Culinary Wizard

About

Culinary Wizard is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Bug Bounty Games and was released on July 1, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

Embrace cooking techniques like never beforeAfter being fired from a previous job as a line cook, a young chef is hungry for new work. One morning a mysterious job offer appears that beckons you towards a mysterious, magical restaurant. Culinary Wizard is a traditional 2D action-platformer made in a cozy 32-bit pixel art style. Bring ingredients to life and travel between unique worlds, battlin…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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94%

Audience ScoreBased on 16 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

Culinary Wizard features fun gameplay mechanics with a charming story and humorous elements, making it an enjoyable experience for players.
The game has a polished presentation with nice pixel art, varied environments, and a well-designed progression system that keeps gameplay fresh and engaging.
As a free title, it offers a good amount of content, including achievements and bonus levels, providing players with a solid value for their time.

The game suffers from a lack of originality, being criticized as an asset flip with minimal creative effort involved in its development.
Some technical issues, such as sticky ladders and graphical glitches, detract from the overall experience, indicating a need for better polish.
The game is relatively short, which may leave players wanting more content and depth, especially in terms of boss battles and level variety.

gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
56%
19%
The gameplay is characterized by fun mechanics and a tailored side-scrolling experience, featuring simple controls and engaging challenges that keep the experience fresh. Players enjoy the vibrant pixel art and lively visuals, although some feel the game could benefit from additional content to extend its enjoyment. Overall, the gameplay is accessible and enjoyable, with a mix of order-taking from NPCs and combat against whimsical food enemies.
- “Fun mechanics, pretty pixel art, and a quick story makes this game an easy playthrough for everyone.”
- “The gameplay is a tailored side-scroller experience where everything feels intentional.”
- “The controls are easy to pick up and gameplay is kept fresh with the added abilities throughout the game.”
- “Gameplay is pretty simple; in each themed world you take orders from NPCs, which sends you to specific levels to gather the needed ingredients by killing slightly anthropomorphic foodstuffs.”
- “Gameplay isn't the longest even with the optional extra menu challenges, and given how much fun I was having, it was a bit of a letdown; one or two more worlds would have extended the enjoyment without overstaying its welcome.”
- “***The retry mechanic on levels could be better.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The graphics of "Culinary Wizard" are a mix of charming pixel art and occasional graphical glitches, with some users finding the visuals adorable and vibrant, while others criticize them as lacking depth compared to modern 3D graphics. Despite the simplistic art style, the game is noted for its aesthetic appeal and engaging gameplay, reminiscent of titles like Terraria and Stardew Valley. Overall, while the graphics may not be technically impressive, they contribute positively to the game's fun atmosphere.
- “No real complaints, though; Culinary Wizard is fun, free, and aesthetically pleasing, so give it a look.”
- “A full-course meal of a game consisting of plenty of delectable and savory gameplay garnished with lively visuals.”
- “Said visuals consist of some very nice pixel art with lovely pictures for each individual dish as well as showing in the backgrounds with plenty of detail and vibrant yet not overpowering colors.”
- “This features really godawful pixel art instead of real graphics.”
- “It's hard to say if this was because the developer didn't have the skill to create 3D visuals, or couldn't afford to hire someone who does, but it also doesn't matter.”
- “After recording hours of footage and preparing my images for this review, I discovered that Culinary Wizard doesn’t scale graphics the way I would expect.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game's story is characterized by its lighthearted and comedic tone, featuring a charming narrative where players battle food-based enemies to become a master chef under a humorous deity chef. While the story is relatively short, it is well-designed to complement gameplay progression and is filled with funny moments and secrets, making it an enjoyable experience for players. Overall, the quick and engaging story enhances the game's appeal, making it accessible for a wide audience.
- “One of the strengths of the game is its good design for progression of your character as you advance through the story.”
- “Culinary Wizard is a charming game with a fun story that doesn't take itself too seriously.”
- “The story is short but with a lot of funny moments and plenty of secrets to be found.”
- “The game can be completed in a few hours if you just want to complete the main story challenges.”
- “***comedic story”
- “Fun mechanics, pretty pixel art, and a quick story makes this game an easy playthrough for everyone.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as fun, polished, and delightfully absurdist, reminiscent of titles like "Turnip Boy" with its quirky visuals and funny NPCs. Players appreciate the light-hearted tone and the presence of humorous moments throughout the short story, making it an engaging experience filled with secrets and comedic elements.
- “Visually there's more than a hint of Turnip Boy to be detected here and there (the leek in particular is reminiscent), and the humor leans in that delightfully absurdist direction as well, though as this is not to the best of my knowledge directly connected to Snoozy Kazoo, it is probably just homage.”
- “Risk/reward weapons, dangerous food-based baddies, and funny NPCs.”
- “When I saw the game’s trailer, I thought the tone of it was really funny and light-hearted, and it made me want to try it out!”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's music is described as energetic and fast-paced, effectively complementing the gameplay without causing anxiety. While it may not be suitable for casual listening outside of the game, it enhances the overall experience and keeps players engaged.
- “While I wouldn’t listen to the culinary wizard’s music outside of playing the game, I enjoyed it well enough.”
- “The soundtrack is energetic enough to keep you alert, but not too fast as to make you anxious.”
- “Typically, the soundtrack is reasonably fast-paced, which is all right based on the gameplay style.”
- “Music and sound effects”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be engaging rather than tedious, as the gameplay remains enjoyable even during repeated playthroughs.