First off, it is recommended that gamers of all creeds and colors do not eat video games whether they be in digital, cartridge, or disc-based form. Food can be a powerful and downright erotic pastime, but remember to always eat responsibly or risk becoming a pudgy pal rather than a fit friend. Just like food, video games can also be deeply erotic and demand to be played responsibility at risk of the same hardships. So it, only makes sense to put the two together and have this editorial dive into the genre of food-based video games. There will not be any Diner Dash which merely involves food but refuses to let it take center stage. Instead, the spotlight will shine upon the games that let the food take the center stage as God intended.
Upon even simple examination of this screenshot, it is easy to see the game is able to get extremely hectic in order to keep players on their toes.
The first title to examine is the ever-popular Cook, Serve, Delicious, created by David Galindo, which has over 100,000 copies sold (as of January 2015) and launched in October of 2013 on Steam. Rather than show off the waiting aspects of the restaurant business such as cleaning tables and delivering orders, Cook, Serve, Delicious cooks up a brand new perspective from inside the kitchen. Players are given the power to create their own menu while also having to suffer through the nitty and gritty of cleaning toilets and throwing away trash. The game then takes a step towards the current generation and showcases the potential of liking a picture online in order to generate “Buzz” which increases the amount of customers in a given day. Overall, fast-paced gameplay mixed with delectable art and a groovy soundtrack place Cook, Serve, Delicious as not only being a great food-based video game but a great video game in general.
The glamor! The glitz! The minimum wage!
Next up is a game based off of a Japanese restaurant, both of which are named Yoshinoya. Now, as many in the good ol’ USA might know, video games based off of fast-food joints are not exactly unheard of, but Yoshinoya takes things to a new level. Imagine a game in which the player gets to star in the lead role of a minimum wage worker at McDonalds, now switch that burger joint out for a respectable ramen joint in Japan. While not exactly the most glamorous game, Yoshinoya does offer players high-stakes gameplay with a charming art style and some really creative breaks in gameplay that offer intriguing visuals. Keep in mind that Yoshinoya was unfortunately only released in Japan, which makes sense given the basis, so if this game catches any fancies it will take some work to understand.
This is just like what Dante wrote about.
To finish this editorial off, it is time to take a trip back to the past and look at the OG of food-based video games, Burgertime. That is right, never before has making hamburgers been this deadly as players put themselves in the role of Chef Peter Pepper and navigate their way through a hellish maze that includes the demons known as Mr. Egg, Mr. Hot Dog, and Mr. Pickle. Though the game itself may seem simple, as players continue through the various levels they suddenly realize how quickly the game’s difficulty raises. Of course, what would an arcade game be without crushing difficulty and high-replayability?
Well that is that in the realm of food in video games; obviously there are tons of other cheap titles you can find that involve food as the main focus but none shine as bright as these three. So, what did you think of this editorial? Are there any other topics you would like to see presented throughout video games? Make sure to leave a comment below and let us know what you think!