Most of my gaming library is either filled with sprawling JRPGs, action packed adventures, or strategy games but every once in a while I just wanna cook for some friendly critters. Creature Kitchen popped on the Steam Store page with nothing more than a raccoon with a sandwich in his mouth which instantly sold me. The charm this game exuded even from the intro was palpable, but was this all just a case of a good first impression? Is this game more than just a cozy game with good vibes or is Creature Kitchen a hearty meal worthy of any gamer?
Spooky cabin in the woods is cozy?
Developed and published by the Rat Zone, Creature Kitchen starts out with you wandering through a dark and mysterious forest until you discover a cabin that was left to you by a previous owner. After exploring the cabin you are left with only a kitchen, some recipes, and a camera with the express goal of finding the different critters and making food for their delicate palate. A pretty simple premise, but it is really effective due to the amazing atmosphere and eeriness of the sound design.
The gameplay loop is very simple in Creature kitchen, you look at a scrapbook for a critter to find, you then find the item or method to draw them out like a bell or a coffee cup, then you take a picture of the creature, which gives you hints of what they want to eat. After you fill their stomach and they become your friend, they will drop a key which will expand your ingredient list or will let you explore more of the cabin. There is a quite a variety in creatures as well starting at something as simple as a rambunctious raccoon all to the way to some creatures that come straight out of folklore. The variety in presentation and behaviors that they behave in are all very unique and really are the soul of the games charm. Without them saying a word you really grow attached to all of them and cooking them food kind of comes natural.
Cooking fiddles for critters
The cooking part of the game is pretty simple compared to other games I’ve played with cooking gameplay, but I think its still pretty well done. All you really have to do is find a recipe card and put all of the ingredients from said card in the oven and then it will magically make your meal. There are three mini-games you play while cooking which are the mixing, cutting, and frying which are all fun enough to not wear out their welcome. The frying in particular was pretty tricky at times because sometimes when I tried to flip my egg it ended up flying across the room with great speed. I think I would’ve loved some more depth to the cooking and more variety like you get out of something like overcooked or even cooking mama. Thankfully there is quite a variety in dishes you can cook and the ending cutscene where you see the food is really well done.
There was also a good mix of dishes that you had to make for each critter that really made you think about what type of food they would like. My one issue is that there are a few friends in the scrapbook that are purely filler with one of them being the moon which of course you can’t cook food for. They also do spell out what kind of food you should make by highlighting key words like meat and breakfast which makes which items to make pretty self explanatory. Overall I did like the cooking for what it is but I do wish there was more of a challenge or at the very least that the type of dishes you had to make were up to your own ingenuity instead of just following recipe cards all the time.
Exploration is a vibe
Exploration and puzzles are also present in the game with some of it being hit or miss for me. I loved using the keys to unlock a new room or even get access to the shed outside but most of the areas you get access to are pretty one and done. With some of the locations housing only a puzzle, recipe cards, and sometimes you might even find some new ingredients. Some of the puzzles are so easy that they become kind of redundant and the clock puzzle is easily one of the most obscure and weirdly hard puzzles but not in a fun way. The animation for opening the door also reminded me of Luigi’s Mansion and I do think most of the puzzles were done rather if well in not edging more on the easy side. My favorite part of exploring though had to be all of the notes and little story details that you can find all the way throughout the house. Some of it being through environmental design and through cute little notes in the scrapbook that give interesting observation on all the critters you meet throughout the game. I do hope that some more do get added as I think this gameplay loop does have some room for expansion.
Like I mentioned before, the presentation and sound design are on point. I wouldn’t say this game is scary but it gives you that eerie feeling of being deep within the forest. All of the different noises the creatures make and the sound of cooking the food are all very pleasing to the ears. One of the creatures in particular made me jump out of my seat with how creative and loud he was when he first arrived. You even get some fun interactions with the critters like the mice eating any food you put on the floor and the raccoon sitting on your rocking chair. The music also emphasizes the spiritual side of the game with a lot of ethereal sounding moments especially late in the game.
The friends you found along the way
Creature Kitchen is not a very long game, only lasting at most five hours, but I think it really is a quality time that has enough positives to make it worth the price of admission. The atmosphere is top notch and the amount of charm and personality coming from the creatures are very compelling. The game is all about making friends with these creatures whether they big or small and what your place as the caretaker of this small little community. This is really nice game to spend a weekend playing and even after the game is over you cook all the other recipes as well. Not the most impressive game but a welcome one.
The Review
Great
