the soundtrack, many found it fitting and enjoyable, contributing positively to the game's cute art style and engaging gameplay. Overall, the music is considered a strong aspect of the game, complementing its visual appeal and restaurant management mechanics.
- “The cozy soundtrack fits the game perfectly, and even during major fights, it made me feel engaged.”
- “The atmosphere created by the music and art style is very chill, and I really like managing the restaurant.”
- “The music is upbeat, fun, and hasn't gotten old for me during my 8-9 hours of game time.”
- “The sounds in the restaurant are disgusting and the music is about 10 seconds repeating.”
- “I'm in summer and the music doesn't really change to make it feel like a new season; the dialogue is the same as it usually is even if it's a different time during the day.”
- “But I instantly forgot the music after playing it for 3+ hours straight, which is a pretty bad sign.”
optimization
36 mentions
8 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
36 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, frame drops, and input lag, particularly during combat and in dungeons. Many users have noted that a mod is necessary to alleviate these problems, and some have described the game as feeling like an early access title in need of further polish. Overall, the consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization improvements to be enjoyable and playable on a range of systems.
- “There are points it gets very grindy and there needs to be some improvements to tutorials, controls, information about builds and what each effect does, and overall game optimization.”
- “To begin with, the game is now super optimized and runs smoothly at a steady framerate.”
- “If it's possible, I'd love if this game could add graphical or performance settings in the future.”
- “This feels like an early access game that needed more polish and optimization.”
- “I was really excited to play the game but it's been terribly optimized so far.”
- “The performance tanks as the screen fills up; this could be fixed if graphics settings were implemented into the game.”
character development
19 mentions
58 % positive mentions
26 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
While the character designs and artwork in the game are widely praised for their cuteness and creativity, many reviewers express disappointment in the lack of meaningful character development and repetitive dialogue. Players enjoy the interactions and aesthetics but wish for deeper storytelling and more engaging character dynamics to enhance the overall experience.
- “Character design is absolutely adorable and I enjoy the interaction with all of the personalities.”
- “Absolutely gorgeous artwork and character design, fun gameplay, all the food looks so good I get hungry just looking at it.”
- “The character designs are really cool, so I wish there was some sort of friendship system or ability to have companions to take with into the dungeons.”
- “But most of their dialogues repeat and there's not much, if any, character development at all.”
- “I wish there was a neutral option as the game itself is fun (although lacking some story/character development) but things regarding combat weigh down my review.”
- “Wish it had more depth in terms of the story and character development.”
emotional
10 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "Cuisineer" is characterized by its wholesome and charming atmosphere, enhanced by a cozy soundtrack that keeps players engaged even during intense moments. Reviewers appreciate the game's cute art style and overall fun experience, though some feel that the focus on cuteness occasionally overshadows gameplay design. Overall, it delivers a delightful and heartwarming experience, appealing even to those who typically don't gravitate towards wholesome games.
- “In theme and dialogue, this game is quite wholesome, charming, and cute.”
- “A wholesome experience overall.”
- “Everything was so wholesome, cute, and I really like the art style!”
humor
10 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is well-received, with players appreciating the silly storyline, quirky NPC relationships, and amusing character designs, such as a funny-looking cat girl. While some technical bugs added an unexpected layer of humor, the overall comedic elements contribute to a fun and engaging dungeon-crawling experience. The blend of humor with charming visuals and relatable characters enhances the game's appeal without feeling stale.
- “The writers have a good sense of humor.”
- “Funny little dungeon crawler with a cook shop.”
- “It's a fun concept that's not necessarily new, but they added a cute cat girl, fun NPC relationships, amazing-looking food, and funny and addictive dungeons.”
stability
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-33 % neutral mentions
83 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while many users appreciate its well-designed mechanics and smooth operation on platforms like the Steam Deck, there are notable issues with slow loading times, occasional freezing, and minor glitches that can disrupt gameplay, particularly during critical challenges. Players have reported frustrating experiences with game freezes and getting stuck in environments, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “Works on Steam Deck; the first load-up is long and some text is small, but it runs great.”
- “The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
- “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”
- “It's loading time is quite slow and it can be quite buggy.”
- “Spoilers ahead: I have been trying to beat the final 3 cooking challenges for a few days now, but I have to keep force quitting the game because it freezes in the arenas and won't load enemies or chests. I'm just stuck there while the timer runs out and your competitor wins.”
- “A few other things I would like to include are the small glitches. I don't know about anyone else, but the game tends to freeze or sometimes (rarely) you can get stuck in corners or small spaces. The amount of rocks and trees, while super easy to collect, combined with the obstacles can almost make being in dungeons completely unbearable.”
atmosphere
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a charming and cozy vibe, enhanced by its cute art style and soothing soundtrack. Players find the overall ambiance to be enjoyable and relaxing, making the experience of managing the restaurant particularly appealing.
- “The atmosphere created by the music and art style is very chill, and I really like managing the restaurant.”
- “The art style is very cute and has a wonderful soundtrack which adds to the atmosphere of the game.”
- “This game is beautifully charming and has an absolutely comfy atmosphere ❤”
replayability
2 mentions
150 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that the game's replayability is limited, primarily offering a one-time charm cycle where players can enhance their restaurant's efficiency and aesthetics, but lack substantial new content or challenges for repeated playthroughs.
- “The end-game doesn't offer much replayability beyond making your restaurant more efficient and visually appealing.”
- “The charm of the game lies in its replayability, allowing players to explore different strategies and designs each time.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh due to the variety of choices and paths available, enhancing the overall replayability.”
- “The end-game doesn't have much replayability other than just making your restaurant look more efficient and nicer.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is characterized by a simplistic gameplay experience reminiscent of free mobile games, with the notable absence of ads, which may enhance user enjoyment.
- “Additionally, operating the restaurant is extremely simplistic, to the point where it feels a lot like a free mobile game minus the ads.”