Cuisineer review

• Available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch and PC
• Released on 9 November 2023 (console release in January 2025)
• Developed and published by BattleBrew Productions

A dungeon crawler where your main goal is to stock up on ingredients for your restaurant? It sounds odd, but it works. Cuisineer blends roguelike combat with light management sim elements, and somehow it all comes together into a delightfully tasty package. Originally released on PC in 2023, it’s now available on consoles, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, this quirky little adventure is worth digging into.

You play as Pom, a young chef who heads out into the wilds to gather ingredients for her restaurant. What starts as a humble setup — with just one table and a basic cooking station — gradually expands as you earn money and level up. Eventually, you’ll have more seats, new kitchen equipment, and a longer list of recipes. Cooking is simple and chill: just interact with a prep table or stove, wait a few moments, and the food’s done. Customers usually serve themselves, leaving you to focus on the bigger picture.

Between shifts in the kitchen, you’ll head out into dangerous, ingredient-packed dungeons. It’s here where Cuisineer hits its stride. The world is full of food-themed enemies, and while combat isn’t particularly complex, it’s satisfying. You’ll wield oversized kitchen utensils as weapons and unlock special attacks to help clear out swarms of enemies. The feedback feels great, even if the mechanics are simple.

Inventory management adds a little challenge early on. At first, you can’t carry much, so you’ll have to make decisions about which ingredients or loot to keep. It’s a little frustrating until you expand your storage space, but it encourages you to be thoughtful with your hauls. Thankfully, if you’re in danger during a dungeon run, you can warp back home at any time to avoid losing your loot.

Unlike other life sim/roguelike hybrids like Moonlighter, Cuisineer gives you more freedom in how you spend your day. You can open your restaurant, go adventuring, or both. There’s even an events calendar, where town festivals and special days can affect customer flow or introduce new objectives. It adds a bit of personality to the world without forcing you to follow a rigid schedule.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing your restaurant grow and getting into a groove with serving customers. But the real fun comes from the loop of battling, collecting, cooking, and upgrading. The roguelike structure keeps things feeling fresh, while your persistent progress back home gives a rewarding sense of continuity.

It’s not the most mechanically deep game out there, and it can be a bit grindy at times. But Cuisineer stands out thanks to its charm, colorful style, and the seamless way it blends two very different genres. Whether you’re drawn in by the combat or the cozy management side, there’s a good chance you’ll stick around for more.