Cooking Review (Nintendo Switch)

Who says cooking has to be a painstakingly complex process? As proven in the granny apple of cutesy restaurant simulators, Cooking Mama, rustling up guilty pleasures for hungry patrons isn’t so much about the quality of the bite, but the amount of tender love and care that comes with the experience. It’s the same with RedDeer Games’ Cooking—yet another simple slice-and-dice cuisine-centric sim that offers an easygoing way of creating mouthwatering sushi for a deliciously rich tapestry of appetizers. Granted, it isn’t quite as A-to-B as Cooking Mama, but when compared with the likes of Cooking Simulator—a title that has its own cabinet of ludicrously detailed recipes—it’s a bit of a cakewalk. It’s Rolling Hills, only with far fewer robots, basically. And that’s fine. It seems that even the most optimistic digital chefs have to start somewhere, and RedDeer Games’ approach to the genre just works.

Of course, we’ve seen these sorts of kitchen-centric chop-‘em-ups hundreds—thousands of times before, even. And I’ll just come out and say it right off the bat: Cooking isn’t all that different than the vast majority of its adversaries’ recipes, in the sense that, there are cookbooks to work through, ingredients to source and experiment with, and customers to feed. Sure, there’s a little more to it than that, but if you were to remove the crisp textures and the comic book-like art style from the table, then you’d essentially have a vivid clone of a rather generic cooking simulator. And yet, in spite of its blatant simplicity, the game’s mechanics are still as equally interesting as they are enjoyable to execute.

To put you in the picture, Cooking has just launched on Nintendo Switch. Care to join us as we splice the cutting board together? Then let’s fan the flames!

Let’s Cook

The goal is simple—so simple, in fact, that anyone can make short work of just about any task that makes its way into the daily to-do list. And, this is where I’ll insert my two cents: Cooking is not a difficult game, nor is it one that demands the world of you, knowing full well that you lack the basic knowledge of how to prepare and serve sushi. This isn’t that sort of game; on the contrary, it’s a game that takes pride in holding your hand as you gradually navigate the generic steps of an aspiring restauranteur. From the moment you plunge into the bottomless world of fish and steamed veggies, you’re given a series of simple objectives: mix various ingredients to create delicate dishes; earn a wage to upgrade your utensils and decor; and expand your horizons to acquire additional income and, with that, more guests.

At the heart of Cooking is an incredibly simple concept—a concept that, quite frankly, we’ve grown somewhat accustomed to over the last, I don’t know, twenty years or so. Unsurprisingly, Cooking doesn’t stray all that far from the point of being unoriginal, in the conceptual sense that, as a local business owner, you cook, upgrade, and rinse and repeat. Therein lies a gameplay loop that is, while still borderline predictable even at the best of times, effortlessly entertaining and satisfying to shovel through, despite the lack of originality in its design and progression system. From conjuring fresh ways to add invigorating flavors to existing recipes to making small structural improvements to attract more customers, Cooking does, in all honesty, make simple things weirdly engaging — and I’m all for it.

Dice & Grind

In a typical day behind the counter, you’ll find yourself shoveling through a lot of the same things: cut this, serve that, and upgrade component A to embellish component B, and so on and so forth. In a very rags-to-riches format, you’ll essentially follow a yellow brick road of sorts—a path to enlightenment that eventually sees you reaping the fruits of your labor, whether it’s in the form of a higher quality cooking appliance, one that allows you to prepare meals at a more efficient pace, or in a purely decorative way, be it a plant or a new set of chairs. So, like I said — predictable, yet still just as equally as fun and comforting.

There is something that took me by surprise during the few short hours that I poured into the pot: the amount of cultural infusions that RedDeer Games’ team devoted to each and every recipe in the book. Now, I’m certainly not going to pretend that I know the difference between a Hosomaki or Uramaki dish, because I don’t understand the first thing about either. Having said that, after spending a handful of hours of getting to know the ingredients and the general mixing process, a lot of these cultural delicacies soon became second nature—homely, even. Granted, I didn’t always know what it was that I was cooking for the masses, but that didn’t matter, as the mere convenience of a simple step-by-step to-do list practically spelled it out for me right from the get-go. Did that take the magic out of the equation? Maybe. Still, I couldn’t complain.

When in Japan

Cooking is a good-looking game through and through, and it’s thanks to its comic book style that even the most inconsistent textures and shades are made to feel intentional and creative. I’m not saying that it’s realistic, because it’s certainly missing one or two key elements that comprise a well-oiled cooking simulator experience. But that’s not what this is; it’s a beginner-friendly sushi creator, and it manages to merge the rich heritage of Japanese cuisine with a clean artistic flair incredibly well. That isn’t likely to bode well with some users, mind you, for it does often miss the mark when it comes to portraying genuinely fantastic dishes with all the garnishes and personal touches. But, like I said, Cooking isn’t so much a rollercoaster of ideas as it is a painless journey into the world of guilty pleasures and home remedies. And it works, warts and all.

Cooking isn’t likely to take you weeks to complete; in fact, you should be able to experience the vast majority of its content in a mere four or five hours, give or take. With only 32 ingredients to work with and a relatively bite-sized catalog of upgrades to obtain, it is highly unlikely that you’ll find yourself struggling to source more dishes for your menu. And yet, for as little as $2, I suppose you can’t really go wrong either way. The point is, if you can scratch that culinary itch without having to break the bank, then RedDeer Games has clearly done something right.

Verdict

Cooking provides a safe and effective alternative for creating vibrant dishes without the hassle of having to indulge in bottomless recipes or cooking methods. Don’t get me wrong, there is something of a learning curve involved with certain aspects of the process—learning which fish to use, and which ingredients compliment which garnish and what have you—but due to there being a rather convenient to-do list at your permanent disposal, even the most convoluted tasks aren’t made to feel all that threatening. And that’s a surprise, given the fact that sushi is arguably one of the toughest cuisines to prepare and serve. More or less, Cooking is a beginner’s guide to sushi — and it’s absolutely bursting with cultural value and flavor, for which I’m incredibly grateful for.

For the record, yes, you could quite easily swap out Cooking for another virtual appetizer and still have the exact same experience—chopping, upgrading, and gradually sifting through a cookbook to conceive fresh ingredients—but if you’re looking for something that dabbles on a similar wavelength as, say, Rolling Hills, then you’re probably going to get a kick out of this one. Aside from it being drizzled in several layers of glorious colors and edible textures, it also comes loaded with a quality selection of chapters, to-do lists, and dishes for you to unlock and peruse at your own leisure. Is it a difficult game? Eh, it has its moments I’ll say that much, but to say that it’s an unsurpassable feat just wouldn’t be true.

Take it from me: If you enjoy the simple act of playing the aspiring restauranteur and toying with the four basic food groups, then you ought to give Cooking some food for thought. It’s quick, simple, and most definitely a dish that you’ll want to try.