Hot Pot For One
- June 12, 2021
- Qin Yin
Get on Steam"Hot Pot For One" is a cozy simulation game where you prepare and enjoy hot pot meals in a relaxing mountain cabin. Customize your hot pot ingredients, cook in various pots, and savor your creations while surrounded by soothing nature sounds. Perfect for players seeking a peaceful, meditative experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game captures the feeling of loneliness and nostalgia associated with spending the holidays alone, making it relatable for many players.
- The atmosphere is cozy and the music is enjoyable, contributing to a relaxing experience.
- Despite its short length, the game offers a unique and charming perspective on the hot pot experience, with cute visuals and a bittersweet story.
- The game is extremely short, with most players finishing it in under 30 minutes, leading to feelings of disappointment regarding its value.
- There are significant technical issues, including glitches and unpolished graphics, which detract from the overall experience.
- The gameplay is limited and repetitive, with players expressing frustration over the forced waste of food at the end, which feels unrealistic and upsetting.
- story56 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of *Hot Pot for One* is a bittersweet narrative centered around the experience of being unexpectedly alone during a holiday, conveyed through fleeting memories triggered by food items. While some players found the concept heartwarming and appreciated the art style, many criticized the story for being rushed, flat, and lacking depth, suggesting that it could have benefited from more content and player choices. Overall, the game offers a simple, casual experience, but its storytelling leaves much to be desired.
“Then, there’s the story: it’s told through a series of fleeting memories that are triggered by inspecting items in your home and with each piece of food.”
“The story is pretty short but the whole game is very heartwarming 💕”
“The bittersweet story was amazing.”
“The story of [i]Hot Pot for One[/i] isn’t as effective as it could be because the setup is rushed.”
“You can only throw some ingredients into a pot, eat them, and have to watch a very poor story to it.”
“The story's also incredibly flat, but maybe it just doesn't resonate with me very well.”
- gameplay20 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of *Hot Pot for One* is brief, lasting around 30 minutes, and is primarily focused on storytelling rather than intricate mechanics. Players can creatively engage in cooking within a charming kitchen environment, but the overall gameplay experience is described as lacking depth and excitement, with the narrative taking precedence over gameplay elements. While recent updates have improved visuals and sound, the gameplay itself remains simplistic and not particularly engaging.
“Mechanically, the game allows you to be creative in how you cook up your meal and present it while being as messy or precise as desired in your charming apartment kitchen.”
“The game's story is told through simple art and gameplay, with some narration.”
“At the time of this review, [i]Hot Pot for One[/i] was updated in February with new illustrations, art, UI and dialogues, as well as updated soundtracks and gameplay optimizations.”
“Gameplay only 30 minutes to end this game.”
“In this game, your solitude and sadness are informed by words, and aren’t established through gameplay.”
“I think this game probably was more about telling a story rather than actual gameplay elements (while those are part of the game, I don't think perfecting that was the main focus).”
- graphics20 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising their quality and aesthetic appeal, especially given the low price point. However, many users report significant issues, including glitches, unpolished movements, and the need for graphical updates. Additionally, there are complaints about the inability to change settings without exiting the game and performance problems on various hardware configurations.
“To be honest, I got this game simply since the graphics looked nice and it's cheap.”
“The graphics are spot on as well.”
“It feels pointless to play other than enjoying it for its graphics.”
“The game has many glitches along with horrid graphics; they're all simply taken from the internet.”
“It also managed to crash on me immediately, and the graphics/movements are extra unpolished as well.”
“The game has some issues running on either computer I tried to play it on, even one I had with an SSD, so I wonder if I'm just lacking a good enough graphics card to make it run smoothly?”
- music20 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The music in "Hot Pot for One" is widely praised for its wholesome and relaxing qualities, enhancing the game's casual atmosphere. Players appreciate the high-quality sound effects and the vibe-y soundtrack, which contributes to a comforting experience, though some express a desire for more interactive elements, such as a sandbox mode to enjoy the music while cooking. Overall, the music is rated positively, with many finding it sweet and fitting for the game's theme.
“I rate it, it's pretty good, the story is pretty good and the music is as well.”
“It made me smile, the art, the music, everything.”
“Music - 8/10 comfy”
“I can see that it was meant to be a nice, simple, and casual game that you can also eat along with the low key music and city ambiance, but it could've been improved a lot by just having a simple motive of just eating by yourself (not a story of being angry at your friends for having lives), also having more content to put in the hot pot, or even having the player make more decisions like making their angry and lonely life become a more positive one with choices of how to feel.”
“Very wholesome and relaxing, but I wish there was a sandbox option so that we could keep making hot pot and listen to the vibe-y music.”
“- high quality sound effects and music.”
- emotional18 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its emotional depth, delivering a heartwarming and touching experience that resonates with players, often evoking strong feelings and even tears within a short playtime. Many users appreciate the beautifully crafted story and intimate environments, though some express a desire for additional gameplay options to enhance the emotional engagement. Overall, it is described as a wholesome and relaxing experience that effectively captures a range of emotions.
“This is undoubtedly the most heartbreaking moment of the game.”
“If you want a beautifully made, heart-wrenching short game, this is for you.”
“Stoppp this made me cryyy :( I love how many emotions this made me feel in the span of 20 minutes... I'm looking forward to seeing more content from you all <3”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is described as both cozy and minimalistic, effectively capturing the feelings of loneliness and comfort during a Christmas Eve spent away from home. Players appreciate the contrast between the lonely interactions through a phone and the warm ambiance of the kitchen, creating a memorable and immersive experience despite the game's brevity.
“It's an atmospheric, minimalistic game about being alone on a Christmas Eve, far away from home, but finding comfort in food from home.”
“Interacting with friends through your phone also gives out this lonely vibe, but it's nicely contrasted with the cozy atmosphere of the kitchen.”
“Super short, but amazingly atmospheric.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by relatable and absurd situations, such as a character comically dumping food everywhere, which evokes laughter despite the underlying frustration. Additionally, broken physics contribute to the unintentional hilarity, enhancing the overall comedic experience.
“I had the hilarious circumstance of seeing my character dump the food down the trash and all over the floor.”
“It was funny to see all that food being spilled while it was thrown out, but it still hurt my soul nonetheless.”
“What was clearly broken physics made that whole scene unintentionally hilarious more than anything.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous glitches and buggy models, which detract from the overall experience. While it has charm and replay value, the graphics are criticized for being poor and poorly sourced, further impacting stability.
“The game has many glitches along with horrid graphics; they're all simply taken from the internet.”
“It's charming and has replay value, but some of the models are a bit buggy and the textures could be a bit better.”
“It's also very buggy, I'm afraid.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of *Hot Pot for One* has seen some improvements with recent updates, including enhanced visuals and gameplay adjustments. However, players are still experiencing performance issues on various systems, raising concerns about hardware requirements, particularly regarding graphics cards.
“At the time of this review, [i]Hot Pot for One[/i] was updated in February with new illustrations, art, UI, and dialogues, as well as updated soundtracks and gameplay optimizations.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is noted for its charm and replay value, though some users have pointed out issues with buggy models and subpar textures that may affect the overall experience.
